Coronado Historic Audio Tour

Welcome to Stop 1. You are standing before one of the largest wooden Victorian buildings in the world. Built in 1888 by railway executives Elisha Babcock and H.L. Story, The Del was designed so that every room would capture ocean breezes. In 1958, Hollywood came to the beach when director Billy Wilder filmed the comedy classic Some Like It Hot starring Marilyn Monroe, Jack Lemmon, and Tony Curtis. Look up at the conical red roof turrets, which were hand-crafted from California redwood.

Cross the avenue to Glorietta Boulevard. Sugar baron John D. Spreckels practically built modern San Diego and Coronado. In 1908, he constructed this 6-bedroom Italian Renaissance mansion featuring solid brass chandeliers, marble fireplaces imported from Italy, and a grand staircase overlooking Glorietta Bay. It now serves as the charming Glorietta Bay Inn.

Walk two blocks down to Star Park Circle. Notice the historic home at 1101 Star Park Circle. Author L. Frank Baum spent several winters here between 1904 and 1910. He fell in love with Coronado's fairy-tale architecture and wrote multiple books in his famous series right here, including The Marvelous Land of Oz and Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz. Legend has it that the crown chandeliers inside Hotel Del's Crown Room inspired the Emerald City itself.

Stroll down Strand Way toward Glorietta Bay to see the historic Coronado Boathouse. Built in 1887 as a practice construction run for the main Hotel Del, this red-and-white Victorian structure housed the San Diego Yacht Club in the early 1900s. Today, paddleboarders and sailors launch right beside it into the calm waters of the bay.

Welcome to Stop 5 at the Coronado Ferry Landing. Before the iconic curving bridge opened in 1969, historic double-ended steam ferries were the vital lifeline carrying passengers and automobiles across San Diego Bay. Today, passenger ferries arrive every 30 minutes. Stand along the wooden railing to take in the finest view anywhere of the downtown San Diego skyscraper skyline across the water.