Fodor's Expert Review Botanical Building
Balboa Park, Bankers Hill, and San Diego Zoo
Garden
Fodor's Choice
Editor's Note: This property is currently undergoing renovations.
The graceful redwood-lath structure, built for the 1915 Panama–California International Exposition, now houses more than 2,000 types of tropical and subtropical plants plus changing seasonal flower displays. Ceiling-high tree ferns shade fragile orchids and feathery bamboo. There are benches beside miniature waterfalls for resting in the shade. The rectangular pond outside, filled with lotuses and water lilies that bloom in spring and fall, is popular with photographers.
