The Gaslamp: Brothels, Barons & Boomtowns
A self-guided audio walking tour of San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter
What to Expect
Step into a district where Victorian elegance meets red-light rebellion. This immersive walking tour of San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter unravels the layered history of one of the city’s most iconic neighborhoods. From glittering 19th-century facades to shadowy Stingaree alleyways, you’ll discover a downtown shaped by ambition, vice, reform, and reinvention.
This isn’t a tour that smooths over the past—it spotlights its contradictions. Perfect for history buffs, curious wanderers, and those who appreciate a good ghost story, this tour invites you to walk through a palimpsest of memory, where nothing is as simple as it seems.
Ready to go? Book below or download our app and purchase directly from your phone.
📍 Location: San Diego, CA
🚶♂️ Type: Walking tour
⏱ Duration: Approx. 2 hours (flexible)
✅ Includes: App download, GPS-triggered audio
📶 Works Offline: Download ahead of time - no cell service required
🎧 Multiple Languages: English, Spanish, French, German
Get Ready for Your San Diego Self-Guided Tour
Step into the storied streets of San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter, where ornate Victorian buildings mask a past filled with vice, ambition, activism, and constant change.
Once known as the raucous Stingaree, this downtown district blended gambling halls, saloons, brothels, and daring entrepreneurs—creating a neighborhood as layered and complicated as San Diego itself.
As you walk along Fifth Avenue and its branching side streets, you’ll uncover tales of Wyatt Earp’s business ventures, the rise and quiet resilience of Chinatown, labor clashes, and the preservation battle that saved the Gaslamp from being wiped off the map.
Behind the bright lights and polished façades lie ghost stories, shadowed alleyways, and architectural details that reveal more than a century of transformation.
This tour doesn’t just point out landmarks—it teaches you how to read the city through its brickwork, decorative flourishes, and surviving structures.
Ideal for history fans, curious wanderers, and anyone who loves a good tale, it invites you to experience the Gaslamp as a living stage, where echoes of the past still drift through every side street.
What You’ll See on Your San Diego Walking Tour
Backesto Building
A standout example of Victorian commercial design, this richly detailed brick building reflects the entrepreneurial spirit that fueled early downtown development.
Callan Hotel
This former boarding hotel is best known today for the legends and ghost lore attached to its aging corridors—reminders of its colorful history.
San Diego Chinese Historical Museum & Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association
Through photographs, artifacts, and community stories, this museum highlights the vibrant Chinese American presence that once flourished in this very neighborhood.
Cole Block Building
Its classic red-brick façade and period storefronts offer a glimpse into what San Diego’s business district looked like in the late 1800s.
The Gaslamp Museum at Davis-Horton House
The oldest house downtown now serves as a museum, preserving more than 160 years of neighborhood stories inside its restored rooms.
Gaslamp Quarter Sign
This well-known archway welcomes visitors into one of the city’s most active districts—and remains one of San Diego’s most photographed icons.
Horton Grand Hotel
An elegant Victorian-era hotel filled with antique charm—and a few long-standing ghost rumors that add to its mystique.
Keating Building
Completed in 1890, the Keating was considered San Diego’s first “skyscraper,” with a bold Romanesque Revival style that still commands attention.
Spencer–Ogden Building
Originally home to an early hardware business, this structure showcases commercial craftsmanship from the Gaslamp’s formative decades.
Louis Bank of Commerce
Famed for its French Renaissance Revival architecture and later its connection to a notorious brothel, this is one of the neighborhood’s most striking historic buildings.
Nesmith–Greely Building
Built during San Diego’s boom years, this handsome 1888 structure once buzzed with commercial activity and remains a Victorian standout.
Old City Hall / Commercial Bank Building
Once the seat of city government, this grand building’s stately clock tower has long been a defining feature of the Gaslamp skyline.
Bijou Theater
Added to Old City Hall in 1909, this theater once brought variety acts and early entertainment to the heart of downtown.
Pioneer Warehouse
A sturdy brick warehouse that reflects the working-class roots of the area and the role of trade in San Diego’s early growth.
St. James Hotel
Once a luxurious retreat known for its rooftop views, this hotel played a notable role in the Gaslamp’s development.
Timken Building
Dating to 1894, this building bridges functionality with refined Victorian design—a nod to the district’s late-19th-century commercial evolution.
Lewis Brick Block / Stingaree Hotel
Located in the former Stingaree red-light zone, this surviving brick structure offers a rare look at the gritty past of the Gaslamp.
Yuma Building
A tough Romanesque Revival survivor, the Yuma Building has endured fires, downturns, and rebirth—mirroring the district’s own resilience.
Casino Theatre
Once the leading vaudeville house in the city, the Casino Theatre recalls a time when live entertainment fueled downtown nightlife.
Marina Park Way & Embarcadero
Steps from the Gaslamp, this bayside stretch offers calming waterfront views and a moment to take in the maritime energy of San Diego.
Balboa Theatre
Restored to its 1924 beauty, this Spanish Revival theater continues to host performances in one of downtown’s most striking historic venues.
Horton Plaza Park
A public gathering place since the 1870s, this park has long been a centerpiece for rallies, concerts, and community events on the district’s edge.
Meeting Point
Your San Diego Gaslamp Quarter walking tour begins at the Gaslamp Quarter Sign on Fifth Avenue.
The Gaslamp Quarter Sign is an archway over Fifth Avenue, near the junction with L Street. It is close to the Gaslamp Quarter light rail station.
FAQs About Our San Diego Walking Tour
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Admission to the San Diego Chinese Historical Museum costs the following
Adults: $8
Seniors (65+), Groups of 10+, SDTA’s Show Your Badge Program, Educators and Students (With School or University ID): $6
Children Under 12: Free
Visit the San Diego Chinese Historical Museum website for more information.
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General Admission to the Gaslamp Museum at the Davis-Horton House is $8.00. Visit the Gaslamp Museum at the Davis-Horton House website for more information.
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Tours are fully refundable up to 24 hours in advance.
If it’s within 24 hours or you had an issue during your tour, email support@drivesanddetours.com. We review all requests individually and will always do our best to make things right.
Our goal is to ensure every traveler has a great experience exploring with Drives & Detours.
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You will walk for about one mile on Drives & Detours’ Gaslamp Quarter walking tour. This is mostly easy and along flat, well-paved surfaces. There are some hills to climb.
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Yes, downloading the Drives & Detours app will give you full access to the tour you have purchased, as well as many other self-guided tours.
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Download the tour before you go. Some areas have poor signal, which can make downloading the tour difficult. Once the tour is downloaded, it will work without any cell signal
The tour audio plays automatically as you approach each stop
Want to see more? Tap “View Stop” to see photos and bonus content
To return to the map, tap the small down arrow between the “previous” and “next” buttons
Follow the blue line and audio directions to stay on route
Use audio controls to pause, rewind, or skip—just like a podcast
Safety first: Keep your eyes on the road or sidewalk, follow traffic laws, and stay aware of your surroundings
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No—download your San Diego tour before you go, and you won't need a cell signal. Drives & Detours’ tours work without any cell signal once they are downloaded to your device.
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Once you have purchased your San Diego walking tour from Drives & Detours, you can use it whenever you want. You can always take the tour another day if the weather is bad on the day you plan to take it.
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Unfortunately, Dives & Detours cannot guarantee that the San Diego self-guided tour is accessible. People with wheelchairs, strollers, or mobility impairments are very welcome, but we recommend checking the San Diego Tourism Authority website for detailed information.
Pro Tips for Your Drives & Detours San Diego Self-Guided Tour
Download before you go.
Enable location services—GPS triggers the audio.
Use earbuds, headphones, or your car speakers.
Pause and resume anytime. If you take a break, just reopen the app and head back toward your last stop.
Lost your way? Tap any pin on the map, then tap the right-turn-arrow icon to open your default maps app for turn-by-turn directions to that spot.
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