san juan bautista state historic park

This state park shouldn't be missed. It's easy to reach from Highway 101 though the signs are hopeless so head for the library and find the old town.The mission itself is huge, an attractive church with a simple museum set around pleasant gardens. But the museum is the best $3 you're likely to find.Located in a couple of 19c buildings. it tells the story of the development of the area from native American times through missionary, rancher and modern times with video and boards. The hotel has so many of the original artefacts that you can see what a great stop it must have been in the 19c. And to think it was bought by an impoverished teenager who survived the Donner party tragedy to find gold!The house is equally well furnished and when you move to the stables, you're amazed by the number, range and quality of the carriages amassed inside. We picnicked in the park by the jail before wandering down to the old-fashioned shops lining the main street. Give yourself a couple of hours to enjoy it

I've only been to about 6 of the California missions, but this has to be one of the best. The mission itself has been restored to almost perfection. The church is beautiful inside and there are many great old buildings in the park. Fantastic.

Awesome historic place to visit and get a small insight into life at the time. The carraiges are awesome and the jail that seats one built in the 1870's was awesome. The tools of the time, considering that this was deemed that latest technology and state of the art was great to see. Inexpensive to see and well looked after. Easily spend 3 to 4 hours of you include the mission.

There are a few nice historical buildings and a stable containing a good collection of historic carriages and horse drawn wagons. Admission is inexpensive (I believe $3 each). It is a pleasant place it spend an hour or two. It is located adjacent to the San Andreas fault, although visible evidence is not obvious.

The park has 3 or 4 buildings, 2 or of which can be entered and toured. It is adjacent to the Mission. The Hotel is the most interesting of the buildings. There are costumes, period furniture, photos, and information about the history of the area and the culture. there is a small admission fee. Worth spending an hour or so while in the area.

The San Juan plaza (the state park surrounds it) is a perfect stop if you've traveling north to south (or vice versus) or a good day trip for those in the Bay Area. I am thankful the state has preserved this so we can all see what the state was like more than a century ago. I love to take visitors from out of state here. They love the ambiance, feeling like they've stepped back in time.

State Park features several restored buildings and exhibits of life in San Juan Bautista circa 1850. Very interesting overview and exhibits on the history of early settlement of California

Mission San Juan Bautista is California's 15th mission and was in great shape. In addition to the mission itself there was a stable with large display of old buggy carriages and 1859 hotel which is now a museum. There are several other building with old artifacts and history plaques. A block away is the main street of the town that has maintain its old character with little shops and dinning options. In joyed spending several hours at this site seeing stop and was inexpensive.

San Juan Bautista State Historc Park is a historic landmark that is close to the mission there. This was once the town square area. The park includes buildings frrom the 1880s such as the Plaza Hotel, the Zanetta House/Plaza Hall, Plaza Stabls, Castro-Breen Adobe, a park and jail and more. It is an interesting history of the Spanish, Mexican, and Native Americans in the area.We enjoy walking through the historic area - its close to one of our favorite restaurants in town -Jardines De San Juan, which also has a spectacular cactus and flower garden. Park either in the mission parking lot or on the street parking nearby.

We went up to do a bit of geocaching and stayed to hike around and look at the fault lines and nature. Park is clean and WC assessable. Parking can be a chore, so be patient.

There are so many things to do here, I am not really sure where to start. The town of San Juan Bautista is a relic in itself which makes it that much more charming. Take 101 to 156 and turn where it says downtown San Juan Bautista. There is a little restaurant called Dona Esther's. Take a right there if you are coming from 156. It is a small, pot-holed street. Take a left at the next street, which isn't more than 100 meters. There is a small shop on your left and on your right, the park starts. It is in such a small proximity that you almost feel it is your own private park to do what you will with. You can park quickly and just walk on the front lawn of the mission that lays between the stables and the church. There is a great view as the mission was built on a bluff or probably a compression hill raised by the San Andreas Fault. You are actually very close to the San Andrea Fault standing on the look out. There is a small fee to get into the place, but it is nominal and it helps the Mission make repairs and other costs of running it. The area is just magical if you can put yourself back 150 years before there were roads and the "El Camino Real" was the only road in California that stretched from Baja California to Northern California. Picture the dust rising as horses and people on foot trod through the mission to get water and supplies. List for the cows and the horses naying to be fed and watered. Imagine the chickens scratching at your feet. In fact, if you have lunch at Jardines, you can see chickens in the gardens in the back.. It is a lot of fun. Walk around the town and follow the old adobe wall of the mission. It will surprise you that this was one of the larger missions in the chain. Have a pastry from the bakery on 3rd Street/The Alameda....

We fortunately arrived on the one Saturday a month (1st Saturday) that docents were present and in costume. It was also the one day a year that they were featuring outdoor cooking with Dutch ovens. We were there when they rang the 'dinner bell', (triangle) and were treated to stews and deserts. Yum! http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=563

This is one of California's fine state parks, and it surrounds the historic Mission San Juan Bautista. The entrance fee for the park doesn't cover the Mission, which is separate, but they are both very reasonable ($4 per person each and they also have discounts for seniors) The stable and blacksmith shop are especially interesting, and don't miss going through the Zanetta House (Plaza Hall) -- the entrance is in the rear of the building after you go through the stable. There are period-furnished rooms throughout that are wonderful to see.

This was such an stmospheric place which has carefull preserved the buildings and layout of the Spanish plaza. There is also lots of good explanation and recreation of the various elements. Very many thanks to the ranger at the park who suggested to us that we also go to Big Basin to see the redwoods.

Even though my we have made countless trips to the Monterey Peninsula, we missed one of the most wonderful preservations of California history until our trip this summer. About 8 miles south of Gilroy, on the 101, is the route 156 East exit ( make sure you take the East exit, the West goes to Monterey). This takes you to San Juan Bautista (about 3 miles off the freeway). First we went to the Mission, which has the largest church of any of the 21 California missions, and museums displaying all types of artifacts from its founding in 1797 and beyond. It takes about an hour to go through it, but is well worth every minute. (Admission is $4 adults, $3 seniors, $2 kids)After you've visited the mission, go diagonally across the street to the Plaza hotel (built in 1858 on the site of Spanish barracks) which houses the office for the San Jaun Bautista State Hisorical Park. There you can get a ticket for $6 which admits you into the hotel and saloon which is furnished as it was in the 1800's. The admission also allows you to visit the Blacksmith shop and carriage museum, the 2 homes of the Hotel's original owners, and the surrounding gardens. We we extremely impressed and what we thought would be an hour's visit, turned into 4 hours! I can't believe we waited so long to find this place, but am sure glad we did!We had the best breakfast at the Mission Cafe, and there are several other eating places. The town itself is like a scene from a Western movie. Don't miss a stroll through it, too.