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If you are looking for things to do in OC (Orange County) that have nothing to do with Disneyland or the beach, you’ll want to check out Mission San Juan Capistrano. It’s located in San Juan Capistrano City, which is near the Pacific coast and lies halfway between San Diego and Los Angeles. This area of Southern California is best known for its beautiful coastline and Disney parks, but if you want to explore something a bit off the beaten path, Mission San Juan Capistrano is quite the hidden gem.

What is a Mission?

Before visiting this mission, we had no idea what a mission was. When we were looking for things to do in Southern California, we kept coming across missions throughout the region. Missions were basically religious outposts with the goal of spreading Christianity among the local Native Americans. We almost visited a mission in Santa Barbara when we were on our way to Solvang, but instead decided to visit the Mission San Juan Capistrano (the following day), which is about 10 miles southeast of Laguna Beach.

Mission San Juan Capistrano History

There are a total of 21 Spanish missions and Mission San Juan Capistrano was permanently founded by Junipero Serra on November 1, 1776, as the seventh of the twenty-one missions in California. The significance of this mission, in particular, is the ruins of the Great Stone Church.

Mission San Juan Capistrano Museum #orangecounty #missionsanjuancapistrano

Ruins of The Great Stone Church

The ruins of the church remain “as is” today after a tragic earthquake that killed over 40 people on December 8, 1812. Seeing the ruins was the highlight of the self-guided tour we did. It felt like we were taken back in time and you can sense how large the earthquake must have been to destroy the great stones. This was definitely our favorite part of the grounds. The gardens and the museum were interesting, but the ruins really felt like we were in a different world.

Sacred Garden & Bell Wall (Campanario)

This is a peaceful little corner and where the bell tower was built to hold the mission bells after the collapse of the Great Stone Church. Back then, the bells were used as a clock so it was rung quite often to call residents to work, meals, prayers, etc. Today, the bells are occasionally rung during special events and you can also find the two original bells hanging on display in front of the ruins.

At the time we visited, there were a few families taking photos with a professional photographer, so it wasn’t all that peaceful. Photoshoots on the premises is allowed as long as you pay for a permit. Most of the photoshoots happen in the early hours before the sun starts to get harsh. We visited during Thanksgiving weekend, so we think the multiple photoshoots were for Christmas cards.

The Central Courtyard

Before you start your self guided tour around the courtyard, we highly suggest taking a short tour of the museum. This will help you understand the history of the mission and the life of a padre. We made the mistake and began walking around the grounds first and regretted not starting with the museum.

When we did finally made it to the museum, there was a room with a short film about the history of the mission. We highly encourage you to watch this short film because it is loaded with great historical facts about the mission. We were a little surprised that no one was sitting and watching the video and it was empty pretty much the entire time were were there.

The courtyard is very well maintained with interesting artifacts from both past and present. Off to the left was a garden and industrial ruins area. Here you can see the original furnaces and tannery pits where animal hides were made into leather and a thriving garden of crops and herbs. If you wanted to have a little picnic in the garden, there is an area just for that. We thought it was a cute little spot to have lunch on a date or with family.

Crystal was the only one interested in Watching a short history video

The Return of The Swallows

The Mission San Juan Capistrano is most notably known for the Annual Return of the Swallows. Unfortunately, we visited in November and the cliff swallows make their annual return in March, so we didn’t get to see them. According to The Orange Country Register, the swallows make their annual migration from Argentina to San Juan and it is one of the longest migrations of any species.

Apparently, there was a time when the swallows stopped returning, but after some dedicated research, the efforts to lure the birds back was successful. If you want to witness the return of the swallows, the celebration is held yearly on March 19th and it is quite the festivity with a parade involved.

Explore Historic Downtown San Juan Capistrano

After you finish your tour inside, head out and explore the historic downtown. The Mission Basilica is located downtown and is right behind the Mission grounds. This church is a partial replica of the Great Stone Church that was ruined by the 1812 earthquake. We were planning on exploring and having a late lunch in the historic downtown, but a lot of the buildings were under construction, so we decided to save it for another day.

Final Thoughts

We had a pleasant morning exploring Mission San Juan Capistrano and we think it’s worth a visit if you are in the area and want to learn a little history about the birthplace of Orange County. It’s also a great place to take photos with the beautiful gardens and historic ruins.

If you have some extra time, make sure to stop by the picturesque Laguna Beach nearby. It’s a short 20-minute drive along the pacific coast. Laguna Beach has a spectacular clifftop setting above some of the finest beaches in California.

Parking

We arrived as soon as they opened and was able to find free street parking right across the street in front of a Starbucks. The area is located in Historic Downtown San Juan Capistrano and you can download a map of the area that has a coupon for a free guided tour.

Admissions

Admission is very fairly priced, but we wish we would have looked into getting discounted tickets on Groupon. Had we remembered to use Groupon, we would have saved $10 since the deal was for half off.

Adults: $10 (free on your birthday)
Seniors (60+): $9
Children (4 to 11 years): $7
Children under 3 years: Free

MISSION SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO
ADDRESS: 26801 Ortega Highway (MAP)
PHONE: (949) 234-1300
@missionsanjuancapistrano