Filed under: attraction, history, top-feature
A Day Out in San Juan Capistrano
Southern California is dotted with many small towns, from beach hangouts to hiking spots in the hills. One town is just an hour south of Los Angeles and is one of California’s most historic places: San Juan Capistrano, which claims is home to California’s oldest standing building, as well as several shops, restaurants, and a museum. It’s well worth a day trip, especially on a sunny day. Let’s explore the highlights if this cute town.
The Mission
The mission in San Juan Capistrano (map) is really the centerpiece for why most tourists come to visit. It claims to be the oldest standing building in the State of California, and if you include the remains of the beautiful chapel walls, I would say the claim is credible.
Your visit starts in a small brick building of the mission, where you’ll pay ($9) and pick up your audio guide and map, which isn’t required per se but I strongly recommend it because otherwise you’ll be walking around a site with few markers or guideposts. The audio guide, included with your admission, is easy to follow along and has a number of really interesting anecdotes from history
The first part of the tour is the mission itself – sleeping chambers, the kitchen, all of which surround an enormous garden that must have been just breathtaking during its day. The gardens are well looked after today and it’s a perfectly enjoyable place to sit and listen to some of the extra “chapters” on the audio guide exploring different bits and pieces of the mission history.
To the side of the mission is the old church, which is mostly in ruins. What is left is the outline of the building, as well as parts of the nave and central altar. Standing here you can try to imagine what such an enormous building must have looked back in those historic days – the religious must have been overpowering.
For Further History: If you want to learn more about the history of San Juan Capistrano, just around the corner from the mission is the SJC Historical Society. It’s small but if you’re a history buff, you may find the exhibit interesting.
Shopping
San Juan Capistrano is a just a small village, but it has a main street downtown area with a few shops. A few recommendations, though you can’t miss them as they’re the biggest shops in town:
- The Trading Post (map): this huge building right on the main intersection is your souvenir and all-sorts-of-random shop. It is one of those shops worth going even if you have no intention of a purchase, just because browsing some of the unique and absurd souvenir ideas is a lot of fun. Towards the back you’ll find a few items that are slightly more authentic – artwork and cards from local artists, for example. Don’t skip it because of the cheesy signs and lame signage out front; there’s some good stuff in here.
- The Old Barn Antique Mall (map): Wow! If you like antiques, then this is a gold mine of treasures. I’ve not been to that many antique malls, but this is one of the largest and most interesting. It’s a series of several buildings along one side of the main street that are interconnected and have all sorts of stands selling furniture, housewares, clothing, and books. One stall that’s right by a front window has all colored glassware, and it’s just beautiful with the light shining in from outside. For some reason it was very quiet in here, so perhaps the true antique hunters will not be as impressed with the collection, but still its worth a stroll through if you’re here.
Lunch
You’ve come all this way, so why not have a bite to eat, right? There are tons of chain restaurants here, including a Starbucks of course, but the hot spot is Pedro’s Tacos (map) just across the street from the Mission. Mollies Cafe (map) also gets good reviews, though we didn’t have time to stop, so I can’t say for sure. And don’t forget some ice creams for the kids. It’s all right here on the main street.
Getting Here
San Jaun Capistrano couldn’t be easier to find. Amtrak has a depot right here smack in the middle of town, no less than two blocks from the mission, so if you’re anywhere along the Pacific Surfliner line (see the map and timetable for details), this is a great experience as it isn’t often you can take the train in California.
Drivers can head down the I-5 to State Road 74 – there are signs directing you to the mission. Parking isn’t too bad – there’s a large lot on the block behind the mission (away from the railway line). Traffic into San Juan Capistrano can be bad at peak times, such as Saturday or Sunday mornings, especially if you decide to take the coastal road, so be sure to give yourself plenty of time.
It’s an easy hours drive (pending that aforementioned traffic) from Los Angeles. If you happen to be in San Clemente, it’s a very quick hop over. From San Diego, you’re looking at a fairly long day ahead of you but you could certainly do it if you wanted.
Photo credits: miheco
