We love San Diego. It was one of our favourite stops on our Californian road trip. We were based in the fabulous and lively Gas Lamp Quarter and thoroughly enjoyed every second we spent there. We also found it to be a great base from which we could visit other parts of San Diego and the surrounding area, including the stunning beach resort of La Jolla and of course San Diego Old Town. The Old Town is super easy to get to from the Gas Lamp Quarter. We simply jumped on the green line tram in front of the Convention Centre and it took us directly to the Old Town in under 20 minutes.
Indulge In The History
Stepping off the tram and into the Old Town State Park, felt like we were walking onto a newly built film set and imagined gun-wielding cowboys were hiding behind every corner. When in reality the majority of the adobe buildings actually date back to the 19th century and are full of history, some, of course, are reconstructions, however, built to look just like the originals. Most of the buildings are now shops or museums. Our favourite three are:
Whaley House
Whaley House was the home of Thomas Whaley an early settler of San Diego and his family is a California Historical Landmark. The house was originally built on the site of a graveyard and over the years it has been a store, a courthouse, theatre and since 1960, a musuem. It has been called the most haunted house in America and has been featured in a number of newspapers, magazines and TV shows. There are daily ghost tours offered if you are brave enough to take one.
Colorado House
Cave Johnson Couts built the Colorado House in 1849. It was a hotel for 12 years before being divided into smaller areas and over the years it was home to the San Diego Herald, a surgeon, jeweller, and a hairdresser amongst other businesses. It burnt down in 1872 and was not rebuilt until 1992. The Wells Fargo History Museum is now situated in the building where you can see an original Concord Coach from 1867, an original panoramic painting of San Diego in 1855 and two authentic telegraphs.
Casa de Bandini / Cosmopolitan Hotel
The Cosmopolitan Hotel was built in 1827 by Don Juan Bandini as a state of the art house. It became a hotel in 1869, then an olive cannery in 1900, followed by a Mexican restaurant. It has since been restored to its former glory and is once again a hotel complete with Victorian-style bedrooms and vintage antique furnishings. With only 10 rooms, the hotel prides itself on a personal service. The hotel is a stop on a number of Old Town ghost tours and it is rumoured that Room 11 is the most haunted room in the hotel.
Eat All The Food
There are so many restaurants in the Old Town, 32 to be precise, choosing where to have lunch can be a tough decision. Due to San Diego’s location, close to the Mexican border and close to the ocean, the majority of restaurants serve either Mexican or seafood (with one of each Italian, Japanese, Creole and Peruvian options available too). As I’m not a fan of seafood and a massive fan of Mexican food, the decision for me was not difficult at all.
We opted for Miguel’s Mexican Cocina on San Diego Avenue and indulged in Nachos, Tacos Norteño (chicken tacos), Skirt Steak fajitas and a couple of Coronas. The portions were huge! So if you visit, remember to take your appetite with you. Also, even though there are loads of restaurants we would advise booking in advance if you can as when we visited on a random day in June, we had to wait a while for a clear table.
Visit Some Attractions
There are a lot of attractions in San Diego Old Town. Of course, there are the museums we mentioned earlier plus many more including Casa del Rey Moro African Museum, San Diego Sheriff’s Museum & Educational Center and Serra Museum amongst others.
San Diego Old Town is also home to the Cygnet Theatre which puts on a number of plays and musicals. The full programme can be found on the website. if you fancy taking in a bit of theatre while you are in the Old Town, maybe you could time your visit to ensure it is possible?
There is always something going on in the Old Town and it has a jam-packed year schedule of fun stuff. From the Mormon Battalion Commemoration held in January, Fiest Cinco de Mayo which boasts three stages of live music held in May and not forgetting Las Posadas held in December which sees festive decorations throughout the park, entertainment and Christmas experience for the whole family.
Buy Some Souvenirs
The shopping scene in the Old Town is so much fun and the perfect place to pick up some unique souvenirs, both for friends and family and also for yourself. There are of course the usual shops were you can pick up fridge magnets and other typical mementos like keyrings, shot glasses, t-shirts etc.
The San Diego Old Town Market is great for picking up some great, yet reasonably priced things. We found bright, handmade gifts and trinkets together with blankets, clothes, glassware and even traditional Mexican wrestling masks!
However, the Fiesta de Reyes is the place to be if you are looking for something special. It is home to 19 speciality shops each of which is locally owned and independently operated. Most of which sell authentic items including jewellery, artwork and homemade hot sauce. If only we had had more room in our backpacks we would have stocked up.
Book a Hotel
And if you want to extend your stay to longer than a day, there are around 10 hotels including the Cosmopolitan Hotel we mentioned before, in the Old Town. It is located perfectly for trips to the Gaslamp Quarter, La Jolla, Balboa Park etc because of the frequent, reliable, clean and reasonably priced tram system in San Diego. I personally think it is suited to couples and families, who prefer a more laid-back vibe and not the boozy scene that the Gaslamp Quarter offers.
We had a great day in the Old Town and it was nice to see another side to San Deigo!
No Comments