Cultural Institutions: The Big Guns

California is chock-full of large, internationally renowned arts institutions—world-class museums, concert halls, and theaters.

    • Contemplate both old master and contemporary paintings at Los Angeles’ richly landscaped J. Paul Getty Museum.
    • Revel in the sounds of the Los Angeles Philharmonic at Frank Gehry’s wildly angled, stainless steel–clad architectural landmark, Walt Disney Concert Hall.
    • In San Francisco, enjoy music and dance at the opulent French Renaissance–style War Memorial Opera House, home to the San Francisco Opera and its younger sibling, the San Francisco Ballet. Or stroll a few blocks to the American Conservatory Theater, one of the most acclaimed regional theaters in the nation.
    • San Diego’s verdant Balboa Park claims that it’s “the nation’s largest urban cultural park.” The assertion is tough to debate: Balboa hosts 15 major arts organisations, including the multistage Old Globe Theatre, modeled on Shakespeare’s London theatre.