Mission San Antonio de Padua was the third of the Spanish missions founded in California. It was founded by Father Serra in 1771, and it is the least visited of the California Missions because it is the hardest to get to at about 26 miles off Highway 101. If you are a fan of California’s […]
Mission San Antonio de Padua: California’s Third Mission
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Mission Nuestra Señora de la Soledad: California’s 13th Mission
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Located in the town of Soledad, about 45 minutes South of Monterey, Mission Nuestra Señora de la Soledad was the 13th of the 21 Spanish missions in California. This mission was founded by Fermín Francisco de Lasuén in 1791 and even though it has been largely rebuilt, the mission is still a great spot to explore […]
Mission San Miguel Arcangel: One of the Best California Missions
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Mission San Miguel Arcangel was the sixteenth of the California Missions to be founded, and it opened its doors in 1797. While the original church was destroyed, the current chapel was built in the early 1800’s and the mission itself is one of the most beautiful for the old style that is still on display […]
California Missions Road Trip Day 3: Ventura to San Luis Obispo
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For day three of the missions tour, I would recommend that you get an early start to try and fit four missions into the schedule. I recommend this because Mission San Luis Obispo will not take you very much time and it is better to do four today then tomorrow since there is a lot […]
Original Lompoc Mission Ruins
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Recently, I set out to visit all of the California missions on one long road trip. It was an amazing experience that gave me a great appreciation for California’s preservation of these relics of our past. They are some of the oldest buildings in the United States as they date back to when Spain controlled […]
Junípero Serra Museum on Presidio Hill in San Diego
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Located on the Presidio Hill in San Diego, the Father Juniper Serra Museum is a great spot for an event in San Diego or to explore if you are interested in California Mission history like I am. This museum is known as the site where California began as it is where the first mission was […]
Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa: The Fifth California Mission
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Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa is the fifth mission founded by Father Junípero Serra and the only mission to have an L-shaped chapel. Today the mission is located right in the heart of San Luis Obispo, which is a bustling college town along the coast of California. The mission here is free to visit, […]
Mission Santa Inés: Exploring Solvang’s Mission
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Mission Santa Ines was the 19th of the 21 California missions to be created, and it resides in the small Danish town of Solvang only a few miles off Highway 101. The mission was founded by Father Estévan Tapís in 1804, and it is most famous for being the start of one of the largest […]
Mission San Antonio de Pala Asistencia
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Mission San Antonio de Pala Asistencia, located off El Camino Real in a more inland area, is an Asistencia (assistant) Mission to Mission San Fernando Rey de España and is the only Asistencia still being used. It is still a working church ministering to the local population, and while it is not one of the primary […]
Mission Santa Barbara: The Queen of the California Missions
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Mission Santa Barbara is second only to San Juan Capistrano in beauty and popularity for the California Missions. It was the tenth mission established by the Spanish Franciscans and it was planned to be established by Father Serra but he passed away before he was able to. Father Lasuen ended up founding it in 1786. […]
