The Botanical Building in Balboa Park was built in 1915 for the Panama-California Exposition. It is open from 10am – 4pm daily, closed on Thursdays and holidays. As an additional bonus, besides being surrounded by beauty, it won’t cost you a dime. Entrance into the Botanical Building is always free.
Orchids Blooming in the Botanical Building
Walking in through the main entry I was greeted by a beautiful orchid display. The building houses over 2,100 permanent plants with additional plants added on a seasonal basis. You will always find orchids, ferns, palms and a variety of tropical plants.
Orchids Blooming in the Botanical Building
Tours are offered on the 3rd Friday of the month at 11am. If you are interested you will meet for the tour outside the building by Lily Pond.
The Botanical Building
The ceiling is wood lath, one of the largest in the world. The slats allow rain and sunlight to stream into the building at all times.
Unusual Tree
Here is one of the more unusual trees that I came across. I have been unable to identify it. If you happen to know what it is, please leave a comment, I’d love to know.
The Botanical Building
I spent 20 minutes here. I would have loved to stay longer and taken more pictures, but I could not handle the heat, plus the humidity, having all ready spent an entire day in 103 degree heat in Joshua Tree National Park, another 101 degree (plus the Santa Ana winds) day in Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve and my third day of visiting California was still topping 100 degrees. In fact, the heat wave broke the day after we went home.
If you are in the San Diego area, I highly recommend stopping by Balboa Park for a day and taking at least a brief stroll through the Botanical Building. My next day was spent exploring and shopping in Seaport Village (again over 100 degrees and those dreadful Santa Ana winds). As always, wishing you happy travels and fantastic adventures in this thing called life.
All pictures are available for purchase as Fine Art Prints and Digital Downloads at full resolution through Alamy. If you see something you like, click on the link. If you are unable to find it, use the Contact Me page and I will make sure the image is available.
Other Things to See and Do in Balboa Park
The Japanese Friendship Garden
Art and Architecture in Balboa Park
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