Exhibits range from the crew's sleeping quarters to a massive galley, engine room, the ship's jail, officer's country, post office, machine shops, and pilots' ready rooms, as well as primary flight control. Especially popular are the museum docents you'll meet throughout the ship. Each is eager to share a personal story, an anecdote, or amazing statistic, adding to your amazement throughout your adventure.

Upon leaving the Midway, the group will go past the Urban Trees exhibit on the North Embarcadero. These "trees" are sculptures, created with inspiration and imagination from a diverse and striking range of of traditional and modern media.

Cabrillo National Monument, established in 1913, commemorates Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo's voyage of discovery. As the park’s namesake, he led the first European expedition to explore what is now the west coast of the United States. Cabrillo departed from the port of Navidad, Mexico, on June 27, 1542. Three months later he arrived at "a very good enclosed port," which is known today as San Diego Bay. Historians believe he anchored his flagship, the San Salvador, on Point Loma's east shore near Cabrillo National Monument. Cabrillo later died during the expedition, but his crew pushed on, possibly as far north as Oregon, before thrashing winter storms forced them to back to Mexico.

The Old Point Loma Lighthouse stood watch over the entrance to San Diego Bay for 36 years. At dusk on November 15, 1855, the light keeper climbed the winding stairs and lit the light for the first time. What seemed to be a good location 422 feet above sea level, however, had a serious flaw. Fog and low clouds often obscured the light. On March 23, 1891, the light was extinguished and the keeper moved to a new lighthouse location closer to the water at the tip of the Point.

Today, the Old Point Loma Lighthouse still stands watch over San Diego, sentinel to a vanished past. The National Park Service has refurbished the interior to its historic 1880s appearance - a reminder of a bygone era.

Ocean fog and mild temperatures add moisture to allow species requiring more water to coexist with the desert plants and animals. The ocean also keeps air temperatures mild year-round, which allows heat-loving cactus to grow next to evergreen shrubs common in cooler climates, salamanders to walk past sunning desert snakes, and mosses to grow in the cool shade, a stone’s throw from where parched lichen cling to dry, hot boulders. Tide pools are home to a myriad of marine plants and animals.

Transportation to Balboa Park followed by an exclusive docent tour of the Timken Museum. Located in San Diego's beautiful Balboa Park, the Timken Museum of Art houses the world-class Putnam Foundation Collection of European old masters American art, and Russian icons.

Artworks in the collection range from 13th-century altarpieces through 18th-century portraits to 19th-century still lifes. Represented are the works of Dutch, Flemish, French, and Italian painters, including Rembrandt, Rubens, Petrus Christus, Fragonard, Jacques-Louis David, and Veronese, as well as American artists such as John Singleton Copley and Eastman Johnson.

The next museum for an exclusive docent tour is the San Diego Museum of Art, the region's primary resource for exhibitions and collections of fine art for more than 80 years. Located in the heart of Balboa Park, its galleries offer opportunities for learning, introspection, and connection with cultures from around the world.

Or you may visit any of the other museums in the park on your own.

Transportation back to the hotel.

Transportation to the Mission.

San Diego de Alcala, the first of the great California Missions, marks the birthplace of Christianity in the far West. It is California's first church. This remarkable and significant historical shrine provides an understanding and appreciation of the beginning of Catholicism in this corner of the world.

Today the Mission, which was founded in 1769, serves as an active parish church and cultural center for people of all faiths who are welcome to visit and relive the grandeur and excitement of more than two centuries of California history and tradition.

A self-guided tour will bring bring new insight into this important landmark.

This tour will be followed by free time to continue to explore the state park or the shops and historic buildings adjacent to the park.

You will be given a cash stipend for use on the public transit system bus to return to the hotel as you please.

The morning will provide an educational experience in the beautiful enclave of La Jolla.

La Jolla is considered the jewel of San Diego. Perhaps the name is a misspelling of similar Native American and Spanish words, but “jewel” is fitting because its natural setting is priceless.

The Balboa Theatre is a theater located in downtown San Diego, California, that was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1996. Built in 1924, the Balboa Theatre was a grand 1920s movie palace with a seating capacity of 1,600. The theater was converted to housing for the U.S. Navy during World War II. After the war, it resumed operation as a movie theater but struggled and was slated for demolition in 1959 before bought and converted into an action movie house. The theater was designated as a local historic site in 1972 but closed its doors in the 1970s and remained vacant for many years. In 1985, the City of San Diego bought the theater with plans to restore it. Restoration work finally began in 2005, and the theater re-opened in 2008 as a venue for live theater and concerts.

An exclusive docent led tour will invite the group to witness the masterful job that has been done to restore this historic venue to its glory.

This final session will be a presentation/demonstration, led by one or two chefs from San Diego State University that will conclude the instructional segment of the program. This presentation is a "not to miss" 5 star rated experience by past participants and will include a discussion of how foods complement one another and how the fusion of foods can create a whole new experience of flavors. Individual tastings will also be provided. A group discussion and Q&A session will conclude this presentation and will be followed by a farewell lunch. Check-out is at noon.