Lifestyle

Old Town – Where San Diego Began

By Angela Wu | April 22, 2010

Some believe that Old Town San Diego is considered the “birthplace” of California. In 1769, Father Junipero Serra established the first mission of many that would be the beginning of California’s colonization. Old Town offers the original and reconstructed buildings that illustrate San Diego from the 1800’s. Old Town recreates the Californian life during the years of 1821-1872.

In 1968, the State of California Department of Parks and Recreation established Old Town Historic Park to preserve the heritage of this area. A main plaza, museums, and living history demonstrations are located in the park.

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La Casa de Estudillo, La Casa de Bandini, La Casa de Altamirano Pedrorena, and the Mason Street School are some of the historic buildings in Old Town. Mason Street School is San Diego’s first one room schoolhouse. Up the hill from Old Town San Diego Historic Park, Herritage Park contains some of San Diego’s Victorian homes which have been restored to their original looks. On San Diego Avenue, there is an official haunted house, the Whaley House. The first Church in Old Town is Little Adobe Chapel on Conde Street.

Old Town allows visitors to step back into time to the early nineteenth century. There is a great variety of interesting retail shops — taffy shops, places to make-your-own candles, gourmet foods, book stores, historic reproductions, leather shops, cigars stores, and more! Old Town San Diego has something for the entire family to enjoy in a quaint setting — historic sites, authentic cuisine, and unique shopping.

Recreation

State Historic Park

Heritage Park

Places to See

Historic Sites:

Whaley House Museum

Serra Museum

Old Town Trolley Tours

Tequila Museum

Robinson James McCoy House

Casa de Wrightington

San Diego house