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All the United States California San Diego Old Town State Historic Park
AO Edited

Old Town State Historic Park

A blast from the past in central San Diego.

San Diego, California

Added By
Marian Bull
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The old courthouse has been turned into a museum.   | Joe Mabel
The old courthouse has been turned into a museum.   | Joe Mabel
Old Town State Historic Park   MARELBU/CC-BY
La Casa de Pedrorena   | Jerrye and Roy Klotz MD
A hand-set press in the old San Diego Union printing office.   | Adam Jones
A 19th-century hacienda building.   | Adam Jones
Visitors can enter the old printing office.   | Adam Jones
What was once San Diego’s first two-story hotel is now home to the Wells Fargo Museum.   | prayitnophotography
You can grab a meal at the Casa de Reyes Cantina.   | prayitnophotography
Sunset in Old Town.   | JC Winkler
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About

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.

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Crafts Tradition History Parks Museums

Know Before You Go

Admission to the park and its museums is free, though guided tours are available for a fee. The museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., except from October to April, when it closes at 4 p.m. on weekdays. Free street parking is available, and the park is accessible by multiple public transportation routes. 

Community Contributors

Added By

marianbull1

Edited By

ccesare, traceywilson, shiribarnett

  • ccesare
  • traceywilson
  • shiribarnett

Published

February 13, 2025

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Old Town State Historic Park
San Diego Avenue and Twiggs St
San Diego, California, 92110
United States
32.754879, -117.197727
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Nearby Places

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Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of San Diego

San Diego

California

Places 45
Stories 8

Nearby Places

Memorial to the White Deer of Mission Hills

San Diego, California

miles away

Whaley House

San Diego, California

miles away

El Campo Santo Cemetery

San Diego, California

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of San Diego

San Diego

California

Places 45
Stories 8

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