7 Fun Things to Do in Old Town San Diego
Old Town is classified as the birthplace of California. Father Junipero Serra, in 1769, built 21 missions near Presidio, a fort on a hill that overlooks the San Diego River. The missions would become the cornerstone of San Diego’s and California’s colonization. Today, this area in the heart of San Diego and contains attractions, themed restaurants like Book of Ra, shopping centers, and historic sites.
Old Town offers an incredible mix of fun and history, with some of the best San Diego resorts located in this area. You can also explore San Diego restaurants to sample culinary delights. You can spend several nights enjoying San Diego nightlife or some days exploring Old Town. If you’re looking for some ideas, here are some of the fun things you can do in Old Town San Diego.
1. Explore the History
Visit the Old Town State Historic Park if you want to step back in time to the city’s early days. Here, you will find over 20 buildings along wide pedestrian-only streets, which create a village that you can easily walk. For some exhibitions and creative works, explore the San Diego Museum of Art. The museum’s mission is to educate, inspire, and cultivate your curiosity through great works of art. If you’re considering San Diego for vacation, this is one of the places to visit as the museum hosts the finest art, including collections by Italian and Spanish old masters, 19th-century American sculptures and paintings, and Indian paintings.
Outside the state park in Old Town, you will find historic buildings. These buildings feature Spanish architecture, interior wood beams, and stained glass windows. The Church of the Immaculate Conception makes is a popular spot for photography. On the edge of Old Town, you can visit Heritage County Park, which contains the first synagogue in San Diego and old Victorian homes.
2. Watch Old Town Demonstrations
If you want to participate in San Diego events that demonstrate the history of Old Town, staff at the Old Town State Historic Park hold events every Wednesday, where they demonstrate activities that took place in the 1800s. These demonstrations include carpentry, blacksmithing, and games. The things on display can vary from week to week and can include spinning wool, soapmaking, quilting, and weaving.
If you prefer some time away from San Diego beaches, this spot also offers music. When you visit, you can watch mountain men in period costumes who sit forming a circle beside a covered wagon. They play fiddles, guitars, and banjos to entertain the guests. This is an opportunity to learn about the history of Old Town - you also get to experience it.
3. Visit Free Museums
While there are modern San Diego apartments, some of the buildings are in Old Town house museums. They showcase how the building was used in the past, giving you the sensation of stepping back in history. Others offer a collection of historical artifacts. You can enter these museums free or for a relatively small fee, so it’s easy to pop into several museums during your visit.
For example, the Colorado House showcases the history of the Wells Fargo stagecoach company. Displays you will find in the museum include a furnished agent’s office and a stagecoach from 1868. You can also visit an old jail behind the San Diego Courthouse. While here, you will get a view of the original print room, which contains a Washington handpress.
La Casa de Estudillo, owned by a renowned family in the Mexican Period, is an original adobe mansion. The house sits around a courtyard. Its rooms are furnished in period style, telling the story of the distinguished family. On the grounds, you can find a store and an outdoor brick oven.
4. Shopping
Besides visiting fun places like the San Diego Zoo, you can also explore some of the top shopping spots in Old Town. You can find unique items like souvenirs, artisan wares, clothing, art, and colorful Mexican handicrafts. There are Indian jewelry stores in the village and around the park. Some of the things you could check out include fresh homemade taffy, minerals, gemstones, and leather goods, which you can buy at Old Town Historic Park.
For some fun, you can visit Toby’s Candle and Soap Shop, where you’re allowed to make your own candles. From here, you can visit the Old Town Market, an open-air market offering clothing, hand-crafted trinkets, and accessories that highlight traditional Mexican culture. There’s a cluster of open-air stands and boutiques around Bazaar del Mundo, which sell hand-crafted tiles, Mexican copperware, and other items.
5. Visit a Haunted House
If you’re on a tour of the San Diego Bridge and want to experience some thrill, you should tour a haunted house in Old Town.
The Whaley House, located on San Diego Avenue, was a family home built in 1857 for businessman Thomas Whaley. Since the house was built, there have been rumors of ghostly residents. The purported ghosts include a thief who was hanged there five years before the house was constructed, a young girl, a drifter, a young woman, and Thomas Whaley together with his wife, Anna. The house has been run as a museum since 1960 and offers an interpretation of the time between 1857 and 1885 when the Thomas family lived there.
You can find other historic buildings nearby, including Verna House, a French Mansard from the 1870s. It houses a gift shop. Also, the Derby-Pendleton House, an 1850 wood-frame house, was a prefab house built in 1850 in New Town and moved to Old Town in 1851. The house is open to the public.
6. Explore the USS Midway Aircraft Carrier
Experience the adventure and honor the USS Midway with fun and activities for the whole family onboard. USS Midway is a San Diego aircraft carrier formerly used by the U.S. Navy, which was commissioned 8 days after World War II ended. It was ranked the largest ship until 1955. It’s now open as a museum offering self-guided audio tours and a range of interactive exhibits.
7. Go to the Old Town Theater
Other events you can enjoy include watching San Diego basketball and visiting a theater. The Cygnet Theatre Group offers six to seven mainstage productions, which range from classics to Broadway-style musicals. These productions are staged at Old Town Theatre, opened in 1979.
Final Thoughts
If you’re traveling on vacation, or decided to settle down and rent an apartment in San Diego, Old Town is one of the best places to visit for some fun-filled experiences.
In addition to great moments, you can explore museums and other historic spots where you can learn about the distant past of the city. Don’t forget to sample unique culinary delights at some of the top restaurants in Old Town!
What was your best experience vacationing in San Diego? Leave a comment below.