Old Town State Historic Park

Nestled in the heart of San Diego is a sprawling, living museum that brings the city’s history to life. This is the Old Town San Diego State Historic Park, which comprises a collection of historic buildings that map the city’s history and culture between 1820 and 1870 as it transitioned from Mexican to American rule. Interspersed with these old buildings are shops and restaurants offering traditional handicrafts and food, making it an ideal destination for families.

Old Town also marks the first Spanish settlement in California. When Gaspar de Portola and Junipero Serra built the San Diego Presidio and the Mission San Diego de Alcala in 1769, they built it on a hill overlooking the San Diego River. At the bottom of the hill they established a small town, which soon became a hub for local commerce and government after Mexican independence was established. This is where the park’s story begins, and it continues throughout the 19th century.

This park is home to a fascinating collection of historic buildings, some of them dating as far back as the 1830s. There’s the one-room schoolhouse, which was the first publicly owned school in San Diego County; the Casa de Estudillo, one of the oldest adobe mansions in California; and the San Diego Union Newspaper offices, a building which was prefabricated in Maine and shipped to San Diego in 1851. Along with churches, homes, and a courthouse, these structures offer visitors an in-depth look at what life in this town was really like during the 19th century. 

The living history component of the park also offers visitors of all ages an exciting glimpse into the past. The blacksmith shop (built in 1860) offers live reenactments daily, and The Colorado House, once a hotel, is now a museum dedicated to the history of mining, banking, and stagecoach travel in the area.