Archaeology Summer Camp Session 1
Join us for an unforgettable week at the San Diego Archaeological Center’s KIDS DIG Archaeology Summer Camp! Kids will embark on a journey through time as you explore the rich history and culture of our shared human past through a variety of hands-on activities, including basketry, local hiking, honing your archery and atlatl skills, crafting pottery, ancient games, and decoding Ice Age rock art from around the world. Whether your child or grandchild is a budding archaeologist or just eager to experience the past in a whole new way, our summer camp offers something for everyone. Get ready for a week filled with adventure, discovery, and endless fun! Space is limited to 25 campers per session. Ages: 6-12. Sign up now and let the adventure begin! Registration is closed for Session 1. View our Archaeology Summer Camp page for Session 2 registration and more details.
Save Our Heritage Organization: Penning the Past Zoom Lecture – La Jolla
Join the Save Our Heritage Organization to learn about the unique character of San Diego’s historic neighborhoods through the eyes of impassioned writers and historians. Brought to life by esteemed local authors, Penning the Past promises to be an enriching exploration of San Diego’s architectural legacy and historical tapestry. The series is free for SOHO members, $10 per lecture for non-members. Your participation supports SOHO’s mission of education and advocacy to preserve the historic architecture, sites, and cultural landscapes that surround us and add meaning to our daily lives. La Jolla by Carol Olten La Jolla, California, famously known as "The Jewel," is noted for its natural beauty and appealing Mediterranean-like climate. Magnificent sea cliffs and caves, bathing coves, and sandy beaches have attracted visitors, developers, and residents since the 1880s. By the early 1900s, a small community developed with artists congregating to the internationally known Green Dragon Colony. Newspaper heiress Ellen Browning Scripps and her half-sister Eliza Virginia established residences and became the community's renowned philanthropists. Many beautiful homes and institutions, along with a growing commercial district next to the sea, owe their designs to architect Irving Gill. Today La Jolla still attracts visitors from around the world and is home to the rich, the famous, the avant-garde, and intelligentsia. Author bio Author Carol Olten is the historian for the La Jolla Historical Society and a former journalist on subjects of art, film, history, and architecture. She is a longtime La Jolla resident and currently owns and resides in one of the community's oldest homes. Working with Heather Kuhn the society's archivist and curator she traced La Jolla's history with many rare and never before published photographs selected from the archives of the La Jolla Historical Society. Carol’s writing is educational, investigative, and intriguing, and covers a wide range of topics from the history of movie theaters in La Jolla to the development and construction of some of its most iconic historic buildings. This event is hosted by the Save Our Heritage Organization. For more information, questions, and registration, please contact the event organizer.
2nd Saturday Lecture Screenings
San Diego Archaeological Center 16666 San Pasqual Valley Road, Escondido, CA, United StatesJoin us every 2nd Saturday of the month for two screenings of our Living Room Lectures by archaeologists, experts, and authors. Lecture screenings start at 10:30 AM and 12:30 PM and are included with museum admission. No reservations needed. Seating is first come, first served. 10:30 AM - Ethnozoology of the Kumeyaay People by Richard Carrico For the Kumeyaay people of San Diego County, animals, birds, insects, and other creatures hold a special place in the cosmos and played a variety of important roles. Their embodiment is not always easily visualized because some creatures, large and small, exist in worlds not always seen by most humans, and rarely acknowledged by archaeologists. For many of the native people, there was a time when animals were actually human. In the mythic, ancient time what we now know as humans, or more correctly as mortals, did not exist. The world was inhabited by animals and by animals who were humans but not mortals—these were the Early People and some creatures could embody traits of what came to be known as the mortal humans and animals. Only later in time did the separation grow between animals and humans, and at that time the humans became mortal. This presentation will provide an analysis and discussion of the role and place of non-human creatures within the world and cosmos of the Kumeyaay people of San Diego County. 12:30 PM - The First Chicken Burrito in Western North America: Zooarchaeology of Avian Remains for the San Diego Royal Presidio by Dr. Aharon Sasson The San Diego Presidio, established in AD 1769, was the first European settlement in Upper California. Very little is known about chicken husbandry in colonial America, which makes this study the first comprehensive analysis of chicken remains in North America. Chickens are scarcely mentioned in historical accounts describing early California, and information on their sex, age, or management is rare. Small-scale poultry production, likely managed by women and children, provided California presidios with a form of subsistence independence.
Escondido Creek Conservancy: Conservation Conversation – San Diego Geology
The rocks, mountains, faults, and fossils found in San Diego County make it one of California's most interesting and diverse geological hot spots. San Diego County's geology nearly matches the region's biodiversity! Join Richard Halsey, director of the California Chaparral Institute, as he shares why our region's geology shouldn't be taken for granite! This event is hosted by the Escondido Creek Conservancy. For more information, questions, and registration, please contact the event organizer.
Historic Archery at the Center
San Diego Archaeological Center 16666 San Pasqual Valley Road, Escondido, CA, United StatesWe're stringing our bows for a spot of archery right here at the San Diego Archaeological Center! Shoot some rounds, make some new friends, and learn about how different cultures around the world crafted, hunted, and fought with bows and arrows. We'll be showcasing handmade traditional bows, arrows, quivers, and cordage, and demonstrating how to craft them out of natural materials. No previous experience required. Please bring your own gear if possible. A limited amount of gear will be available to borrow - first come, first served. Family-friendly range time: 9 AM to 10 AM Adults only: 10 AM to 12 PM Cost: $10 (includes museum admission); SDAC Members Free
Save Our Heritage Organization: Marston House Garden Tour
Tour starts at the Marston House Museum Shop in the carriage house. With its uniquely California interpretation of the English Romantic and Arts & Crafts period landscape designs, this tour is a must for garden lovers. The garden tour takes you on an easy walk through two and a half acres of the estate beginning with the first plantings and landscape plan by nationally recognized landscape architect Samuel Parsons, Jr., and George Cooke in 1905 to the 1928 introduction of a formal garden. Several portions of the garden tour are not wheelchair accessible. This event is hosted by the Save Our Heritage Organization. For more information, questions, and registration, please contact the event organizer.
Archaeology Summer Camp Session 2
San Diego Archaeological Center 16666 San Pasqual Valley Road, Escondido, CA, United StatesJoin us for an unforgettable week at the San Diego Archaeological Center’s KIDS DIG Archaeology Summer Camp! Kids will embark on a journey through time as you explore the rich history and culture of our shared human past through a variety of hands-on activities, including basketry, local hiking, honing your archery and atlatl skills, crafting pottery, ancient games, and decoding Ice Age rock art from around the world. Whether your child or grandchild is a budding archaeologist or just eager to experience the past in a whole new way, our summer camp offers something for everyone. Get ready for a week filled with adventure, discovery, and endless fun! Space is limited to 25 campers per session. Ages: 6-12. Sign up now and let the adventure begin! View our Archaeology Summer Camp page for more details and registration.
San Dieguito River Valley Conservancy: Walk N’ Talk at Bernardo Mountain Lake View Trail
Join the San Dieguito River Valley Conservancy for the first hike of the 8th year of the Walk N Talk Coast to Crest Trail Challenge! Lace up your hiking boots and get ready to explore stunning trails with fellow nature enthusiasts, while staying active, soaking up some sunshine, and making new friends along the trails. Don't miss out on this opportunity to embark on a memorable outdoor adventure! Feel free to enjoy the hike with us, as a group, or complete the challenge hikes in any order on your own schedule! Remember to send your 5 selfies at the completion of your challenge to sdrvc@sdrvc.org to receive your exclusive patch designed by Canyon Crest Academy students, as well as a certificate of completion! This event is hosted by the San Dieguito River Valley Conservancy. For more information, questions, and registration, please contact the event organizer.
Nature Collective: San Elijo Lagoon Discovery Tour
San Elijo Lagoon 2710 Manchester Ave, Cardiff-by-the-Sea, CA, United StatesDiscover the beauty of San Elijo Lagoon with the Nature Collective: where fresh water and saltwater meet and mix, migratory and resident birds share a sanctuary, and many animals find a home. This guided tour will inspire all to watch and listen for various birds that rest in – and fly across – the salt marsh and mudflats. No matter the season, you can enjoy, photograph, and identify a host of native plants. The Nature Center Loop Trail is accessible, providing fun for all. Volunteer Emmy Garnica leads your nature experience. This event is hosted by the Nature Collective. For more information, questions, and registration, please contact the event organizer.
2nd Saturday Lecture Screenings
Join us every 2nd Saturday of the month for two screenings of our Living Room Lectures by archaeologists, experts, and authors. Lecture screenings start at 10:30 AM and 12:30 PM and are included with museum admission. No reservations needed. Seating is first come, first served. 10:30 AM - It’s Grind Time! Recent Investigations of the Ancestral Maya Ground Stone Tool Industry in the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve, Belize by Dr. Jon Spenard While conducting opportunistic regional survey in summer 2022 in the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve, Belize, Dr. Jon Spenard’s Rio Frio Regional Archaeological Project was informed of a series of granitic rock debitage piles nearby. Investigations revealed them to be ancestral Maya quarries and ground stone tool workshops, the first of their kind recorded anywhere in the Maya region. Naming the site the Buffalo Hill Quarries, the project mapped over a dozen extraction features (quarry pits and cut faces) surrounded by debitage piles spread over an area of approximately 16 hectares (40 acres). Aided by data from an aerial LiDAR survey of the region, the project returned in summer 2023 to finish mapping the site and conduct test excavations on an extraction locus to investigate ancestral Maya quarrying methods and techniques. In this talk, Dr. Spenard will present the results of those two field seasons, introduce more results from the LiDAR survey, and discuss the next stages of the project, including examining who the quarry workers were and how their products may have been distributed. 12:30 PM - The Skeletons of La Consentida, Oaxaca, Mexico by José “Pepe” Aguilar Twelve burials, comprising 14 individuals, were excavated from an Early Formative Period (1950–1525 BC) site called La Consentida, in Oaxaca, Mexico in 2009 and in 2012. These burials were later analyzed in 2012 and 2019. Collectively, they represent the earliest formal cemetery in the Mesoamerican west coast. Note: this presentation will show photographs of human skeletal remains.
Save Our Heritage Organization: Penning the Past Zoom Lecture – La Mesa
Join the Save Our Heritage Organization to learn about the unique character of San Diego’s historic neighborhoods through the eyes of impassioned writers and historians. Brought to life by esteemed local authors, Penning the Past promises to be an enriching exploration of San Diego’s architectural legacy and historical tapestry. The series is free for SOHO members, $10 per lecture for non-members. Your participation supports SOHO’s mission of education and advocacy to preserve the historic architecture, sites, and cultural landscapes that surround us and add meaning to our daily lives. La Mesa by James Newland On February 16, 1912, La Mesa Springs, a community of 700 citrus farmers, home seekers, developers, and businessmen, incorporated into the City of La Mesa. Located among the rolling hills and mesa lands between San Diego and El Cajon, today's suburban city of over 56,000 is still renowned for its small-town character, featuring its historic village business district, family-friendly neighborhoods, good schools, and ample retail and recreational amenities. The area's centuries-old prehistory and history can be traced to the natural springs that attracted stockman Robert Allison in 1869. Allison Springs, later renamed, prospered and grew after the arrival of the railroad in 1889. After incorporation, the young city grew steadily, reaching 3,925 residents by 1940. Post World War II La Mesa exemplified the exponential suburban growth of the region, expanding to the north and west of the old downtown to accommodate 50,000-plus residents by 1980—all were attracted, as today, to the "Jewel of the Hills." Author bio Historian and planner for the California State Parks Department, James Newland has been a stalwart in the field of historic preservation since 1991, and is past president of the La Mesa History Center. He has an MA in public history from San Diego State, has authored four insightful books on local history—Cleveland National Forest, Grossmont Hospital: A Legacy of Community Service, Around Mt. Helix, and La Mesa—and has made countless contributions to our community's heritage. This event is hosted by the Save Our Heritage Organization. For more information, questions, and registration, please contact the event organizer.
San Diego Children’s Discovery Museum: Science & Engineering Night
San Diego Children's Discovery Museum 320 North Broadway, Escondido, CA, United StatesJoin the San Diego Children's Discovery Museum for an after-hours event and watch the Museum transform to host hands-on activity booths featuring science, technology, reading, engineering, art, and math (STREAM)! Through hands-on activity booths and an endless amount of fun, children will learn about: Animals and biodiversity with Biology Through Art Aerodynamics with Fleet Science Center Physics of golf with San Diego Pop Up Mini Golf Hands-on ocean science with Ocean Connectors Archaeology with San Diego Archeological Center Satellites with Sally Ride Science Program Science of scent Electrical engineering with Snap Circuits Nano Materials Plus, you won’t want to miss a special dry ice presentation by Science Guys of San Diego! Conducting science experiments is hard work! Be sure to enjoy the food truck, Taco Spot and Cabetos Pops for a sweet treat. This event is hosted by the San Diego Children's Discovery Museum. For more information, questions, and registration, please contact the event organizer.