Gaslamp Quarter Walking Tour: San Diego's Historic Journey

Discover the fascinating history of San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter on this immersive walking tour. Hear tales of its crime-ridden past and how it transformed into a thriving port. Explore historic buildings, former brothels, and gambling halls while learning little-known facts about the town. Get insider recommendations for restaurants and other activities in the area.

Duration: 2 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Spreckels Theatre - A marvel of design in continuous operation since 1912
    Commissioned by the Sugar Magnate John D. Spreckles, this theater is considered acoustically perfect.
  • Horton Plaza Park - Formerly a hitching post and carriage stop, the park was created by Alonzo Horton as a respite for the guests of the Horton Hotel.
  • **THE US GRANT,…
What's Included
  • Local guide
What's Not Included
  • Food and Drink
  • Gratuities
Additional Information

Embark on an insightful historical exploration of San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter, once notorious as “The Stingaree.” You’ll delve into tales of the area’s infamous past and its evolution into a prosperous port.
Commencing at The Spreckles Theater, our captivating walk through the Gaslamp Quarter will take you by various significant edifices dating back to…

Location
121 Broadway
Broadway
Meet your guide at the entrance to the Spreckles Theater, 121 Broadway, #600, San Diego, CA
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.7
(14 Ratings)
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1 star
Scenic670945
May 28, 2025
A very worthwhile tour. - Our tour guide was very knowledgeable about the area. She provided lots of history and insight on the Gas Lamp district of San Diego from its inception to present day. We highly recommend this tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Pm-65-uk
May 18, 2025
Really lovely walking tour with our great guide Debbie - Booked this tour a couple of months before our trip to San Diego to help us learn a little about the history of the Gas Lamp Quarter and to find our bearings a little. Our friendly and very knowledgable guide Debbie met us on time, with only my wife and I on the tour, which lasted for just under two hours. The tour was good fun, with lots of stories that helped bring the town and buildings to life - who knew San Diego had so many ghosts. We really enjoyed this informative, fun and great value tour. Thanks Debbie!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jwh1701
May 10, 2025
Gas lamp fun history - Very informative fun tour with Debbie. Overnight stay in San Diego for us and great to have an insight into the development of the city and local knowledge. Walked at our pace. Thank you
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Andrew_r
Jan 13, 2025
Great tour Great guide - Debbie was an excellent and informative guide which made the whole experience very enjoyable and a very worthwhile couple of hours learning so much about the area
Review provided by Viator
Dianne_m
Dec 27, 2024
Excellent guide very... - Excellent guide very knowledgeable . Happy I did the tour. Found out a lot about the history of the Gaslamp area.
Review provided by Viator
Eliseh855
Nov 17, 2024
Well priced, very good tour of Gaslamp District - We booked this tour at the last minute, and we were so glad we did! Everything everyone wrote about Debbie was correct. She’s lovely and is very easy to tour with. She’s a wealth of knowledge about the Gaslamp District as well other areas in San Diego. The tour was exactly as described, stopping at all of the locales indicated on the itinerary. It was an easy two hour, flat stroll around a 1-mile area of Gaslamp. Highly recommend, and can’t beat the $39 price per person.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Larryedwin
Aug 10, 2024
Nancy A in San Diego - Barbara and Debbie were excellent guides. We learned much in our limited tour. It was a good overview of the area. Our group was very small; so excellent for sharing stories and information. I would recommend it.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Shaun_m
Apr 12, 2025
In depth walk through Gaslamp history from day 1 to today - A great way to learn about how the Gaslamp area of San Diego was started and the naughty background of the city :-) Maybe a little less detail on every owner for each building. But the stories of the Marbles was brilliant. Remember Gaslamp is just one of the many districts each has its own history.
Review provided by Viator
Angel_s
Oct 5, 2024
VIP experience - Debra was amazing and very knowledgeable! She made the tour very interesting and since it was just us, we were able to go at our pace.
Review provided by Viator
L8354qtjohnr
Mar 3, 2024
Pleasant Tour of Historical Area of San Diego - Very nice overview of the history and architecture of the Gaslamp District. Lot of information about the development of the area. Enjoyed seeing the different buildings and learning about some of their history.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $39
up to 15 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).