Walk Old Town's free adobes and museums
- San Diego, United States
- Posted on
- 1 photo
Photo: Joe Mabel · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
About this tip
Old Town San Diego State Historic Park recreates the town as it stood from 1821 to 1872, with adobes, a schoolhouse, stables and a blacksmith shop. There is no charge to enter the park or its museums. Join the free walking tour from the visitor center, and check each building's own days, because some, like the blacksmith, open only on a few days a week. The newspaper office is a quick free stop.
Where
Walk Old Town's free adobes and museumsOld Town San Diego State Historic Park, San Diego
Open in Google Maps(opens in a new tab)More Tips & Traps in San Diego
20 posts from Local Friends and travelers who know the city.
TipSleepSleep in the 1910 US Grant, across from the Gaslamp
San Diego, United StatesThe US Grant on Broadway opened in 1910, built by the son of President Ulysses S. Grant, and it is a designated historic landmark with 270 rooms across from the Gaslamp Quarter. Its Grant Grill has operated since 1951, and the Rendezvous bar recalls a 1933 original. Staying here puts the bay and Petco Park within…
TipSleepStay at or tour the 1888 Hotel del Coronado
San Diego, United StatesHotel del Coronado, built in 1888 and a National Historic Landmark since 1977, is a Victorian seaside landmark that works as a stay or a day visit. The Ice House Museum is free and open daily, and all history tours start there, including a docent-led walk through the building and gardens. Book a tour ahead on busy…
PP TipEventsPlan a night at December Nights in Balboa Park
San Diego, United StatesDecember Nights fills Balboa Park on the first weekend of December and is billed as the city's largest free holiday festival, with lights, music, food and museum evenings. Some museums offer free evening admission, and bags and food may need to be checked at a tent. Expect tens of thousands of people in the lit-up…
TipMusic & NightlifeCatch a summer concert at the Rady Shell on the bay
San Diego, United StatesThe Rady Shell at Jacobs Park is the San Diego Symphony's bayfront venue in downtown, opened in 2021 on land leased from the Port. Shows range from symphony programs to pop and rock acts, with a lawn for the biggest crowds. Check the concert calendar on the venue's site, arrive by trolley to the Convention Center…
SF TipEventsSpend a September weekend at the Adams Avenue Street Fair
San Diego, United StatesEach September, Normal Heights hosts the Adams Avenue Street Fair along ten blocks of Adams Avenue, a free two-day music festival with about 75 acts on six stages. Add beer gardens, carnival rides, festival food and around 300 exhibitors. Walk the street between stages, and check the organizer's site for times, since…
SK TipMusic & NightlifeSee an indie show at The Casbah on Kettner
San Diego, United StatesThe Casbah has hosted rock and punk in San Diego since 1989 and moved to its current Kettner Boulevard home in 1994. Nirvana and the Smashing Pumpkins played the early club, and it books live music most nights. Check the calendar, since some shows are 21 and over, buy tickets ahead for popular release shows, and…
HA TipShopHunt vintage finds on Ocean Beach's Newport Avenue
San Diego, United StatesTwo blocks of Newport Avenue in Ocean Beach form the Antique District, with about a dozen shops and malls and more than 200 dealers. The Ocean Beach Antique Mall, a multi-dealer shop at 4926 Newport Avenue, sells china, jewelry, tiki items and sports memorabilia, and it has free parking. Wander without a list and see…
BM TipShopBuild a meal from local vendors at Liberty Public Market
San Diego, United StatesLiberty Public Market, San Diego's first food hall, opened in 2016 in the old Naval Training Center mess hall and commissary at Liberty Station. Walk the stalls, collect a few dishes from different vendors and carry them to the dog-friendly patio. The vendor mix changes over the years, so check the market's site for…
Know San Diego well?
Share a tip, or warn travelers about a trap. It only takes a few minutes.