Spanish Village Art Center
Spanish Village Art Center
4.5
11:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Monday
11:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday
11:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Wednesday
11:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Thursday
11:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Friday
11:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Saturday
11:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Sunday
11:00 AM - 4:00 PM
About
Located in Balboa Park, this center is home to many art galleries and working artist studios. Presently we house over 250 local San Diego Artist who create and demonstrate their artwork daily such as: paintings, photography, art tlass, pottery, metal arts, fiber arts, paper arts, enamels and more. There are five guilds on site: Art Glass, Potter's, Wood Carver's, Enamel and Sculptors. We offer classes for all ages and summer camp for kids in our beautiful historic courtyards. Open Daily 11am to 4pm. Free WiFi. Open to the public and pet friendly.
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Address
Neighborhood: Balboa Park
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
213 reviews
Excellent
115
Very good
76
Average
17
Poor
4
Terrible
0
DannyWasserman
Virginia Beach, VA4,646 contributions
May 2024 • Family
From the Mozaic tile to the southwestern feel of down-home artists, this place is worth visiting multiple times. We have been there several times and the artists with their stores have many items to offer from paintings to woodworking's, to blown glass, to ceramics, to trinkets, to gifts of all imagination are all under one roof. Please check it out.
Written June 12, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
caltravelgal
Covina, CA389 contributions
Nov 2024 • Friends
Great place to kick around for a while, looking at wonderful art of all kinds, sometimes being made right in front of you by the artists themselves. Good place to get gift items. There is a small coffee cart too. Make sure you get there at least 2 hrs before closing time.
Written November 25, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MurphymomChicago
Chicago277 contributions
Jul 2023 • Family
Great selection of artisans, definitely stop at Studio 3 Don Knapp and Daniel’s coffee while here. Don’s work is beautiful, you can color your own magnets here too and he tells great stories about his work. Reasonably priced.
Written July 27, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ellen28
New York City, NY1,194 contributions
Jun 2021 • Solo
Highly recommend passing though when you’re in Balboa park. You can see artists at work - pretty much every medium is represented in small individual studios. Definitely a nice way to support local artists and grab a unique souvenir.
Written June 14, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Michael
Woking, UK255 contributions
Feb 2020
I didn't know about this place until we found it while walking from a bus stop near the zoo to the Botanical House area. The village itself had a very relaxed atmosphere and I loved the Spanish architecture. The art on display was great to look at and there is plenty available for purchase. The location made for a nice surprise on our day trip and I would recommend others visit!
Written March 30, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Karen C
St. John's, Canada3,032 contributions
Feb 2020
The simple act of painting the stones different colours really adds to the space.
Lots of shops and galleries here. We got here a bit too early and many shops weren't open yet. Some were just starting to open. We watched a glass blower at work, very interesting! Lots of seats/tables with umbrellas to sit down. You can buy food too.
Lots of shops and galleries here. We got here a bit too early and many shops weren't open yet. Some were just starting to open. We watched a glass blower at work, very interesting! Lots of seats/tables with umbrellas to sit down. You can buy food too.
Written February 11, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
PJSOCAL
San Diego, CA9 contributions
This is a wonderful place! There are many artists studios and galleries which have many different types of great art for sale for great prices. The village itself is a really unique place styled after a quaint Spanish Village from the 30's.
This is a wonderful place to stroll around and spend an afternoon with nearby attractions of the San Diego Zoo and museums in Balboa Park within a short walking distance.
This is a wonderful place to stroll around and spend an afternoon with nearby attractions of the San Diego Zoo and museums in Balboa Park within a short walking distance.
Written June 28, 2007
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
TripSeekerGal
35 contributions
Nov 2017 • Couples
We were looking for a place to buy local art and this did not disappoint! Such a great place! We had so much fun making our own spirit totem. Such a fun memorable piece of art to have. Highly recommend the Spanish Village Art Center for an afternoon of art-filled fun!!
Written November 6, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ireneniehorster
San Diego, CA5 contributions
Mar 2014 • Family
Located in the heart of Balboa Park between the San Diego Zoo and the Natural History Museum, the Spanish Village Art Center is a vibrant place to visit.
As you step into this historical landmark, you are welcomed by the quaint buildings and courtyards originally built to depict a charming old village in Spain (for the second California Pacific International Exposition in 1935).
Take a leisure stroll throughout the village, and let the multi-colored cobblestones guide you around the 37 local working artists studios and galleries and into the charming center courtyard.
Venture inside the unique entryways of these wonderful studios and galleries and be part of a fabulous artistic experience, as artisans and crafters demonstrate their art in progress and share their love and talent for their particular craft.
Here you will be exposed to a wide and diverse collection of art that’s available to purchase as gifts or for your own pleasure, or you may choose to have a more hands-on experience by taking one or several of the different art classes offered throughout the year.
There are approximately 200 artists in this community who have been independently juried, so you will be surrounded by painters, sculptors, photographers, mixed-media artists, fiber artists, glass artists, enamel artists, gourd artists, basket makers, printmakers, fiber artists, metalsmiths, jewelry designers, clay and polymer clay artists, and many more...
You will also have the opportunity to mingle with such artists, art patrons and other art lovers during the Art Center’s special parties, exhibits, events and history tours.
If you enjoy art, this is the perfect destination for you! Admission is Free.
As you step into this historical landmark, you are welcomed by the quaint buildings and courtyards originally built to depict a charming old village in Spain (for the second California Pacific International Exposition in 1935).
Take a leisure stroll throughout the village, and let the multi-colored cobblestones guide you around the 37 local working artists studios and galleries and into the charming center courtyard.
Venture inside the unique entryways of these wonderful studios and galleries and be part of a fabulous artistic experience, as artisans and crafters demonstrate their art in progress and share their love and talent for their particular craft.
Here you will be exposed to a wide and diverse collection of art that’s available to purchase as gifts or for your own pleasure, or you may choose to have a more hands-on experience by taking one or several of the different art classes offered throughout the year.
There are approximately 200 artists in this community who have been independently juried, so you will be surrounded by painters, sculptors, photographers, mixed-media artists, fiber artists, glass artists, enamel artists, gourd artists, basket makers, printmakers, fiber artists, metalsmiths, jewelry designers, clay and polymer clay artists, and many more...
You will also have the opportunity to mingle with such artists, art patrons and other art lovers during the Art Center’s special parties, exhibits, events and history tours.
If you enjoy art, this is the perfect destination for you! Admission is Free.
Written January 18, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Barbara M
108 contributions
Apr 2022 • Family
The Spanish Village was a highlight of our trip! We absolutely loved meeting the artists and enjoying their work! From glass to jewelry to paintings it was a cornucopia of colorful inspiration!
Written April 26, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Is this area closed off or locked when the shops are closed? I see that there are hours, but I was wondering if you can walk through and take pictures outside of the hours that the shops are open.
Written September 28, 2019
I didn’t seen any way to close it off, the stores just close.
Written October 27, 2019
Is there parking near the Spanish Village Art Center and is there a great deal of walking involved to get to this area from where one would park. ( Is this something a person could do that uses a walker.?)
Written May 10, 2016
There are a parking lot right beside Spanish Village which has a couple of handicap spaces. Lots of competition for any/all parking ... suggest you go early (Village opens officially at 10am, but a few places open a bit earlier). You can sit on the benches while you are waiting. Behind the Natural History Museum is a parking lot too... it's a little farther away, but not a great deal. Could park in the handicap spaces in the Zoo parking lot ... it isn't far from there over to the Village ... but I don't know how limited the person with the walker is. If you just barely can walk, go for the parking lot right behind the Village... if you can walk a bit without much difficulty, either of the other two should work as well.
Written June 30, 2016
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