House of Scotland membership is open to anyone of Scottish ancesty or with an interest in Scotland and Scottish culture.  Monthly membership meetings are held the second Sunday of each month at 11:30 A.M. in our cottage in Balboa Park.

House of Scotland Cottage:
The House of Scotland is open every Sunday afternoon from 12:00 to 4:00 p.m. Come by for a cuppa tea and some shortbread, find out about the Braemar Challenge Caber, see videos of Scotland, or explore your genealogy.

House of Scotland Pipe Band:
The House of Scotland Pipe Band rehearses every Monday evening from 7:00 to 9:00 P.M. at the Hall of Nations and the House of Scotland cottage..  The Pipe Band is sponsored by the  House of Scotland.  The Pipe Band performs at various venues and competes at numerous piping and drumming events during the year.  Additional information can be found at the band's link on our web site.

Gaelic Class:
Gaelic class meets every Thursday evening from 7:00 to 9:00 P.M. at the cottage. Lessons are taught using video, book and tape series from BBC Scotland.  They also include

• Gaelic Children’s TV Programs,
• Gaelic singing,
• feature films in Gaelic and
• grammar study.

The class is open to beginners as well as advanced students.

Ceilidh Band:
The Ceilidh band practices the second Sunday of each month.  Their instruments include guitar, fiddle,  recorder, bass recorder,accordion, Celtic harp, whistles and percussion drums.  They perform at the HPR Sampler Program, Tartan Day celebrations, the House of Scotland Lawn Program and other events. 

Movie Night:
Movie nights are seasonal, normally occurring the third Saturday of each month from May through September.  The evening includes a pot-luck dinner followed by a movie of relevance to Scotland or things Scottish.  Movie night is limited to House of Scotland members only.

Lawn Program:
The House of Scotland hosts its annual Lawn Program on the last Sunday of October.  The date is selected for its nearness to Halloween which evolved from the Celtic festival of Samhain. Entertainment includes performances by the House of Scotland Pipe Band, the Ceilidh Band, Highland Dancers and "Bydand Forever", a re-enactment group of 1880 Gordan Highlanders.

Foods served:
For both the Lawn Program and the Ethnic Food Fair, The House of Scotland offers meat pie dinners which include potatoes and gravy, mushy peas, and a choice of salad.  Salad plates are also offered.

The House of Scotland is known for the decadent desserts available inside the cottage.  The selection includes  bread pudding with Scotch whisky sauce, sticky toffee pudding,  and a wide variety of wonderful homemade cakes and cookies  A specialty of the House of Scotland is an amazing dessert called "Death by Chocolate”.  It is so popular that people bring their own containers to take it home, but the recipe is a secret. People have learned to visit House of Scotland and eat dessert first to avoid the disappointment of a sell out.

At “December Nights” the House of Scotland  participates in the International Spirits Garden selling beer and a selection of single malt Scotch whiskys.  The Pipe Band offers baked potatoes with a choice of toppings and also desserts at the cottage during "December Nights"

On Sundays during our regular open house hours we serve scones, shortbread, cookies and the best tea in Balboa Park.

The national flag of Scotland is the Saint Andrew's flag, also called the Saltire.

San Diego Scottish Highland Games:
The San Diego Scottish Highland Games and Gathering of the Clans is held the last full weekend of June at Brengle Terrace Park in Vista, CA.

The Highland Games feature Highland dance competitions, drum major, pipe band and individual piping  and drumming competitions, sheep dog trials and Scottish country dance demonstrations. There is a clan tent area and numerous vendors selling Scottish merchandise.   

The members of the House of Scotland are proud participants of this event. For more information see the Games web site at SDHighlandGames.org.

Scottish Country Dancing:
The “ Royal Scottish Country Dance Society, San Diego Branch” has weekly Scottish dance classes in Balboa Park and North County.

Times and locations can be obtained from their web site.  A link can be found on our site.

Land Area: 30,416 Sq miles                               
Population:  5,116,900 (2005 estimate)
Capital City: Edinburgh                                       
Language:  English (official) and Scottish Gaelic
Religion:  Presbyterian Church of Scotland (47%) and the Roman Catholic Church (16%), with 28% claiming no religious affiliation at all
Form of Government: Constitutional Monarchy (Scottish Parliament established 1999 )
Export: Food & drink, Office machinery & computers, Business services, Chemicals, Telecommunication

Source: Lonely Planet - Scotland