Hoffy Tours

BALBOA ISLAND WALKING TOUR
2025-05-15 10:30 - 12:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Sugar n Spice Donuts, 310 Marine Ave, Balboa Island, 92662, United States
BALBOA ISLAND WALKING TOUR
Including Chocolate-Covered Banana and Ferry Ride
Thursday, May 15: 10:30 – 12:00 – $35/30 (adults/seniors)
“Learn the backstory of this gem of Newport Beach”

This is one of the most beautiful walks in Orange County. Our first stop will be at the Balboa Island Museum to learn how William Collins created a famous island from a sand spit in 1909! Then we’ll walk along the Bay Front promenade admiring the beautiful architecture, great landscaping, and views of the bay and boats. Then it’s on to the Balboa Island Ferry for our short ride to the Newport Peninsula where we’ll visit the only Victorian structure in Newport – the Balboa Pavilion. It was here that Henry Huntington’s Red Car dropped folks off to enjoy the beach. Once back on the island, we’ll continue our stroll around the island, checking out the diverse architectural styles, ending up at Marine Ave. for a scrumptious chocolate-covered banana!

Tour meets at Sugar n Spice Donuts, 310 Marine Ave, Balboa Island.

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Masters of Wood & Clay
2025-06-04 08:45 - 16:45 | Festival of Arts 650 Laguna Canyon Rd., 650 Laguna Canyon Rd, LAGUNA BEACH, CA, 92651, United States
MASTERS IN WOOD AND CLAY
Sam Maloof Foundation and the American Museum of Ceramic Art with lunch at Claremont Village
Wednesday, June 4: 8:45 AM – 4:45 PM: $99/94

This tour features American craftsmanship and art in two great venues, one in Alta Loma, the other in Pomona. Our first stop will be a tour of the historic home of master furniture maker Sam Maloof, nestled at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains. We’ll enjoy a docent-lead tour of his home and workshop and have time to explore the exhibition center and gardens. The two exhibitions should be great: 1) Printed & Stitched – featuring 58 original artworks created by members of the California Society of Printmakers and Studio Art Quilt Associates: and 2) Handwork: Crafting the Counter Culture by famed wood-working artist Garry Knox Bennett and New-Mexico-based feather artist Nicki Marx.

For lunch, we’ll visit nearby Claremont Village – a wonderful compact downtown with excellent restaurants and shopping. Hoffy will provide you with a restaurant map and guide. For music enthusiasts, we’ll enjoy a visit to the legacy business – Claremont Folk Music Center. After lunch (you may never want to leave this delightful downtown), we’ll have a tour of another gem – the American Museum of Ceramic Art in Pomona. This museum has the largest collection of ceramic art on the West Coast and has a wonderful variety of pieces. In addition to the regular collection, the two special exhibits are Hot and Ready to Serve! – Functional Ceramics and Making In-Between: Indigenous Americans.

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FARM TO TABLE
2025-06-25 09:30 - 16:30 | Laguna Beach School District Parking Lot, 550 Blumont St, LAGUNA BEACH, CA, 92651-2038, United States
The Ecology Center (SJC) and Tanaka Farms (Irvine)
“Walk the farm fields and pick your own produce!”
June 25: 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM – $84/89

We’re going back to the Farms! This tour gets us in touch with the earth and where our food comes from. We’ll start at the bustlin’ Ecology Center in San Juan Capistrano for a 45-minute, guided walk through the farm fields where over 60 varieties of fruits and vegetables are grown. The Center is a certified, regenerative organic farm, and you’ll learn how its community programs are educating and training people for a more sustainable lifestyle. After the tour, you’ll have a chance to explore the Ecology Center’s beautiful campus – its Campesino Cafe, Farm Stand, greenhouses, and Community Table. Lunch will find us at Irvine’s Tanaka Farms where you’ll enjoy an included picnic lunch, a narrated tractor ride through the 30-acre farm, stops to pick your own produce, and time to visit with the animals at the barnyard. Both venues take a different approach to bringing people closer to the food they eat: whereas The Ecology Center is certified organic farm, Tanaka Farms uses the “agri-tourism” approach. It will be fun to experience both.

Wear a sun hat, bring sun screen and wear comfortable shoes. We’ll be in the fields and on a tractor for a fun experience in urban agriculture. This tour has a moderate amount of walking.

TOUR DEPARTS FROM LAGUNA BEACH SCHOOL DISTRICT PARKING LOT, 550 BLUMONT ST., AND LAGUNA HILLS MALL PARKING LOT, 24001 AVENIDA DE LA CARLOTA.
(Tour limited to 35 guests; picnic lunch included)

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Cowboys & Planets
2026-01-28 08:30 - 17:00 | Festival of Arts 650 Laguna Canyon Rd., 650 Laguna Canyon Rd, LAGUNA BEACH, CA, 92651, United States
Cowboys & Planets
“Autry Museum & Griffith Observatory”
(includes includes picnic lunch and planetarium show)

January 28: 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM – $109/114

This tour combines two wonderful landmarks within Griffith Park – a stellar museum of the American West and a beloved Art Deco observatory with amazing views of the City of Angels. Our first stop will be at the Autry Museum. This hidden gem contains the nation’s second-largest collection of Native American artifacts as well as a diverse collection of new and ongoing exhibits. Favorites include the Cowboy Gallery, California Road Trip, Art of the West, the Colt Revolver and many more. New exhibitions often include thought-provoking views of the West through popular culture and diverse communities.
The tour includes a picnic lunch at the Autry before an afternoon visit to the Griffith Observatory. At the Observatory, Hoffy will lead a brief walking tour of architectural and vista highlights. After time to explore the astronomy exhibits, the group will enjoy a 35-minute show inside the 290-seat Samuel Oschin Planetarium. With the fabulous Zeiss star projector, we’ll sit back and explore the cosmos!!!

Tour departs from Laguna Beach Festival of Arts, 650 Laguna Canyon Road, and Laguna Hills Mall parking lot, 24001 Avenida de la Carlota.

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Three LA Landmarks Tour
2026-01-28 08:30 - 17:00 | Festival of Arts 650 Laguna Canyon Rd., 650 Laguna Canyon Rd, LAGUNA BEACH, CA, 92651, United States
Three LA Landmarks Tour
“Our Lady of the Angels Cathedral, Disney Concert Hall, LA Central Library”
(lunch on your own at Grand Central Market)
February 21: 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM – $76/81
“A day of stunning architecture”

This tour visits three famous and diverse landmarks of downtown LA. We will start with a self-guided visit to Frank Gehry’s masterpiece – Disney Concert Hall. Opened in 2003 at a cost of $274 million, the Hall’s exterior “deconstructivist” form of curved stainless steel has become an LA icon. The stunning interior uses an “acoustics-first” approach with “vineyard seating” around the central stage. Panels of Douglas fir and oak provide a highly reflective surface for sound.
After lunch, our second stop will be at the Our Lady of the Angels Cathedral on Temple St. Completed in 2002 and designed in a unique contemporary style by Spanish architect Rafael Moneo, Our Lady is the only Catholic cathedral to be completed in the US in the last thirty years. The Cathedral is bathed in natural light, filtered by the world’s largest use of alabaster. Among the many works of art are the stunning, fresco-like tapestries by John Nava depicting 135 saints and the faithful of all ages.
Our final landmark is the beloved LA Central Library – a 1926 design featuring early Art Deco, Egyptian and Mediterranean influences. Our tour will include the sculptures, murals and art which survived a devastating 1986 fire. The Library was later restored when a local developer bought the developable air space above the building which later financed a stunning new wing.
Lunch will be at the venerable Grand Central Market – a downtown LA favorite since 1917. You’ll have 90 minutes to savor over 20 food vendors. For those interested, Hoffy will lead a brief visit to the famous Bradbury Building – a National Historic Landmark for its innovative and beautiful interior design.
Tour departs from Laguna Beach Festival of Arts, 650 Laguna Canyon Road, and Laguna Hills Mall parking lot, 24001 Avenida de la Carlota.
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Vaccines and Vaqueros
2026-03-25 08:15 - 16:00 | Festival of Arts 650 Laguna Canyon Rd., 650 Laguna Canyon Rd, LAGUNA BEACH, CA, 92651, United States
Vaccines & Vaqueros — New Tour!
Salk Institute and Mission San Luis Rey
Wednesday March 25: 8:15 AM – 4:00 PM – $89/94
“A Modernist Masterpiece with the King of the Missions”

This tour pairs one of the world’s most famous modernist designs with the largest of the California Missions . The contrast is enormous – a world-famous scientific research facility with a 235-year-old historic landmark. The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, founded in 1960 by the developer of the polio vaccine, consistently ranks as a top 5 research facility focusing on healthy aging, cancer, immunobiology, neuroscience, and plant science. The stunning, brutalist architectural design by Louis Kahn is considered one of the world’s best examples of modernism and has won numerous awards from the American Institute of Architecture. The guided tour will highlight the collaborative spirit of the design with open laboratory spaces with no walls separating the labs on each floor.
Lunch will be on your own at the trendy Westfield University Town Center. With over 22 eateries, from sushi to cheese steaks, you’ll enjoy the lively atmosphere, and well-designed public space. This part of San Diego is fun to explore and has some really interesting architecture (and good food!).
Our next stop will be at the beautiful Mission San Luis Rey, an active Franciscan Missionand National Historic Landmark, in Oceanside. Here we will have lunch and tour the only California Mission whose large church is designed in the cruciform (cross) shape. With its intricate baroque facade, beautiful courtyards, excellent museum, period rooms, restored “lavanderia” (sunken, outdoor laundry), and historic cemetery, it’s no wonder that Mission San Luis Rey was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1970. The story of the Missions is fascinating, complex and often tragic.
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