The City of Oakland Walking Tours (aka Oakland Tours Program) has been a long-time free walking tours program sponsored by the City of Oakland. The program was suspended during 2020 because of COVID, and has not yet resumed.
The program got its genesis from Dick Spees in the late 1970s. After an initial bus tour with local corporate and civic leaders, things got underway. Tom Wolf from Laney College and Sister Mary Ethel Tinnemann from Holy Names agreed to teach Oakland history courses.
Arnita Fermin was the program coordinator from 1991-1994. Annalee Allen was the program coordinator from (?) until her retirement in January 2021.
There are 8 tours, mostly in downtown:
- Old Oakland (self-guided version)
- City Center
- Uptown to the Lake
- Preservation Park
- Chinatown
- Jack London Square and the Waterfront
- Churches and Temples
- New Era, New Politics
Links and References
- Walking Tours oaklandca.gov
- Oakland Walking Tours on Facebook
- Allen's tours return residents to their roots by Paul Cobb Oakland Tribune May 28, 2000
- Spees got Oakland's history tours rolling by Annalee Allen Oakland Tribune July 29, 2001
