Adult Lectures, Tours and Concerts

Upcoming Lectures:

Thurs., Feb. 16, 2012, 6pm
Murder & Mayhem:  52 Crimes that Shocked Early California, Michael Thomas Barry 
Free SDHC members, $5 general.  Book purchase additional.

Thurs., Feb. 23, 2012, 6pm  
Paradise Plundered:  Fiscal Crisis & Governance Failures in San Diego, Dr. Steve Erie
FREE SDHC members, $5 general.  Book purchase additional.

Wed., Mar. 7, 2012, 530pm
Historic Places:  Celebrating San Diego's Historic Architects

Thurs., Mar. 15, 2012, 6pm*
San Diego History 101, Part 1:  Indigenous Beginnings to 1868

Thurs., Mar. 22, 2012, 530pm*^
San Diego History 101, Part 2:  Developing Resorts, the 1915 Exposition, and Military Beginnings
^Earlier start, meet in the Library & Archives

Thurs., Mar. 29, 2012, 6pm*
San Diego History 101, Part 3:  The Depression, 1935 Exposition, to WWII

*$8 SDHC members, $10 general per session; $20 SDHC members, $25 general, three parts series

Adult Group Tours

Have a group of family, friends, colleagues, or a social group that wants a unique outing in Balboa or Presidio Parks?  Then join our specially trained docents for a Group Tour of our museums.  Visitors of all ages will come to appreciate the rich and dynamic history of San Diego through shared stories attached to the objects, historic photographs, documents, costumes and more that are on view in our museums.  Your visit to San Diego History Center's historic sites is an experience that your group will likely remember for a long time to come.

Available Tours:

SAN DIEGO HISTORY CENTER:

Gallery Highlights:  Tour explores the vast object, document and photograph holdings of the San Diego History Center on a tour through all of our current gallery spaces.  Learn about San Diego's past through art, costume, maps, letters, and objects in this engaging docent-led tour.  In addition to learning about our collective past, you will learn about the history of San Diego History Center and how our collection has developed over the years to become the leading repository of history for the third largest city in California!

Place of Promise:  Stories of San Diego.  Tour highlights the early individuals, cultures and events that shaped San Diego's past and its development into the metropolis that it is today.

JUNIPERO SERRA MUSEUM:

Life on Presidio Hill.  Tour highlights the four different cultures that have occupied Presidio Hill from the Kumeyaay, Spanish, Mexican and early American periods.  The tour includes a walk through the former site of the Spanish fort built in 1769 and the gallery spaces inside the Junipero Serra Museum.

(Please note:  This tour travels over varied terrain and is outdoors for at least 30 minutes.  Comfortable, well supported walking shoes are recommended.)

Group Size:

A minimum of 10 people are required to schedule a group tour.

Reservations:

Reservations for a group tour are required at least 2 weeks in advance of your tour date, and can be made by contacting the Public Programs Manager at 619-232-6203, ext. 129.

Group Pricing:

All groups including adults, seniors, and college students are charged a $5 per person guided tour fee for our museum gallery tours.

Cancellations and changes:

Cancellations or changes made to reservations should be done at least 2 days prior to the scheduled museum visit.  Call the Public Programs Manager to make cancellations or changes at 619-232-6203, ext. 129.

Payment:

Payment can be made upon arrival on the day of your tour, however, advanced payment is appreciated.  Cash, checks and credit cards are accepted.  Checks should be made out to San Diego History Center.

Parking:

San Diego History Center is located in the Casa de Balboa building in Balboa Park.  Parking is in adjacent lots behind the San Diego Natural History Museum or Reuben Fleet Science Center.  Once parked, walk to the front of the museums and the large Bea Eveson water fountain.  Head west towards the dome and tower of the California Building (Museum of Man).  Go down a slight set of stairs, and San Diego History Center is located on the left.

The Junipero Serra Museum is located at 2727 Presidio Drive in Presidio Park.  Parking is located in a large lot immediately below the museum

Concerts

Nov  20 2011 -  3pm - 5pm
Guitar Through the Ages:  The Music of Manuel Ponce featuring Robert Wetzel

Dec  2 2011 - 630pm - 830pm
December Nights:  Traditional Hand-bell Concert:  San Diego Harmony Ringers

Dec  3  2011 - 630pm - 830pm
December Nights:  Traditional Hand-bell Concert:  St. Mark's Carillion Handbell Choir

Dec  10 2011 - 2pm - 245pm
Kwanzaa Celebration: Teye Se Thiosanne Drumming Troupe

Dec  18 2011 - 3pm - 5pm
Guitar Through the Ages:  Multi-act Holiday Show

Speaker's Bureau

Astonishing stories, intriguing facts, informative quotes, and humorous accounts of San Diego's past. Speakers will come to your place of preference and wow the audience of your choice with interesting and informative discussions.

Booking a Program
Booking a program is easy. Simply choose a topic from the list provided and the date that you would like your program to occur. We strongly recommend that you choose at least two topics for your event, in chance that your first choice is not available on the date that you request a presentation. If your first choice cannot be accommodated, we will arrange your second choice. To arrange a program, please contact Gabe Selak, Public Programs Manager, or call 619-232-6203, ext. 129.

Speaker’s Fee
$75 for non-profit organizations
$125 for-profit corporations & businesses

Checks may be made to San Diego History Center. We also accept cash, credit cards and purchase orders as payments. Payments are requested at least two weeks prior to your program date to hold your reservation, and all but $10 is refundable if you need to cancel your program. Cancellations are requested no later than 2 days before the scheduled program date.

Current Topics:
Contact us for more information about these topics

Architecture/ Architects

Balboa Park/ Gardens

Regional History

• Early San Diego History – Native American through Statehood
• San Diego’s Boom Years: 1880s and the Railroad
• San Diego’s Military History
• History of San Diego from Mission period to WWII
• NEW!  El Camino Real:  California's Mission Road
• San Diego Then and Now
• Lost San Diego: The Places and Spaces We Remember
• Haunted San Diego
• History of Mira Mesa, Miramar and Scripps Ranch   
• An Overview of San Diego History Center
• San Diego Style: 100 Years of Sophisticated Fashion
• Marston's Department Store: San Diego's Shopping Experience 
• San Diego's Waterfront Through the Eyes of a Child

People

• Helen Hunt Jackson: Author with a Cause
• NEW!  Mary Chase Walker: Courage of San Diego's First School Teacher
• Demure & Defiant: San Diego’s Historic Women
• Kate Sessions:  Mother of Balboa Park
• Hearts & Minds & Botany:  The Brandegees in San Diego
• “Geranium George”: Civic Leader George White Marston
• Japanese Americans in San Diego
• NEW!  Junipero Serra:  Life of an Alta California Padre

San Diego NOW

For more information about our public program San Diego NOW, click here.