Private Tour
Essential Downtown SLO: A Self-Guided Audio Tour
Overview
Available languages
Mobile ticket
Created by a professional videographer and storyteller with years of experience filming for ESPN, this digital audio tour captures the vibrant pulse of a town often called the happiest city in America.
While standard tours stick to dry scripts and broad streets, this experience leads you through the intimate corners and historic landmarks where San Luis Obispo’s Wild West heritage still lingers.
The narrative guides you from the legendary Ah Louis Store, once the heart of a bustling, tiny Chinatown, to the colorful, cluttered charm of Bubblegum Alley and the hallowed grounds of Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa.
Using GPS technology, local stories and historical insights play automatically as you walk, functioning entirely offline to preserve your data.
By the time you reach the 1875 home of the city's first coroner and the old Creamery, the city's layers of history will have come alive.
Additional Info
Wheelchair accessible
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
What To Expect
Ah Louis Store
This tour starts outside the Ah Louis Store.
Palm Theatre
The tour starts near the Palm Theatre
What‘s Included
Lifetime access to this tour in English
VoiceMap app for Android and iOS
Offline access to audio, maps, and geodata
Smarphone and headphones
Transportation
Food and drinks
Tickets or entrance fees to any museums or other attractions en route
Options
Essential Downtown SLO: A Self-Guided Audio Tour
Reviews
27 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Enjoy a quick tour.
Chris A,,Nov 27, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We enjoyed seeing the beautiful town. The tour guide was very informative and it was very clear where to walk. I recommend this tour.
Easier to understand and great directions
Sherri T,,Dec 30, 2024
- Review from Viator
5.00Enjoyed the historical aspect. And directions were right on. We did the tour after dark and felt safe. Stopped and did ax throwing and it was easy to jump back into the audio tour.
Explore San Luis
WineTourLinda,,Aug 10, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We live in Santa Barbara County and have visited San Luis multiple times through the years. This was the first time we had an actual “guide “ to explore the history and discover new sites we had not seen in the past. We stopped multiple times along the way and continued on our tour when we were ready. My only suggestion would be to encourage people to park at the parking lot near the start as parking is very limited. I liked the audio reminder that we had stray off the path:)
A guided tour that is dog friendly
Michelle S,,Dec 13, 2023
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00I made this trip solo with my almost one year old border collie/labX. When traveling with a dog, there are so many tours that are just not available unless you can leave your dog somewhere else. But then that would mean not doing a trip with your dog which is what I planned and looked forward to. Finding this self-guided tour of SLO was such a pleasant surprise. I tend to get lost fairly easily but not with how well this tour guides you with very clear directions that are provided as you make your way through the different interesting places along the way. The information shared and the places you are shown are worth seeing. It also gave me a better idea of what parts of downtown SLO I will want to see more of. I absolutely loved doing this tour. It was worth the price admission and much more ;). I highly recommend downloading the tour onto their app so you don’t need to worry about missing out on any part of it. I will be checking this provider out for the many other cities throughout the world for which they offer self-guided tours.
Impossible to activate
Ross P,,Oct 25, 2023
- Review from Viator
1.00Impossible to activate. Wasted my money. You see a million numbers and codes but none of them work. This is a scam!
The best of SLO
ruthhD1034LE,,Oct 8, 2023
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00The experience was great and entertaining. I was glad I could stop in stores and.could continue.the tour at will
Fun tour at your own pace
Laura R,,Jul 15, 2023
- Review from Viator
5.00Fun, easy to follow. He had lots of interesting information to share about this fun town. Highly recommend it.
Dissatisfaction
shar0nma,,Jun 18, 2023
- Review from Tripadvisor
1.00THE TOUR WOULD NOT SHOW UP IN THE VOICEMAP APP SO WE WERE UNABLE TO USE IT. DISAPPOINTING. NOW THID SURVEY WON’T SUBMIT!
Better than expected!
Jessica Z,,Jan 3, 2023
- Review from Viator
5.00Amazing tour! My boyfriend and I enjoyed it more than we expected we would. Very interesting and easy to use/navigate.
Disappointing Experience
kimlam2022,,Oct 31, 2022
- Review from Tripadvisor
1.00I was unable to download the audio tour. The instructions were unclear. I was not able to contact a representative via email or phone, for assistance. It was a waste of my time trying to troubleshoot and a waste of my money! VERY DISAPPOINTING EXPERIENCE!!!!!
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Operated by VoiceMap Audio Tours