Balboa Park Carousel

I grew up in San Diego riding this carousel and I recently had the opportunity to take my own son for the first time. It was as much of a joy for him as it was for me 30+ years ago. At $ 2.50 a ride, it’s an enjoyable and affordable addition to an afternoon at Balboa Park. My son is 5 so we weren’t on the outer edge of horses trying to get the brass ring, but we still had fun watching other riders try. And a brass ring winner gave his free ride ticket to my son! A priceless experience both as a child and now as a parent!

San Diego history is here! $ 2.50 for one ride, but if you grab the brass ring you get two. If by chance you get an iron ring, you can have fun knocking the dummy down. Good old fashioned fun!

as far as my memory goes, i have never ridden on a carousel. in 41 years of living. maybe my mom took me on one before i was 3 so i won’t rule it out completely. nonetheless i thorougly enjoyed the ride! my son got a little freaked when we tried to strap him onto one of the horses so he rode w/​his mommy on one of the carriages and had a great time. i thought it was so cool to see the original artwork, the original animals, the automated music playing machine banging the tunes away, the old gears doing their thing to spin the massive ride. just imagining what it must have been like riding this thing, new, in the early 1900’s, really takes you back to another time. and you know, it actually picks up some good speed! very cool; hope it keeps going for another 100+ years.

This circa 1910 carousel is a treat. All but two pairs are the original hand carved European animals. The murals are original as well. While that may matter to the adults, kids just care that the ride is a lot of fun. The cost is $ 2.75 a ride, or four tickets for $ 10. The tickets are also accepted at the neighboring butterfly/​airplane ride. Adults have to buy a ticket to ride along with their kids, a negative, but the rest of the experience is a wondrous ride back in time.

Two words: golden ring
You know… When you’re spinning around, and you reach for the ring… And then, when you get the golden ring… You get another ride for free.
Yes.
It’s that magical.
Except when you’re mistaken for a pedophile. Single men take note. Riding this solo will give you looks. Take my word.

I agree with some other reviews. My kid is 2-​years-​old, but I have to pay just to stand next to her for safety reason. I don’t think standing customers are supposed to pay the same amount as carousel riders. Not very considerate. Out to get your money!

I took my three year old on the carousel the other day and he really enjoyed. If you are going to be riding the carousel with little ones and standing by them as they ride. Be prepared the carousel moves a lot faster then I was thinking that it would and I had to brace myself because of the g forces from the spinning. If you are just going for a ride you might want to ride on the outside of the carousel to see if you can grab one the brass rings. If you get one you will get a free ride free.

Loved the old-​time feel of this carousel. However, I really don’t think a parent should have to pay to accompany their young child. Perhaps children under 5 should have a parent ride free? Older than five, they are usually confident enough to go alone.

For just a few bucks you can take a spin on this cute Carousel. It’s not the prettiest, and it’s not the largest, but boy does this baby move! It seems a little faster than the average merry go round, maybe that’s to make the brass ring challenge difficult. Nabbing one of those babies will earn you a free spin, but it’s gotta be the real deal, steel rings won’t earn you any freebies.

Hands down the best place for the kids. The person who is working there is so proactive in helping customer.

This is the cutest carousel in San Diego. The horses are beautifully painted and go up and down. It’s only $ 2.50/ride. The operator is super nice and gives the kids high fives!

Super fun, outdoor old timey carousel!
PROS
–large, beautiful to watch
–substantial length
–super FAST!!!
–comfortable animals, benches and rocking chairs
–you can play game to get the brass circle to win a free ride
–friendly, patient staff give you ample time to get on and off
–reasonable price of $ 2.50 each or 5 tickets for $ 10
CONS
–adults have to pay to accompany a child; I understand adults who want to ride having to pay, but I’ve never been on a carousel where I had to pay to accompany a baby that could not go on my him/​herself
OVERALL, it was a great ride. The toddler went crazy over the ride (and she’s been on a lot of different carousels). I loved it too; it was a lot more exciting than most carousels.

I joined a couple dozen San Diego Steampunks to ride the Balboa Park Carousel, and we had a splendiferous time indeed! This was the last stop on our whirlwind carousel tour of San Diego that went from the furthest reaches of El Cajon to Seaport Village up to the Westfield Plaza at Camino Real (you know the one where the overzealous security guards literally kicked us dangerous top hat wearing carousel riders out of the mall and called the cops for nothing more than being dressed differently).
Anyway, the Balboa Park Carousel is one of my favorites because it’s in a fantastic location, the operators were very kind, and this is the only San Diego carousel ride with the brass ring challenge. This challenge used to be in most carousels around the country, but it’s hard to find nowadays. Basically, an employee holds a stick with a ring on the end and riders must grab it during the ride. Most of the rings are silver, but whoever grabs the brass ring gets a free ride!
My only complaint about this carousel is that it keeps building speed until it’s going a bit too fast. I’m no spring chicken, but I’m also not an old fogey who’s scared of his shadow. My girlfriend and I agreed that we would have become nauseous if the ride had gone on much longer. I can’t image how many kids have lost their cookies as a result of this ride!
After the ride ended, there was plenty of picture taking, and then we all had a splendid picnic on the grass under the shade of the trees right next to the carousel. It was a very festive time and the positive vibe of our group as well as onlookers who were curious as to what was going on greatly enhanced the experience.

Me and my Steampunk friends have been touring all the carousels of San Diego over the past year. We infamously got kicked out of the one in the mall in Carlsbad because they didn’t like our costumes I guess. When I wrote about that for the San Diego Reader, it was the shot heard round the world and then I got to write the cover on Steampunk for a June 2014 issue! Here is the link if you want to read it.
This carousel, whilst beautiful, was WAY too fast for me! And I love roller coasters! But I don’t love spin and puke rides… which is what this almost became for me. Everyone said it was a lot faster than others we had ridden, so I’m not making it up.
But I have heard it’s the oldest carousel in SD. Early 1900’s. Very beautiful.
Still a lovely day and a fun thing to do, with a bit of a picnic after on the grass.

Don’t miss this attraction near the zoo and Balboa Park! This carousel has been here for decades, and is great for kids of all ages.

LOVED IT! This is a classic & historic carousel with the most amazing animals to ride. The staff were very helpful and seem genuinely excited to show off their carousel.
While the length of the ride was substantial, it was THE fastest carousel I’ve ever seen or ridden. You definitely want to hang on and not fly off.
You should take your kids here! Heck, it’s would be fun even without kids.

Our family has been coming here for year! The staff is friendly and the carousel is beautiful! the price is right and we usually find parking without any problems. As locals, we come here often and we like it better than the carousel at Sea Port village

This thing is really fun, for all ages. And fun to watch too. Try to do it with friends so one of you has a better chance at a free ride. I’m a local here and I even like to do it.
Get the brass ring, one free ride!

August 31, 2013
Beautiful and VINTAGE!
Located right next to the San Diego ZOO and less than a quarter mile from the miniature railroad. You MUST sit and look at every piece. Each piece of horse, frog, zebra, rooster… they are all unique. If you look carefully a the sign at one of the pillars… you can play the brass ring and receive a free RIDE! I thought it was there for nothing, but it’s not! You can actually play it! Whee… how exciting!
All you have to do is pay a small $ 2.50 per ride. I can say that it’s literally a dollar per minute. Music just makes you all giddy inside. I wanted to hear the IMPERIAL MARCH from Star Wars that most people on Unilocal were talking about, but it didn’t come up. Waaaah
NEXT TIME!

$ 2.50 for adult ticket. Worth it. How many other times are you going to ride a vintage carousel to a John Williams Star Wars tune?
(We rode the cats.)