With the cultural center of Balboa Park offering a wide array of galleries and museums, acclaimed theatre and musical venues scattered about the city, and the San Diego Chargers playing at Qualcomm Stadium, it isn't difficult to keep busy in San Diego.

ART GALLERIES AND MUSEUMS

Balboa Park is home to an eclectic mix of museums and striking visuals, while other cultural centers exist elsewhere in the city.

• At the San Diego Museum of Art, see a great collection of Spanish art. Known as the regions oldest and largest art museum, the collection housed within features artifacts from 5000 BC to the current day. Works of well known Spanish artists make up much of the collection, which is displayed and stored behind an ornate stone facade in the Plateresque style. Works by Bellini, Velazquez, Rubens and Klimt bring in over 500,000 visitors each year.

• Founded in 1974, the Museum of Photographic Arts(MOPA) is one of only three museums in the US dedicated solely to the preservation and exhibition of photography. In addition to still images, the museum also collects film and video from the beginning of the photographic era to today. Following a renovation completed in 2000, the 32,000 square foot space includes a lecture theatre and dedicated archival facilities.

• If your interest in art it contained to the present, be sure to check out the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego. Originally serving as a community arts center, and later the La Jolla Art Museum, the building officially became the Museum of Contemporary art in 1990. Focusing on artworks created from 1950 to today, the collection has grown to more than 4000 works including the genres of painting, video, sculpture and installation. The collection includes a large amount of minimalist and pop art pieces.

• The Timkin Museum of Art showcases a collection of more than 500 paintings from the early Renaissance period through to the 19th century. Rembrandt, David, Inness, Boucher, Fragonard and others grace the museum's walls, interspersed with a French tapestry set. Tours in Spanish and English, talks and lectures are regularly available as well as interactive children's programs. The museum can be found in culture-rich Balboa Park.

• The Fallbrook Art Center describes itself as neither an art gallery nor a museum, but a unique amalgamation that allows the non-profit center to present a range of exhibits uncurated by any governing force. At different times, the Center may showcase ceramics, sculpture, printmaking or photography collections. With three exhibition spaces available to rent for personal exhibits, the Fallbrook Art Center offers a community art experience.

• The San Diego Natural History Museum
• Craftsmanship Museum
• Heritage Park Village Museum
• Junipero Serra Museum
• Museum of American Treasures
• Reuben H. Fleet Science Center
• Museum of the Living Artist
• San Diego Children's Discovery Museum
• San Diego Museum of Man
• Stuart Collection
• Women's Museum of California
• Oceanside Museum of Art

San Diego, California

ARTISTIC INSTITIUTIONS

San Diego is home to a number of art colleges and schools that train passionate students in the study of a wide range of artistic mediums and professions.

• At the University of California, San Diego, artistically included students can study a variety of specialities, including Dance, Music, Art History, Studio Art and Interdisciplinary Computing in the Arts. In addition, graduate degrees are offered in Art History, Theatre and Dance and Visual Art. UCSD is an easy walk from the coast and the Pacific Ocean.

• Achieve a two-year degree in Fine Art, Museum Studies, Art History or Ceramics at San Diego Mesa College. It is the largest community college in the city, and has offered a wide range of degree programs in a variety of fields since opening in 1964. Nearby stretch the walking paths of the Tecolote Canyon National Park.

• At the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising students are offered a variety of 2- and 4-year degree and Associate Art degrees in any of 26 fields including fashion design, graphic design, digital media, interior design and jewelry design. The private college boasts successful graduates who now work in the entertainment industry, and has built a community of more than 60,000 graduates since it was founded in 1969.

• Platt College is a digital, media, and design school that offers specialities in 3D animation, website design, graphic design and video production, achieved through two and a half year programs. Students can choose a bachelor degree, associate degree or diploma program, depending on their field of study. The first Platt College was founded in Missouri in 1879, and the San Diego campus opened in 1980.

• Point Loma Nazarene University
• San Diego State University School of Art, Design and Art History
• The Art Institute of San Diego
• Art Academy of San Diego
• Bravo School of Art
• Losina Art Center
• The Salon of Art

NATIVE ARTISTS

San Diego has birthed or adopted a number of well known creatives including artists, singers and actors.

• Tim Bradstreet is an artist and illustrator of comic books, movie posters and collectable trading cards.
• Suzy Spafford is a cartoonist who created the children's book series "Tales from Duckport."
• Concetta Antico is originally from Australia, but lives in San Diego where she uses her rare ability to see more color than the average human to paint landscapes and animal images.
• Adam Brody, an actor best known for his role in The OC, is from San Diego.
• Well-known actor Ted Danson gained fame on the TV show Cheers.
• Mayim Bialik from The Big Bang Theory is originally from San Diego.
• Tom Delonge of pop punk band Blink-182 is from San Diego County.

ART AND CULTURAL EVENTS

Annual Events

• Each year, the San Diego Museum of Art holds Art Alive, a three-day exhibit that features more than 100 floral and other living displays designed by flower artists, displayed next to the artwork that inspired their creation. A fundraiser for the museum, Art Alive has run annually for more than 30 years, and offers lectures and workshops in addition to the exhibition.

• February each year is Museum Month, sponsored by Macys department store. Visitors and locals alike can pick up their month-long pass, which gains them reduced entrance fees at dozens of cultural and historical sites around the city.

• Visit Seaport Village in March to catch the Spring Busker Festival, featuring various travelling and local acts from acrobats, musicians and comedians, all performed on the streets nearby great views of the San Diego Bay.

• The San Diego Latino Film Festival has been running since 1993, and showcases the talent of Latino filmmakers, actors and screenwriters. Taking place in mid March, the festival runs for 11 days and celebrates the success and culture of the Latino community.

Other Events and Sights to See

• Take the Mission Federal Art Walk, April
• See the pandas at the San Diego Zoo and Safari Park
• Walk along Windansea Beach
• Visit the Aquatica San Diego
• Cross the 2.12 mile Coronado Bridge
• Check out Sea World San Diego
• Take a tour of the USS Midway Museum

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