My wife and I visited the Mission San Miguel Arcangel to see it in person. My son had to make a model of it when he was in the 6th grade, but we had never got around to see it and he is now 25, so thought we would go. It is unbelievable the a mission founded in 1797 is... More

I hope to see all 21 of the historic California Missions; to date I have seen six. Although this particular mission did not ‘wow’ me, it did have some very unique items worth mentioning: The gorgeous arcade with its 12 arches (the variety of shapes and sizes were apparently planned)…the original painted walls inside the church…and the "mission window" made... More

This is the only California mission which still has the original 1830's-era painting on the inside. It was damaged in the 2003 earthquake, but has been carefully restored. The cracks are still evident, and add to the sense of history. This mission is right next to "the 101" a few miles north of Paso Robles, and is well worth a... More

This is one of the few California Missions that is still used as a church. This gives it a feeling of authenticity not always in the other 20. The compound around the mission shows how life was lived more than 200 years ago. This town & mission is just a few miles from HWY 101 and makes a good place... More

A flavor of the old California. Nice people there. Antiquities, a museum an old church that has not been modernized.

We just happened to see the signs and decided to stop....well worth it!!! So amazing and the history unreal! The gift shop employee should know more about the mission since we had questions which she did not know the answers to. I highly recommend stopping here and take the short self guided tour!

The Franciscan fathers used to use this very authentic mission as a classroom for seminary students at the now closed St. Anthony's Seminary in Santa Barbara. The grounds are large and authentic. In the 1890s the Franciscans were very upset that the Southern Pacific railroad laid their tracks so close to the mission. But if they thought the train came... More

We unexpectedly found this mission on the San Miguel exit from hwy 101. Great stop; mission has a lovely primitive church, burial ground and large courtyard with huge cactus and plantings. Offers tours, but not necessary as you are free to walk around. Large bell structure announces the mission. It was the 16th of the 21 missions in CA. Info... More

I recently "got into" visiting missions so I stopped in as it was near a gasoline station. This mission was built before Abraham Lincoln's presidency which made me pause. It is the oldest mission in California that contains the original art and it has a historical presence about it that makes you feel good. I ran into a priest and... More