Plaza de Panama Walking Tours

UPDATE: As of October 2012, the walking tours are on hiatus, but will likely resume as we approach the start of construction. We will keep you updated as to the status of the tours.

Walking tours offered for Plaza de Panama Project on the third Saturday of every month. The next tour is scheduled for Saturday, October 15 at 10:30 a.m.

Many of you may have heard of the Plaza de Panama Project, a plan proposed by Qualcomm founder Irwin Jacobs to restore the grand plazas and promenades in the heart of Balboa Park in time for the 2015 Centennial Celebration.  To provide the public with an opportunity to learn more about the project firsthand, monthly walking tours in Balboa Park are being offered.  Held on the third Saturday of every month, the next tour is scheduled for Saturday, October 15 at 10:30 a.m.  The tours are led by members of the Plaza de Panama design team and provide the public with detailed information on the project’s proposed plans and design renderings. The hour-long tour will start at 10:30 a.m. in the Plaza de California (in front of the Museum of Man) and end at the Organ Pavilion parking lot.

The Plaza de Panama Project proposes to remove all parking and traffic from the Plaza de Panama, Plaza de California, West El Prado and Esplanade, restore these important public spaces and return them to pedestrian use.  The project also includes a new underground parking structure behind the Organ Pavilion.  This structure would provide approximately 800 parking spaces and be topped with additional park space.  All told, the project will reclaim more than 6 acres of park space that is currently occupied by roads and surface parking lots.

For more information, please visit the project website at www.plazadepanama.org.