Tours of San Diego

Tours can be reserved as part of the registration process and are non-refundable. All tours will leave from the San Diego Convention Center unless otherwise specified. More tour options will be added soon. 

San Diego Ocean Connectors Community Project – Kayak Clean Up of the Local Wetlands

Friday, November 22, 1:00-4:00 PM | $20

Wetlands provide a habitat for the thousands of species of aquatic and terrestrial plants and animals.  By acting as natural sponges, they absorb floodwaters and protect local communities from flooding.  Their vegetation and soil filter pollutants, thus improving water quality and creating healthier environments for us all.

Join AAR as we partner with Ocean Connectors to give back to San Diego!  You will be placed with a group guide and will be picking up litter from a kayak in the wetlands of the South Bay.  Kayak and cleanup supplies will be provided, along with an ecology talk and coffee. You do not need prior kayaking experience to join this event, but you must be able to paddle and pick up trash.  Please consider your limitations and proceed based on your abilities. Limited availability.

100% of the fee charged will be donated to the Ocean Connectors program.

Historic Houses of Worship

Monday, November 25, 1:00-5:00 PM | $45

This bus tour explores how San Diego’s religious landscape has been shaped by a variety of immigrant communities and international contacts. It will likely include an exploration of noted architect Robert E. Des Lauriers's use of architectural modernism in the Islamic Center of San Diego (1986); a visit to St. George Serbian Orthodox Church designed by San Diego architect George Lykos (1969); the United Portuguese Sociedade do Espirito Santo Chapel (1922); and Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church (1925), a center of Italian American life. The architecture of the first two sites is rooted in San Diego’s well-known modernist architecture, while the latter two reflect European traditions. St. George and Our Lady of the Rosary are both richly decorated churches. The first with mosaics designed by Stevan Cukich of Belgrade and executed by Italian-American mosaic craftsman Publio Cavalini; the second with paintings by Fausto Tasca, a Venetian painter working in Los Angeles. 

This tour will be led by David Bains, Samford University and Daniel Sack, Washington, DC.