International houses in Balboa are awesome! Tips: Go on the weekend when houses are open. Every weekend a different house hosts something in the main lawn area. Bring a stack of $1s. Sample food from open houses are donation only (dumplings from China house, cakes from German house, tea from British house, etc). The volunteers are so friendly. You will be inspired to visit these countries...plan your next trip with help from the volunteers who will tell you the Must Sees. Also- The annual Ethnic food fair is a MUST. So many small affordable samples of food, I was sadly limited by my appetite. Also Germany house is the best. :-) Go there for cakes and coffee...danke to the nice German volunteers.

I was very excited to visit as I love to travel and learn about different places and different cultures. I have to say this was very disappointing: it was as if each of the nations present were frozen in the 1950s. The representations here did not flatter any country. (Take China for example. The house for China didn't even have the Chinese flag - why not? I have lived in China for some time and feel it's a nation full of rich history and culture, reduced down to some sad looking knick knacks, a couple of books, and fortune cookies, which did not even originate in China!!!). And the presentations felt as if they were made as an elementary school project. Having said that, besides a couple terse volunteers, most of the volunteers were friendly and doing their best. Perhaps I am being too harsh, as I think it's a good idea, but I do think this place could really be improved upon, i.e. better food, better educational material, and actually representing the countries more accurately.

We went to England house and weren’t allowed , there is an old man there won’t give us a reason. Several people came and went inside while we still standing there. I don’t wanna believe that it was because of our skin color but there is no other explanation to his action. Disappointed that my adult children and myself has to go through this. Other international house are very welcoming and happy to see visitors but not the English.

This is an ok place

A little boring.

I was absolutely fascinated by this place! Even after being a San Diego local for many years and visiting the Balboa Park countless times, I never visited this place until a recent trip to several Balboa Park museums/attractions. However, this was definitely the highlight of my visit. The people in every house are very hospitable, kind, and welcoming. There are many cultural items, photographs, decorations, art pieces, and songs that bring joy to the visitors as they explore the cottages. I recommend this to people of all ages; there is something for everyone! I will definitely be returning here in the near future.

Enjoyable and educational ad well. There are different events going on all the time , so make sure you click the schedules so you do not miss out!

The idea of the house is great and interesting. Encountered many rude volunteers.

The Hall of Nations is the home of the House of Pacific Relations, which is the umbrella group for all the International Houses, including the House of Sweden, to which I belong. They do a great job organizing special events such as December Nights.

In the middle of downtown San Diego, it's nice to find something so green and quiet.

Beautiful on sunny days!

Great evening..Food was good and waitress courteous and professional.

(Translated by Google) Beautiful place in downtown San Diego, to relax in the middle of the buildings around (Original) Hermoso lugar en el centro de San Diego, para relajarse en medio de los edificios alrededor

Very clean and peaceful.

I have no idea, just mozzying around. I ordered nothing

Movie night

Lots of homeless going over walls and pet owners leaving poop and pee

Too many homeless and too much dog poop.

All of the houses are neat to walk around. It won't consume a ton of your time, but I thought it was a charming, quiet area.

Nice park, they keep it clean

Nice park if you go early evening you can even park in front of it!

I usually just walk thru. I need to take some time to relax in the shade.

Lots of scary hobos, but a nice park

(Translated by Google) PANTOKHA Park - Park of "Local Importance" 🤗 The park has a wonderful landscaped area for walking and playing dogs. Pet owners are friendly among themselves and to park visitors walking WITHOUT pets! The park has sunny and shady resting places. Rest directly on the grass is welcome. A more friendly park in the district has not yet been found 👍 (Original) Парк ПАНТОХА - парк "местного значения" 🤗 В парке чудеснейшая благоустроенная площадка для выгула и игр собак. Хозяева любимцев дружески настроены между собой и к прогуливающимся БЕЗ питомцев посетителям парка! Парк имеет солнечные и тенистые места отдыха. Приветствуется отдых непосредственно на траве. Более приветливого парка в округе пока не обнаружено 👍

Great place to relax

Always homeless around it and I've seen hypodermic needs in the grass

Best park

Dog walking park. Really cozy.

Super clean place. Place was good. Nice place for walk.

Where's the international House of Wales? England, Ireland, Scotland but no Wales.

I love visiting Bal Boa Park and all the different countries. The houses are so amazing and such a great piece of San Diego History. I love learning about the different cultures of the different countries and attending the events that are FREE!! I recently attended the Silk Scarf Dying at the House of Ireland and was so glad I did!

Didn't know this was here for a long time. Really cool to see some of the cultural things at each of the houses. Dancing and music by South Korea when we were there.

Great place to explore your heritage. Meet people that remind you of grandparents, get tasty treats and make even small donations to keep this cultural experience, alive.

We love visiting and volunteering at the International Cottages! Every Saturday & Sunday, from 11-5:00, the cottages open and you can explore over 30 cultures without a passport! Many give a sample of food or drink (small donations accepted) so you can have a real experience! On Satirday and Sundays there may be live entertainment and more booths on the lawn. A must do for locals, families, and visitors who love fun!

These are houses decorated with things of every country and I loved every single one of them. My favorites were the Turkish house, the Korean house, the American house, the UK house (they have a Harry Potter section and you can take a photo in a newspaper that says “Have you seen this wizard”), the Swedish house (they sell some beautiful postcards), the Korean house (they show you how to write your name in Korean and have some beautiful postcards and stamps) and the Mexican house. They had some amazing singers they day I went, ambience is amazing. The gift store was nice, not that expensive compared to all the touristic places visited. I don’t know but I think it’s better to buy things in every house rather than in the gift store because that way you support each house (most of the things they give you are free and you can decide if you want to donate or not). Also some houses give you stickers, you can ask for them.

This was my first experience in December Nights, it was a much bigger operation than what I was thinking! It’s AMAZING , with so much to do and try, between the decorations , lights, family fun and the wonderful foods from cultures all around the world right in Balboa Park! Truly it’s a wonderful experience and everyone is so kind and helpful , the volunteers working together , the cottages being neighborly , I saw one ran out of something they went to their neighbor and of course they helped ! I loved it and I truly enjoyed being apart of this wonderful event! Bravo to all who work so hard putting all this together and bringing these experiences to our community ! It’s the biggest event that many look forward to every year !

Open twice a week on weekends. It is a quick walk though. Fun venue for parties. This was the House of Denmark Christmas party.

Great cultural resource. Catch a glimpse of many different cultures. Celebration of Panama was wonderful.

What a wonderful experience! These little cottages give you a cultural glimpse of many countries. Most have hosts to answer questions and a few had snacks, like dumplings. Look for their calendar of lawn shows/festivals; these are extremely fun. They have a tent set up for the country's cuisine. Plan to bring a blanket/chairs to attend. The park shuttle stops not far away.

Love it.Quite setting,not much homeless people here.

Went for a presentation by House of Columbia. It was a luncheon which was great and the presentation so informative that I am now reading more on this country. The event was sponsored by House of Columbia and it was a very pleasant experience. If you live in San Diego consider getting involved with the House and meet so many great people.

Cool little spot to get some history on different countries. I visited the Iranian Relations which was cool and free; donations accepted. Authentic Persian Tea available with small donation. Free flyers with tons of history facts. I went during the Iranian New Year [Nowruz] which was awesome! Iranians know how to party and do so in peace. Souvenirs were available at select vendors during the event.

This place was awesome before they closed. Not sure if they'll ever open up again. They have a food tasting event with food from every country. Its a must go, but only if they are open so make sure to call ahead.

Great time celebrating Christmas with Iran House Community. Great Food from El Cajon area restaurants, Tea, coffee, treats afterwards. Lots of Dancing, mostly in line, group of Women hand to hand. A few times one or two men join. Nice to hear the communities music and see celebration.

fun place to get little snapshots of each country there. there were dance lessons taking place and a gift shop to check out. nearly all the houses close at 4pm.

Nice and quiet

Colonized America

Lovely

Such culture facts.

Great chance to see different nations' houses.

(Translated by Google) Excellent place of world culture (Original) Excelente lugar de cultura mundial

Charming cottages and the people are really nice.

Lots of great gift ideas for all.

Attended a concert by the phenomenal bagpiper Fred Morrison, sponsored by the House of Scotland and the House of Scotland Pipe Band. If you are not familiar with the international cottages in Balboa Park, you should become so. Many different nations of the world are represented and great activities occur throughout the year. The cottages themselves are open most Saturdays and Sundays, and the Hall of Nations in the House of Pacific Relations is a good place to start. There you will find many display cases of all of the member nations.

Such a fun place!

(Translated by Google) A curious cultural center to know a bit of culture of each country ' (Original) Un centro cultural curioso para poder conocer un pedacito de cultura de cada país’

Fantastic place. I love the different houses of culture. And of course, the House of Norway is the best.

One of the jewels of the country.

Houses have a lot of cool little freebies to offer, and the people that make up the houses are quite friendly.

We attended the Annual food fest and it was so fun, the food was great, you get a taste of each house.

Very nice.

Yummy food and great entertainment!

Great gathering of peoples from all over the world.

Dumplings in China! So good!

I can't wait for December nights at Balboa Park!!! Yummy food and great entertainment!

Fun international cottages. Customer service in gift shop could be improved.

Very friendly volunteers great snacks for donations.

We came here and made stars, it was a really fun time and they provided food as well!

The House of Pacific Relations International Cottages was founded in 1936 and housed in the historic 1935 Exposition cottages. There are Thirty-Two different nationalities represented. The individual groups promote multicultural understanding and goodwill through various cultural and educational programs that showcase the national traditions. These are truly wonderful little houses from our allies and others alike. I have enjoyed them all my life, one Sunday at a time.

Calm, clean, pretty trees!

Peaceful

You won't be disappointed! Free food samples (suggest small donations). Each house unique. Each Sunday a different country hosts the Food to buy & the amazing entertainment at 2pm. Just relax & enjoy. Lots of grass!

Not a bad park at all. Well kept with good features. Nothing truly exceptional. Would be better with less homeless.

Great little park in the heart of the city. Not filled with homeless. A lot of people use it as an off leash dog park even though its not.

So beautiful!

Loved spending time at this park.. so peaceful and a great spot to sit and read in the Beautiful SD sun :)

I love this park. I go almost every Saturday morning to sit outside and read. It’s secluded, rarely busy. A great quality during COVID. It isn’t far from a Ralph’s, so it’s a great spot to grab some lunch and picnic in the park. It’s full of giant fig trees, lots of dogs. There’s a place called Brickyard right around the corner. They have great food and coffee. I always stop their for my Saturday morning coffee before I head to the park. The Embarcadero is nearby and has amazing views, but this place is a bit more secret and special.

Nice place to chill and relax and fun for the kids to run around and play.

Superb place to take fresh break after work out....

Wow.. Wonderful place!!

An absolutely beautiful place to visit. The tropical garden area is my favorite by far. There are lots of good food options available as well. Very Nice!

Great park in a very nice quiet neighborhood.

A quiet quaint park in the middle of Downtown San Diego. One of the very many parks in the downtown part of San Diego with quietness and birds chirping. A locals spot as to the "off the grid" location.

Quiet, greenbelt hidden behind courthouse. Dogs on leash welcome!

A good spot to roll around in the grass with your honey. Just watch out for the bums that hang out there all day and night.

Peaceful. Not always easy to find peace and quite in downtown San Diego.

Very peaceful and a great place to have a picnic let the dogs play to relax.

Small but nice. A few benches. Nice spot to let's dogs run. Leash required but never crowded I'd you're a law breaker like me

The coolest thing about Balboa park!

Needs a Romanian house, other than that pretty cool!