Hotels near Old Town San Diego State Historic Park

Old Town San Diego State Historic Park preserves the site of the first Spanish settlement on the West Coast, established in 1769 as part of the Mission San Diego de Alcala expedition. The park covers 12 acres and holds five original adobe buildings from the 1820s through the 1850s alongside reconstructed schoolhouses, blacksmith shops, a stagecoach depot, and the Casa de Estudillo, a 13-room adobe mansion built in 1827. Admission to the park is free and the outdoor grounds are open 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM daily. Interior exhibits and the museum buildings run the same hours; some are volunteer-staffed and close earlier on quiet weekdays. Costumed interpreters demonstrate traditional crafts, and free 45-minute walking tours run daily at 11:00 AM and 2:00 PM from the Robinson-Rose House visitor center. The park is surrounded by a working commercial district of Mexican restaurants and souvenir shops - the Fiesta de Reyes plaza at the north edge is the busiest lunch stop and hosts live mariachi music most weekend afternoons.

Pro Tip: Old Town is one of the best options in San Diego with kids because everything is walkable, the historic buildings are hands-on, and lunch is inexpensive. Skip the parking lot ($10 to $15) and take the trolley from downtown; the transit center drops you directly at the park's north gate.