Botanical Garden at Balboa Park

I have a great little vacation tip for you the next time you are in San Diego. And it’s *free! I love a family-friendly-and-free place to visit while on vacation. It’s the Botanical Gardens at Balboa Park.

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This amazing garden has so many varieties of plants and flowers…some I’ve never even seen before. Take a look at how amazing this atrium is, too…all made of wood. It’s actually one of the largest lath structures in the world!

the-aviary

It was built in 1915 and it’s an amazing historical must-see building. There are enormous trees and plants growing, like giant ferns and this elephant leaf plant (I may have named that plant just now):

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elephant-plants

G was enthralled with it. And he also loved the polka dotted plants. He asked me to take a picture especially of him sitting next to them in his “I made this plant” pose. Hey, I don’t make this stuff up…that was his instruction to me! (Love this kid!)

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I do almost* believe he made that plant…with that pose there. 😉
Take a look at some of the other beautiful plants to see at the Botanical Garden.

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This place just might be a little magical. It’s a perfect garden for kissing (at least G thought so).

best-place-for-kissing

There’s a spot near the back of the garden that is growing an “Allspice” Tree and the bark smells so good…just like Allspice!

The boys especially enjoyed the “smelling garden” that had a number of plants and herbs that you could touch and smell. There was mint and basil, lemongrass and one that smelled like cinnamon. Even a plant that my husband thought smelled like dish soap!

smelling-garden

There’s the boys smelling and touching the “smelling garden” plants! So entertaining. We probably could have stayed there for quite some time if a *little someone* didn’t need to use the bathroom! Ah, the life of traveling with kids, right? 🙂

boys-looking-at-flowers

I hope you enjoyed this little tour of the Botanical Garden at Balboa Park. Check out the tour of the Flower Fields at Carlsbad, too.

Sunshine In My Pocket

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