Balboa Park is one of the most widely photographed destinations in San Diego, and for good reason: It's simply stunning!

With its unique identity as a beach town, a border city, a bustling international port and a former frontier burg, San Diego has mixed and matched architectural styles to surprising and sometimes dazzling effect over the decades. While the influence of the region's early Spanish settlement remains prominent, plenty of signature architectural sites here draw on other, more disparate traditions. Here's a look at 7 eye-catching San Diego buildings and districts that architecture-minded visitors will love discovering.

Through a tour of the decommissioned USS Midway aircraft carrier, a visit to the Veterans Museum and Memorial Center or a walking tour of the "Greatest Generation Collection" of artwork along San Diego's Embarcadero, visitors can discover the victories, tragedies, and sacrifices of the United States Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines, past and present.

San Diego has a long history regarding aviation. In 1911, Glenn Curtiss, the Father of Naval Aviation, demonstrated his Model D-III from San Diego Bay for the US Navy and a year later the Navy established the first aviation squadron on the northeast side of Coronado's North Island. A decade later, Ryan Airlines designed and built Charles Lindbergh's iconic Spirit of St. Louis in a factory located right next to the San Diego International Airport, known locally as Lindbergh Field.

Flying ahead to 1986, the region’s aviation recognition soared when the blockbuster film “Top Gun” starring Tom Cruise was released, and the US Navy’s Fighter Weapons School at San Diego’s Naval Air Station Miramar gained international fame.