Explore with Downtown Tours

Get to know about the history of San Francisco and the life stories of notable San Franciscans on a historical or ghost tour!

San Francisco City Guides

San Francisco City Guides is a volunteer-driven organization dedicated to sharing the joy of exploring San Francisco and its unique neighborhoods. Their mission is to preserve and celebrate the city's history, folklore, and cultural diversity. Sponsored by the San Francisco Public Library, San Francisco City Guides proudly offer free guided tours to the public, ensuring everyone can experience the rich stories that make San Francisco extraordinary. Go on a walking tour and learn about the extraordinary life and legacy of William Leidesdorff, America's First Black Millionaire, with the San Francisco City Guides.

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San Francisco Historical Society

The San Francisco Historical Society uncovers, preserves, and shares the city’s rich history, from its beginnings to today. Located at 608 Commercial Street in the Financial District, on the site of the first West Coast Branch Mint (1854–1877), the museum is both a city and state historic landmark. Situated where Chinatown, North Beach, the Barbary Coast, and the Financial District meet, it offers in-person and self-guided tours of these historic neighborhoods. Highlights include the Gold Rush/Sunken Ships tour, which reveals sites where Gold Rush ships remain buried beneath the streets. Uncover the secrets and stories of San Francisco’s “Wall Street of the West” or explore the Barbary Coast and Jackson Square on a Pleasure Seekers and Merry Makers tour.

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San Francisco Ghosts Tours

San Francisco Ghosts Tours offers immersive tours exploring the city’s haunted history. Discover untold stories of restless spirits from the Barbary Coast and delve into downtown's historic neighborhoods shaped by greed and vice. The Gold, Greed, and Gunslingers: Forging San Francisco tour brings the city’s early days to life, from the Barbary Coast to Chinatown, with stops at iconic landmarks. Uncover tales of the West’s most dangerous figures on this captivating historical walking tour!

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Check out museums in our district like the Institute of Contemporary Art San Francisco (ICA SF), the Wells Fargo Museum, the Mining Exchange Museum, and the Market Street Railway Museum for more free and family-friendly places to explore.