Balboa Park-Hillcrest

Dedicated to the art and history of photographic arts, with works from famous photographers such as Ansel Adams. The museum also holds changing exhibitions and a theater that plays art and cult films.

A large gallery with changing exhibitions of San Diego artists.

The largest art museum in the region, with European, contemporary, and Latin American art, 19th and 20th century American art, and an Asian collection. There are also changing exhibitions, featuring show major art shows.

A small art museum with collections of lesser-known pieces from famous European old masters, American, and Russian painters.

This popular science museum is filled with dozens of interactive exhibits of interest to children, young adults and grown-ups too. There's also an IMAX theater in the building, one of the world's first.

You may notice the museum as you fly into San Diego - the circular building is centered around a navy PBY flying boat and features exhibits detailing the history of manned flight, from the first planes to space travel, with lots of full-scale models of aerodynamic craft. Among the highlights is an exhibit on San Diego native Charles Lindberg, whose famous flight on his Spirit of St. Louis began in San Diego.

This splendid museum showcases some of the finest, rarest, and most famous cars in the world.

It's beneath the majestic California Tower near the Cabrillo Bridge. The Museum of Man is an institution devoted entirely to anthropology. The museum's permanent collection includes exhibits on the Mayan, ancient Egypt, the Kumeyaay Indians of San Diego County, Human Evolution, and the Human Life Cycle, with some incredible displays such as mummies, ancient artifacts from prehistoric cultures, and replicas of ancient monuments.

Like any natural history museum, this one has a lot of big dinosaur skeletons. Exhibits on the local ecology and geology are also prevalent throughout the museum, as well as a massive Foucault pendulum in the entrance hall. There are also many changing exhibitions and a giant-screen theater.

An absolutely enormous and world-renowned zoological institution, the San Diego Zoo showcases more than 4,000 rare and endangered animals, including many exotic animals from all over the world, such as apes, hippos, polar bears, tigers, bears, lions, elephants, koalas, kangaroos, zebras, reptiles, hundreds of species of birds, and a whole lot of species of animals that are less well-known.

Part of the Landmark Theaters chain, this theater showcases many independent and foreign films.

The original theater, designed to copy Shakespeare's theatre in London, was built in 1935 for the California Pacific International Exposition in only 32 days and featured shortened versions of Shakespeare plays. In 1941, the U.S. Navy ordered the Old Globe to remove equipment and records for a period of 24 hours -- the Navy had acquired Balboa Park for use during World War II. By the summer of 1947, the federal government returned the park to the City of San Diego. In 1978 the theatre was destroyed by fire; a rebuilt theatre opened in 1982. The area hosts three stages including the Old Globe itself, the Cassius Carter Centre Stage, and an outdoor Lowell Davies Festival Theater. You will usually have to purchase tickets in advance.

The Bowl is home to the San Diego Civic Light Opera Association, which puts on plenty of live performances through the summer. Since 1946, Starlight Theatre has presented live musical theatre under the stars each summer in beautiful Balboa Park.

Home to one of the world's largest outdoor pipe organs, the Spreckels Pavilion holds a number of free - yes, free of charge - concerts throughout the year.

One of the oldest youth theater programs in the country, the Junior Theatre holds many live performances.

A popular venue for renowned puppeteers, with an indoor theater holding many performances during the year. A favorite for children.