Balboa Park: Why it’s San Diego’s crown jewel

Balboa Park, San Diego’s cultural crown jewel, is home to a zoo, two golf courses, dozens of cultural institutions, and acres of picnic spots and recreational fields.

History: City trustees set aside 1,400 acres for a park in 1868, but nothing much happened until the Panama-California Exposition opened in 1915. There followed the San Diego Zoo, the San Diego Museum of Art, a second expo in 1935, the Old Globe Theatre, and reconstructions and restorations.

How it got its name: City Park gave way to Balboa Park in 1910, when Pioneer Society member Harriet Phillips suggested honoring Spanish conquistador Vasco Nuñez de Balboa, the first European to cross the Isthmus of Panama and discover the Pacific.

Landmarks: New York architect Bertram Goodhue designed the expo grounds and planned to build only four permanent structures, which retain their prominence and importance today: the Cabrillo Bridge, California Quadrangle, Botanical Building and Spreckels Organ Pavilion. Noteworthy botanical specimens include the Moreton Bay fig north of the Natural History Museum.

Did you know? The current-day butterfly garden west of the Fleet Science Center hosted a nudist colony during the 1935-36 California Pacific International Exposition.

Things to do: Visit the museums, theaters and zoo (more than 3,500 animals representing 650 species). Attend free Sunday concerts at the organ pavilion. Ride the 1910 carousel with its 54 figures and chariots. Hop aboard the Balboa Park Railroad and explore the 65 miles of trails on 19 routes.