San Juan Bautista State Historic Park

Better than therapy.

This was my first time having visited the San Juan Bautista Mission. This place is so beautiful and has such an interesting history. My tour guide was very informative and gave some interesting facts about how the mission came to be and how the survivors of the Donner party stayed there after their rescue. I was also able to get a glimpse of the San Andreas fault line which was only a few yards away from the mission… thankfully there were no earthquakes at that moment.
The mission has much of its original architecture and material, with the exception of some repainted rooms, but it was easy to see that much of the floors and ceilings were as old as the building. The church is stunning, and was larger than I expected. There were a few rooms that were set to an 1800’s time period and other rooms with historical artifacts stored behind protective glass. Behind the church is an old graveyard for Native Americans, whom were converted to Christianity, with some graves dating back almost 200 years.
This gift shop was quaint and filled with religious objects, in which most of the proceeds go to restoring the mission. I had an excellent time here and hope to visit again!

San Juan Bautista State Historic Park is scenic and educational. One can see California’s first log cabin, a tiny jail, a board with rules for stagecoaches (don’t complain about the food&pipes were outlawed, so smoking was always a no-​no), and the Castro-​Breen Adobe where one of the Donner Party survivors lived. This state historic park is complementary to the nearby mission. In the springtime, roses bloom in the various mini-​parks. One feels like they’re in the Wild West. It’s a peaceful place, perfect for sightseeing.

The park was surprisingly quite and free of other people when S and I wandered around the plaza and in and out of the historic buildings. This park is only a few miles from busy highway 101, yet the park, the mission, and the town seems to be light-​years away from the hustle and bustle of nearby urban areas.
The park offers glimpses into another era. The park buildings include the Plaza Hotel, the Zanetta House, the Castro-​Breen Adobe, the Plaza Stables, the jail, and the blacksmith shop. Many of the rooms are furnished. There is also a good size collection of buggies.
It is definitely worth a side trip off 101 to enjoy the charm and character of the past that this park, mission and town offers visitors. For historical information about this area visit

BBQ rib cook off this weekend! — And just a nice little city overall. The mission/​church is wonderful and I love that they have the Teatro Campeisano. Halloween is fun here and there are some really good restaurants too.

A wonderful destination after visiting San Juan Bautista! First off, I’d like to thank the two lady Park Rangers working the day we visited. They were VERY welcoming even when we decided to visit less than an hour before the Historic Park closed.
Basically, SJB State Historic Park is adjacent to Mission SJB and worthy of a visit as well. It’s literally like going back in time, starting in the Mission Period while touring the Mission then moving towards the 19^th and 20^th centuries visiting the exhibits that the Plaza Inn and surroding structures provide.
The Historic Park takes you back in time and you literally walk through the history of the Plaza Inn. Wonderfully preserved, very informative as well.
I can’t provide an in-​depth review of this adventure because the man and I jammed it in towards the last hour of the day. I will say that it is worth a visit.

You’d never know it barreling down the 101, but just 2 miles off the freeway, south of Gilroy, the town of San Juan Bautista has much to offer, starting with the State Park and extending to one of the larger missions. It makes for a great day trip if you’re local to the greater Bay Area.
The combination of the mission and SJB Historic Park (each with it’s own separate entrance and small admission charge) packs in a lot for your entertainment/​educational value. I think my park ticket was $ 3 and my 10yo son was free.
The park includes several buildings — Plaza Hotel (furnished as it would have been in the day), Castro-​Breen Adobe (museum displays), Settlers Cabin (one-​room), Jail (one-​room), Stable (filled with all sorts of horse wagons, carriages and such), Blacksmith Shop (occasional demonstrations) and Zanettta House (with period furnishings) plus a big plaza lawn for a picnic and place for the kids to run around.
The first Saturday of each month are Living History Days, where costumed docents reenact daily life in California History. If you’re more into pop culture than history, SJB is also the set of the classic film «Vertigo.»
We spent close to 3 hours in SJB, including probably a 20 minute chat with one of the docents at the state park (who would guess that at one time SJB was larger than San Francisco, and the Plaza Hotel would have been considered 5 stars for the «luxury» it provided). We didn’t walk around the town shops at all as we’d left our new-​to-​us dog home alone for the first time.
We’d stopped for lunch in Gilroy before we arrived… but I wished we hadn’t when I saw that in addition to the mission and park, there were shops and restaurants aplenty right there in SJB. Spring was a great time to go, as SJB is a lovely setting surrounded by lots of greenery and agriculture. I think it’d get pretty hot in the summer.

When driving home from San Francisco, I always make a stop in San Juan Bautista for breakfast or lunch. It’s a little Western town that looks much as it would have a hundred years ago with pepper trees draped along every street, wild roosters, giant cactus, the Spanish Mission and amazing views across the San Juan Valley.
Next to the Mission is the state park, a collection of preserved turn-​of-​the-​century buildings decorated exactly as they would have been. I have to say, it’s very well done and Paul L. has documented it superbly! It’s absolutely worth the five bucks to walk through these buildings and is, in my opinion, more interesting than the mission itself.
This is where Jimmy Stewart brought Kim Novak in Vertigo — the little Western town outside of San Francisco — and dragged her to the top of the bell tower. The bell tower was created by Hitchcock but the stables, the plaza and the mission are exactly as they appear in the film. This is a lovely tranquil place to spend a couple of hours.

San Juan Bautista State Historic Park is not affiliated with the mission on the plaza, but all of the pieces complement each other and provide the visitor with a good sense of the history of this little community. San Juan Bautista, the town, is a wonderful place to walk about, visit the shops and stop for something to eat. That atmosphere originates at the plaza and the buildings that flank the large green expanse. Yes, there’s the mission, but the historic park comprises the Plaza Hotel, the Zanetta House, the Castro/​Breen Adobe, the Plaza Stables, the jail, and the blacksmith shop. Bring the kids because there’s a lot for them to look at as an introduction to history. All of the buildings are well-​maintained with period furniture and historical explanations are provided. The Castro/​Breen Adobe is especially thorough in its presentation.
If you’re in the area, the entire town of San Juan Bautista is a pleasant diversion before you move on to your destination.