Among Balboa Park's most famous images is a photograph of the Botanical Building and the adjacent Lily Pond. The Building's occupants include over 2,100 plants year-round in addition to colorful seasonal flower displays.
Designed and built for the 1915-16 Panama-California Exposition, the Building is one of the largest lath structures in the world and was once known by three different names. Unofficially called the Horticultural Building, this name was soon abandoned, while its official name was and remains the Botanical Building. It was also once nicknamed the Lath Palace.
Lily Pond's two reflective ponds enhance the Building's picturesque architecture, while another visually stunning experience waits inside. Here, sunlight peeks down through redwood cross hatches and a lush organic canopy. The Building's quietly serene interior atmosphere provides a glimpse at the plant world's immense natural beauty.
The treats are not merely visual; aromatic plants with savory scents and delicious tastes include varieties of mint, basil, and banana and coffee plants. There is also a Carnivorous Plant Bog, featuring the infamous Venus Fly Trap, where plants eat animals in a twisted role-reversal.
With its truly unique structure and plants hailing from all corners of the globe, the eye-catching Botanical Building's appeal lies on its surface as well as deep within its interior.
Attraction Information
- Hours:
- Friday through Wednesday: 10am to 4pm
- Admission:
- Free
- Contact:
- Location: 1650 El Prado, San Diego, CA
- Phone: 619-234-8901
- Website: www.balboapark.org
