Several local tours are available during the main convention, all scheduled for April 24, 2025. Each tour includes round-trip bus transportation from the Marriott to the tour location and back. You can sign up through the registration link, but space is limited, so be sure to reserve your spot early.
Field Trip Descriptions
San Diego Zoo Safari Park
San Diego Zoo’s Safari Park, located in the scenic San Pasqual Valley near Escondido, is a world-renowned destination that offers an immersive wildlife experience. Home to over 3,000 animals representing more than 300 species, the park features expansive habitats that can be viewed from a variety of exhibits, including a popular tram ride that provides a unique perspective on the animals in their open-space environments.
For enthusiasts of cacti, succulents, and other plants, the Safari Park is a botanical treasure. It boasts the stunning Baja and Old World Succulent Gardens, as well as a native garden, bonsai garden, herb garden, and epiphyllum garden. The succulent gardens alone feature over 200 species, with impressive collections of aloes, boojums, and euphorbias, primarily from Africa, Madagascar, and the Arabian Peninsula.
The cost of this tour includes transit via bus from Marriott and returning back to Marriott, full-day admission to the park, a complimentary ride on the Africa Tram, and access to all regularly scheduled park experiences, offering visitors an unforgettable day of exploration and discovery.
Lunch is not included. The Safari Park offers numerous food venues. This is a full day excursion. The park offers services to help guests with disabilities enjoy their visit.
This adventure is $75 per person – the ticket price for this tour is being underwritten by the San Diego Zoo Safari Park.
Anza Borrego State Park & Barbecue Lunch at Agua Caliente Regional Park
This full-day excursion begins with a scenic drive over the mountains into Anza Borrego State Park. Your morning will be spent exploring the park’s Visitor Center, where expert docents Michelle Cloud-Hughes and Dean Karras will lead hikes through areas teeming with cacti and other succulents.
Afterward, the tour continues to Agua Caliente Regional Park, a historic site within the Anza Borrego Desert, for a catered barbecue lunch. The afternoon offers more hiking opportunities, allowing you to explore stunning landscapes featuring forests of ocotillos, barrel cacti, and breathtaking vistas.
Please note, vegetarian meal options are available by pre-order. The tour includes lunch and involves walking and hiking on unpaved, uneven surfaces, so sturdy shoes are recommended. Unfortunately, ADA accommodations are not available for this tour.
This is $100 per person.
San Diego Gardens
This tour features visits to three home gardens belonging to members of the San Diego Cactus and Succulent Society.
Rick Bjorklund & Kevin Hosmer, San Diego
Their garden is a bustling laboratory of unique succulents and cacti sourced from around the world. Rick is an enthusiastic collector, while Kevin focuses on selectively hybridizing Haworthias, Aloes, and Agaves, and experimenting with a variety of seeds. The landscape is entirely dedicated to succulents, cacti, bromeliads, and rocks, showcasing extensive collections of Adromischus, Aloe, Agave, Echeveria (and its relatives), and Gasteria, as well as Chamaecereus, Hildewintera, Lobivia, and Trichocereus.
Jodi & John Visosky, Rancho San Diego
Located in the foothills of Mt. San Miguel and surrounded by a Natural Wildlife Refuge, Jodi and John’s garden offers breathtaking views and a blend of native and drought-tolerant plants. The property features a large collection of Mangave, large landscape cacti specimens, and Australian plants, all arranged in harmony with the hilly, boulder-strewn terrain.
Brian & Sally Shepherd, Alpine
In Alpine, CA, Brian and Sally’s garden spans over an acre and is a showcase of waterwise landscaping. The garden includes a diverse array of cacti, succulents, and other drought-tolerant plants, many grown from seed. The property also features several greenhouses and a collection of fruit trees, all nestled in this rural community east of San Diego.
A boxed lunch is included. This full-day excursion involves walking on unpaved pathways, steps, and minor inclines, so sturdy shoes are recommended. Please note that restroom facilities may be limited, and ADA accommodations are not available for this tour.
It will be a beautiful tour for $105 per person.
North County Gardens
This tour features visits to three exceptional home gardens maintained by members of the San Diego Cactus and Succulent Society. The first two stops are in North County, San Diego, with a final visit in the Mission Hills neighborhood on the way back to the hotel.
Wanda Mallen & Gary Vincent, Fallbrook
Explore this 2-acre collector’s paradise, where wide pathways wind through an impressive array of cacti, succulents, tropicals, palms, and conifers from around the globe. Visitors can enjoy a leisurely stroll along the undulating paths, relax in one of the many seating areas, or explore the multiroom greenhouse where Wanda and Gary nurture a large collection of container plants, matched in beauty only by the exquisite pots they reside in.
Nick Ransom Collection, Vista
Nestled across from the historic Grigsby’s Nursery, the Ransom Garden boasts a remarkable and diverse private collection of succulent plants. Originally part of Hugh Monmonier’s collection, the garden has expanded significantly, offering a true journey through the deserts of the world, where there’s always something in bloom.
Jim Bishop & Scott Borden, San Diego Mission Hills
Overlooking Mission Valley, Jim Bishop and Scott Borden have spent 26 years transforming a steep, north-facing hillside into a vibrant garden. After removing an old Eucalyptus forest, they planted a rich collection of low-water succulents, agaves, aloes, aeoniums, euphorbias, cacti, and bromeliads, alongside Australian, South African, Mediterranean, and Californian native shrubs and trees. In 2003, they filled in an old swimming pool to create a walled garden with a stair tower and outdoor entertaining space. Their property also features rock mosaic paths and steps leading down to a large mosaic landing five stories below, surrounded by drought-tolerant plants. The front of the house hosts a succulent and bromeliad garden, complemented by potted plants, recycled bottles, and found items throughout the garden.
A boxed lunch is included. This is a full-day excursion, and you’ll be walking on unpaved pathways, steps, and inclines. Sturdy shoes are recommended. Please note that ADA accommodations are not available for this tour.
See these gardens for only $90 per person.
Nurseries East
This tour takes you to two exceptional cactus and succulent nurseries located in North and East San Diego County.
Western Cactus, Escondido
In 1973, Hans Britsch, the founder of Western Cactus, discovered a unique property perfect for growing plants to their full potential. During a visit with his friend Harry Johnson, Harry remarked on the excellent topsoil in the “box canyon” location, predicting it would be ideal for cultivating plants. Hans took his advice, and today the nursery is renowned for its vast collection of agaves, aloes, boojums, euphorbias, and an abundance of cacti. Don’t miss the opportunity to explore this remarkable nursery.
PW Plants (@peterwplants), Ramona – Peter Walkowiak
Owned by Peter Walkowiak, who has been collecting succulents for over 40 years, PW Plants specializes in rare and hard-to-find succulents and hybrids. The nursery features a wide variety of unique plants, including Adenium, Euphorbia, Fockea, Raphionacme, Monadenium, and more. This stop is a must for enthusiasts of unusual succulents.
A boxed lunch is included. This is a full-day excursion, and you’ll be walking on unpaved surfaces, pathways, steps, and inclines. Sturdy shoes are recommended. Please note that restroom facilities may be limited, and ADA accommodations are not available for this tour.
This excursion is $95 per person.
Nurseries West
This tour features visits to a cutting-edge tissue culture lab and two exceptional cactus and succulent nurseries in North County and San Diego.
Altman’s Plug Connection, San Marcos
Altman’s Plug Connection is a state-of-the-art tissue culture lab offering an informative behind-the-scenes look at the process of cultivating plants in test tubes. The tours provide a fascinating glimpse into this advanced plant propagation technique. While group sizes are limited, the facility is expansive and offers plenty to see.
Botanic Wonders (@botanicwonders), San Marcos
Specializing in rare and exotic plants, Botanic Wonders is home to an impressive array of succulents, cacti, and cycads. The nursery offers a diverse selection of over a hundred species and features a beautiful collection of pottery.
Solana Succulents (@solanasucculents), Solana Beach
Owned by author and collector Jeff Moore, Solana Succulents is a treasure trove of succulent plants. This coastal nursery is filled with both common and rare specimens, all showcased under the shade of towering candelabra euphorbias.
A boxed lunch is included. This is a full-day excursion with walking on unpaved pathways, steps, and minor inclines. Sturdy shoes are recommended. Please note that ADA accommodations are not available for this tour.
This scientific journey is available for $90 per person.
Registration and Field Trip Sales will start soon soon – stay tuned!
