“the birthplace of California”
Old Town San Diego State Historic Park, located in the Old Town neighborhood of San Diego, California, is a state protected historical park in San Diego. It commemorates the early days of the town of San Diego and includes many historic buildings from the period 1820 to 1870. The park was established in 1968. In 2005 and 2006, California State Parks listed Old Town San Diego as the most visited state park. Historic Old Town San Diego, the Birthplace of California, where the first Europeans settled. With history waiting for you and the finest in professional theatre, there are museums and historical site, sartisans, galleries and shops are all within easy walking distance with free live entertainment, mariachis, dancers, period attire docents providing tours and more. Old Town San Diego is considered the "birthplace" of California. San Diego is the site of the first permanent Spanish settlement in California. It was here in 1769, that Father Junipero Serra came to establish the very first mission in a chain of 21 missions that were to be the cornerstone of California’s colonization. Father Serra’s mission and Presidio were built on a hillside overlooking what is currently known as Old Town San Diego. At the base of the hill in 1820’s, a small Mexican community of adobe buildings was formed and by 1835 had attained the status of El Pueblo de San Diego. In 1846, a U.S. Navy Lieutenant and a Marine Lieutenant, raised the American flag in the Old Town San Diego Plaza.In 1968, the State of California Department of Parks and Recreation established Old Town State Historic Park to preserve the rich heritage that characterized San Diego during the 1821 to 1872 period. The park includes a main plaza, exhibits, museums and living history demonstrations.
Went to this location to get tickets for the trolley and ended up spending several hours here. Never bought the trolley ticket! So much bigger than I expected. It's a good mix of mini museums and inexpensive tourist shopping. Try the salt water taffy, so creamy! Ate lunch on San Diego street instead of Old Town, good food better prices. Free parking in Lot C all day and easy walk to everything in the area. This is a must see for history lovers.
Old Town Mexican Cafe and Fillips Italian restruant were great places to eat.
This was another stop that I didn't expect to be nearly as neat as it was! It's a large park with many more historic buildings than I was expecting. There were neat shops and restaurants in the different buildings. A cool stop!
This place is super cool. Go into any shop that seems interesting because they have some great souvenirs for cheap. Oh & definitely stop by the Mexican food stops, best tacos ever!
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Old Town State Historic Park
Hours
- Sun - Sat: 10:00 am - 5:00 pm
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Parking
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Pets Allowed
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Restrooms
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Wifi
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Wheelchair Accessible
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Credit Cards Accepted
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Outdoor Seating
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