Zoro Garden: Balboa Park's sunken butterfly garden was a 'nudist colony' in 1935

Walk east from the Fleet Science Center and you'll pass a low stone wall with steps dropping into a shady sunken grotto. Most people don't go down. In 1935, crowds lined up and paid to look in. The California Pacific International Exposition needed headline attractions, and two sideshow promoters sold the city a 'nudist colony' billed as a lesson in natural outdoor living. It was really a staged show with paid performers.

What really went on

Despite the billing, the residents weren't nudists. They were performers. Women wore G-strings and men wore loincloths or trunks, and they lounged and played games for the paying crowd. The show drew protests and plenty of press. The city manager promised there would be no 'indecent' shows in the park for the second season in 1936, yet the colony was back that year anyway. Burlesque star Sally Rand, performing elsewhere at the Exposition, reportedly refused to visit; she said her dance was art and didn't glorify nudism.

Visiting today

• —Where: between the Fleet Science Center and Casa de Balboa, at the Plaza de Balboa fountain end of El Prado.
• —What you'll see: stone terraces, ficus trees sheltering the grotto, and plantings for every stage of a butterfly's life, from caterpillar food plants to nectar flowers.
• —Best time: warm, sunny late mornings, when butterflies are most active.
• —Cost: free. Park grounds and gardens are free; here's where to park without paying.

Pair it with Balboa Park's other strange stories in San Diego's most haunted places, or find out which museums are free on Tuesdays.