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Tours & Guided Walks

For Adults

The History Center offers many opportunities for adults to enhance their visit through a guided experience of the History Center, the Serra Museum, and Balboa Park.

Guided tours for public/general visitors:

Please visit the Events Calendar for upcoming public tour offerings.

Self-guided adult museum tour groups:

Self-guided groups are welcome during regular museum open hours. For a list of hours at the two museums, see the Visit page. A donation of your choice as part of GIVE FORWARD admission is appreciated. Advance reservation is recommended for large groups.

Private adult group tours:

Advance registration of at least two weeks from your preferred tour date is required. To inquire about booking a private group, please submit a request through the Adult Program Reservation Request form.

  • Scheduling: Private tours are typically reserved and scheduled between the hours of 10am and 4pm. Private tours are not available on Residents Free Tuesday (2nd Tuesday of each month).
  • Group size: A minimum of 10 people is required to schedule a group tour. There is a maximum limit of 20 people per docent (multiple docents dependent on availability).
  • Fees: History Center and Serra Museum tours are $4 per person/minimum 10 or $40 flat rate. Balboa Park History Strolls are $6/person/minimum 10 or $60 flat rate.

Tour Options:

 San Diego History Center Gallery Highlights Tour:

One-hour tour, highlighting major components and themes of our current exhibitions. Customized special exhibition tours are also available.

 Balboa Park History Stroll:

Explore Balboa Park using photographs and documentation from the History Center collections to bring you back in time to the 1915 Panama California Exposition. This easy-paced stroll through the Park reveals intriguing aspects of its past and its vibrant present as the nation’s largest urban cultural park.

Junípero Serra Museum in Presidio Park:

One-hour tour looks at the several cultures that have occupied Presidio Hill and examines its various uses over time – as village, presidio (fortified settlement), and historic park. The tour includes a walk through the former site of the Spanish presidio and may visit the museum galleries. NOTE: This tour travels over varied terrain and is outdoors for at least 30 minutes. Appropriate footwear is recommended. Please note: The Serra Museum is not ADA-accessible.