Step into history with us.

A Museum Without Walls

Discover the stories of California's immigrants and refugees with immersive experiences that bring the past to life.

Experiences

Step into San Francisco and Los Angeles neighborhoods to explore immersive tours in person, or enjoy interactive 360 videos from wherever you are in the world. It’s all free — select a tour below to get started.

Explore All

Returning to the Harlem of the West

It’s 1945. Japanese Americans like Daisy Uyeda have just endured 3 years of incarceration in the desert and are returning to San Francisco. In their absence, newly arrived Black families transform the old Japantown into the “Harlem of the West.” Can this neighborhood feel like home again?

SF Japantown

stops

Look Up

When the devastating 1906 earthquake and fire leaves Chinatown in ruins, the City seizes its chance to erase the neighborhood altogether. Can the Chinese American community reimagine the neighborhood and ensure its survival? Musician Alex Wong explores this history and Asian American identity today.

SF Chinatown

stops

Ni de Aquí, Ni de Allá

Take a walk down bustling Olvera Street with LA local and immigrant justice activist Karla Estrada. Uncover the story of how millions of Mexican Americans were coerced into leaving Los Angeles in the 1930s – and discover how this story still resonates today.

Downtown LA

stops

At Home in the Castro?

1950s Eureka Valley was a sleepy Irish Catholic enclave. Then an era of gay migration transforms the neighborhood into a queer homeland: a place with a global queer identity. Take a walk with one of the Castro’s pioneers, and discover how drag got political.

SF Castro

stops

Coffee Country

There’s a story behind your cup of coffee. Discover how a century-long coffee trade between San Francisco and El Salvador helped bring tens of thousands of refugees to the Mission in the 1980s — sparking a nationwide Sanctuary City Movement.

SF Mission

stops

Melting Spots

From Gold Rush saloons to Instagram popups, and Rice-a-Roni to Mission burritos, this interactive food map and podcast explore how immigrants have shaped the city and fed its residents since 1849.

San Francisco

stops