San Francisco Native Tours

If you want to feel like a friend is showing you around their hometown, this is the tour for you! This tour was the perfect combination of history, food and culture. I wish I had time to go on more of these tours by our very charming and well-​informed tour guide, Stuart. He was the consummate host of the city he clearly loves.

We did our tour with Stewart — he was awesome! His Parks/​Pints/​Politics tour goes right by our home, so we had to see what’s up. I’ve only been in SF for 10 years (not a native) but my husband is from the Bay Area and we were so excited to go on a tour of our own city that helped us feel more informed about the current climate while learning fun tid bits about the history of the city as well as having a beer and a cookie! Stewart’s sister Genevieve came along so it was extra fun hearing about his family history in SF. This is the perfect tour for someone who has «done SF.» After 10 years here my parents have visited enough times that they no longer care about seeing Alcatraz, they want to experience the city like we do. I can’t wait to sign them up next time they are in town. I’m also recommending it for all of my friends who don’t want to «look like a tourist.» He’s great about stopping a block or so away from the area we’re talking about, so it’s not obvious we’re with a tour guide and the groups are small so again — it’s not touristy. I couldn’t recommend it more. I also loved how he brought his iPad along with photos of yesterday so we could compare it to today. I could get lost in his photo albums. Can’t wait to check out the next tour!

Parks/​Pints/​Politics tour:
Stuart, our impressive and articulate, San Franciscan tour guide took us on a walking journey through the Haight-​Ashbury, Castro and Mission neighborhoods and spoke of our unique history, traditions and the people/​cultures that make SF one of the greatest cities in the world. As SF natives, we were enabled to travel to wonderful gems such as Corona Heights; Graffiti alley, speaking with local artists; and tasting beer at charming and hip breweries. Most of all, we were encouraged to love our city and continue to help make it better place for all to live and love. Truly this is the best tour we have taken!

Thanks Stuart for yet another awesome tour of San Francisco. My boyfriend and I had a great time learning about all of its amazing history!
If anyone wants to learn about the history of San Francisco then I highly advise you to go on one of these tours. It is a memorable time. On the tour my boyfriend and I went on, we saw the Chinese markets, an old hidden tunnel in an art store, a larger then life dragon sculpture, Telegraph Hill where parrots supposedly live, a fortune cookie factory and so much more.
Along the way, we sampled great Italian meat and cheeses, and Chinese pastries. The food was divine! It was a pleasurable long walk throughout much of Union Square and Chinatown. My boyfriend and I hope to get the chance to go on another tour!
Pros:
–a great tour especially if you love to learn about history
–lots to see on these tours
–Stuart, who does the tours, is very knowledgeable of the area
–sampling of delicious ethnic food
Cons:
–Nothing!
If you plan to go on one of these tours, I suggest:
–wear a comfortable pair of sneakers as you will be doing a lot of walking
–take note of the places you go to or are suggested as you may want to go back to them
–check parking prices in SF in advance as it can be expensive, my boyfriend and I parked in a public garage which ended up costing $ 21!

After our six mile tour of the Haight, Castro, and Mission yesterday I’ve never felt more in touch and passionate about the connection between old San Francisco and the plight of the new wave of young people as well as the gentrification of these ever-​constantly gentrifying neighborhoods. Stuart touched everything from the Ohlone, to famous murals and old photographs of the city, to Harvey milk in a way that made none of us feel as if we were on the outside looking in.
We ate the best empanadas I’ve ever had, as well as three phenomenal craft beers (all included!). We walked up, down, and around beautiful parks I’d never been to and the whole time it felt like we were catching up with an old friend.
I cannot speak more highly of Stuart and his team and I sincerely hope that every SF local, native, outsider, techie, entrepreneur, and human being is lucky enough to experience one of these amazing tours. !!!

Totally loved our «Original» tour with Stuart yesterday! I’ve never encountered the level of knowledge or enthusiasm he shares on other tours I’ve taken. Three-​ish hours in the rain flew by before we knew it! It’s also awesome to get the perspective of a native to the city (not to mention the recommendations!!) and the small group made it very comfortable and intimate. Can’t wait to check out some of the other tours!

Easily one of the best tours I have ever been on! My boyfriend and I were visiting the city for the weekend from New York and chose this tour. It felt less like a tour and more like walking around the city with a friend. Highly recommend to any traveler visiting the city. We got to see the great San Francisco views, have great conversation and learn a little about the history.

Went on the Parks/​Pints/​Politics tour. Hands down one of the most enjoyable tours I’ve ever been on!
Because the group sizes are kept intimate (under 10) and the focus is on getting a great tour and maintaining a good pace, it’s just like an outing with your friends.
Even better, the group I went with were mostly tied to the bay area or local San Francisco residents (4 of the 9 in my group were SF born and raised), and the questions that the group asked were extremely detailed. Stuart our tour guide painted a complete picture of the area and really helped visualize how San Francisco has changed and continues to change since the city was founded.
Highly recommended!

Took my fourth tour with this company, and it was just as good as the others. Stuart provides an entertaining and informative insight of parts of San Francisco that most people have no idea exist. Great stuff, and a wonderful way to spend an afternoon. Looking forward to the next one. Thanks, SFNT!

Great tour by Stuart this past Saturday. I was impressed with his friendliness and deep knowledge of San Francisco, but esp with his ‘our of the box’ thinking when it comes to how he runs his tours. I also loved the small group size and that he provides some pictures of what this city looked like at specific points in time.
Highly recommend it!

Really enjoyed our tour with Stewart! He was fun, knowledgable and very flexible. We all had a blast, seeing places none of us had seen before. Highly recommend them!

My husband and I took the parks, pints and politics tour with Stuart. He loves San Francisco and was a fantastic guide. His knowledge of the neighborhoods we hiked was from a person who has lived their, very personal. The views on this tour are outstanding. The hike was not to difficult and the beer was are great reward.

I had a great afternoon with this tour. Our guide Stuart was friendly, informative and fun. This was a good way to get to know some of the coolest neighbourhoods in San Francisco. Great beers, cool historical tidbits with pictures, and great views.

I’ve been living in SF for 4 years. I have plenty more to discover about this great city and Stuart proved it on this tour. I did the original tour. They cap the group size at 9 to keep it intimate and stay away from numbers and dates in favor of a local’s perspective on the history and culture of the city. Stuart, the owner and one of the guides, is incredibly friendly, energetic, and excited to share his city with you. He takes you through some fascinating places and shows you the hidden little corners. He feeds you his favorite foods, from cheese to dim sum. If you want a local tour of SF, this is the one for you.

What an incredible experience! I joined Stuart on a walking tour of Chinatown, North Beach and FiDi/​Union Square and had an incredible time. The pace was perfect, we stopped for samples of delicious food throughout the tour, I learned a ton of SF history, and being with Stuart was like being shown around a great city by a good friend. I joked that it was like the Airbnb of walking tours. I can’t recommend this new, family run and, obviously, local tour company enough. I will be back!

It’s more than a tour, it’s a party!
I love walking tours. When perusing the internet, I came across a new company, San Francisco Native Tours. The website
looked interesting; so I decided to give it a go. Boy, was I in for a pleasant surprise. The tour I signed up for, «Construction, Corporations, and Craft Beer» is perhaps a misnomer. A more appropriate name might be «Baseball, Business and Beer» because that’s what the tour is all about.
If you’re a baseball lover, a beer drinker, and want to learn something about the business climate of San Francisco, past, present and future, this is the tour for you. It starts at AT&T Park, where our native born guide, who knows the City inside and out, told us about the history of the San Francisco GIANTS, how AT&T Park came to be built as well as its impact on developing the surrounding neighborhood into one of the premier business communities in the world; spawning numerous hi-​tech and biotech start-​ups. Before the GIANTS, all this was nothing but a slum!
We then walked the fire line of the 1906 earthquake, observed first-​hand the impact the fire had on building construction. Our guide pointed out the changing architecture, We saw the buildings that were saved and heard about those which were destroyed by fire. We walked through allies that I never knew existed, saw the Hills Bros., trademark statue, tucked away in an obscure little courtyard and learned how coffee and now beer changed the face of San Francisco.
But, for me, the highlight of the tour was stopping at several different breweries along the way, We not only saw beer being made but also had a chance to sit down, get to know one another, and sample various types of beer which were served with local delicacies, just enough to take the edge off your appetite. My favorite the 21^st Amendment Brewery where we all shared Nico’s Tater Tots washed down with a pint of «Watermelon Ale». Delicious!
And, this was only the first stop. .Before our tour concluded at San Francisco’s Old Mint, we quaffed another pint with a variety of tasty tapas at another local brew-​pub, The Thirsty Bear,
What I like best is all this food and drink is included in the price of the tour. WHAT FUN!

I grew up in the Bay Area and thought I knew a lot of fun facts and history but this tour made me realize there is still so much to learn about! I did the Original Tour and was blown away this amazing city! Stuart and Trevor were my tour guides and they both were super personable and knowledgable! I was nervous about getting tired because I had seen on the website that it’s like 3 or so hours of walking, but honestly I got so caught up in conversation and the stories they were telling us that I didn’t realize we had walked all over the city! I definitely want to get around to doing another tour real soon! An insider’s look in SF… Off the beaten path. Amazing for tourists, natives and anyone in between… There’s a lot to learn and not everyone knows all the untold histories of SF like SF Natives do.

The most personable tour guide I have encountered. Stuart has the perfect personality to make you feel like a close friend showing you around town with comprehensive knowledge of this great city

There are tours of San Francisco. And then there are SF Native Tours.
I’ve been on plenty of tours in the last several years, and too often the recipe has been one cup of stranger-​wearing-​goofy-​uniform, a gallon of memorized-​trivia-​facts about [insert city here], and the inevitable teaspoon of «shit-I-don’t-remember-anything-a-week-later.»
Not this one.
A tour with SF Native Tours feels like your friend is just showing you around town. An incredibly-​connected friend, too, because Stuart personally knew all of the storeowners we visited and was able to cater the tour to what we wanted to see.
The tour I took was a surprisingly comprehensive look at Downtown, North Beach, and Chinatown given the 3 hours we had. And thanks to Stuart’s energy and humor, the wonderful food, and personalization, we barely noticed 3 hours had gone by. My favorite part was when he showed us a bar off of Columbus street where «his uncle had bought his first martini.»
SF Native Tours has done a great job marrying local expertise with «friendly feel» in a way that really lets you «be part of San Francisco.»
Stuart didn’t give us history. He gave us HIS story. And I’m looking forward to hearing another one.