Fun things to do in San Juan Capistrano

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Most of the flowers in the SJC MIssion Gardens are not native to California. Before the Spanish introduced irrigation, California a natural desert was covered mostly with Cactus, Chapparel and Scrub Oak. The SJC Mission has several gardens showing these indigenous plants. If you get a Docent led tour you may get a lesson on how the Jaunenos used the native plants for food, shampoo, sewing and medicinal purposes.

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At the entrance of the Mission and in the center courtyard we have beautiful fountains with lilies and koi fish. The fountains look different in each of the four seasons. The picture of the bright colorful lily pads was taken right at the beggining of Fall. The pictures are nice but do not begin to capture what it is like in person. imagine hearing the trickling sound of water and seeing colorful koi swimming beneath the lily pads.

This is the original mission church, the oldest building in California and the only standing structure where Father Serra said Mass.

The altar is in the Baroque style, over 300 years old and is wood with gold leaf overlay.

Mission San Juan Capistrano, named for St. John of Capistran, Italy, a theologian of the 14th century, is the seventh mission founded November 1, 1776, the Feast of All Saints, by Fr. Junipero Serra. His icon can be seen holding the red banner on the golden altar.

The painting on the walls is a language and is read from the bottom up.

The city of San Juan Capistrano was built around the mission. All life revolved around the mission for many years. Most of the homes found in the town were homes of the farmers that supported the mission and used the local Indians as labors.

A lot of effort is clearly made to make the grounds colorful and clean. As I arrived early in the morning the groundscrew was out in force raking up the debris that had fallen from the shrubs and trees overnight. The tidy gardens are very pleasing and seem to indicate that the historic mission is in good hands.

The grounds at the San Juan Capistrano Mission are open every day except for Thanksgiving, Christmas and the afternoon of Good Friday. Admission is $6 and well worth the price, especially since the admission price helps support the restoration projects at the mission. Currently, there is a $20 million restoration campaign. The mission is a purely non-profit endeavor and is not supported by any government funds.

In my opinion, the mission is best viewed as a self-guided tour. There are several well-written interpretative placards at the various exhibits. The thing that struck me about the barracks was the diminutive furniture. I would be very uncomfortable if forced to use the tables and chairs, while the beds would certainly collapse if forced to bear my weight.

The Mission. People know about San Juan Capistrano because of the birds, but they fail to mention the beauty hidden in the Mission. Pay the admission fee, fo inside and lose yourself in peace and tranquility. If you happen to have some coins on you, put it on the top of you shoe, make a wish and flip the coin into the fountain.

My wish came true. Maybe yours will too.