Mission San Antonio de Pala — Attraction in California

Any time visiting a California mission is a chance to go back in time. The history, architecture, and serenity are hard to describe. Each mission has something unique to offer. The detached bell tower and the original chapel floors were two standouts of this visit. I would've graded 5 stars however, there was little signage welcoming visitors. An event was going on that included native hoop dancers that we thought was a private event due to no signage. We came up to the gate and then noticed there were vendors, suggesting it was open to the public. We spoke with many of the vendors and enjoyed a couple other native dances. We noticed several young boys were at the nearby park and joked to each other how wonderful it was to see kids off their cell phones and enjoying team sports. We then saw the sign stating this was not a public park.🫤 We respected the restriction and did not enter but stayed only a few minutes to see the kids having fun. It just came down to not feeling welcome, but the mission is...

Today, Sunday 8/27/23, I drove close to 60 miles R/T to visit this mission. I checked their website last night and again this AM, for the visiting hours. It said that on Sundays they were open from 7:30 AM to 3:05 PM . When I got there around 12:45 PM there were just a couple of cars in the parking lot which I thought was strange; they quickly pulled out. Much to my surprise everything was closed -- chappel, mission building, gift store and museum and there was no one around to get any information from. As I was ready to leave, another car pulled in and the man said they had driven 60 miles one way to visit this mission. The Pala Mission Administration or Board of Directors should post accurate information on their website or note any changes to the original schedule so that visitors will not be driving needlessly and be disappointed by such lack of respect towards those interested in their history and legacy. Not very conducive to good...

Wow! What a beautiful sister mission to San Luis Rey Mission. I was so blessed to be driving by on another adventure that put me in the area and double blessed as there was someone in the office on a Tuesday! We were able to peek in quietly on the ground's garden space that butted up against in-session classrooms. Absolutely spectacular work in progress with volunteers coming by weekly to help tame the overgrowth due to being closed during the pandemic. The church is quaint, but like most of the other mission's churches beautiful in its own right. It was peaceful just to step in and take a moment and listen to the world around you—complete tranquility. I highly recommend checking out this mission, especially if you or someone you know is in the fourth grade, as this will be part of their studies. Thank you for the stamp in our passport book to get us one stamp closer to...