A Spanish mission founded in 1786, Old Mission Santa Barbara provides an insight into the colonization of southern California. Franciscan friars created the mission so they could convert the indigenous Chumash tribe to Catholicism. Embark on self-guided tour through the sacred garden, historical cemetery, church, and museum, or take one of the docent-led tours. Don't miss the fountain, aqueduct, and lavandaria in the Mission's front yard, all original fixtures built by the Chumash. The museum is home to a Chumash prayer board, the first written Chumash ever attempted. Our Santa Barbara day trip planner makes visiting Old Mission Santa Barbara and other Santa Barbara attractions simple, and helps you make a travel plan personal to you.
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Tours to Old Mission Santa Barbara
Old Mission Santa Barbara reviews
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This is truly a tourist trap, an absolut minor attraction and very little to see. The mission looks nice from the outside, but once inside you realize very fast that this is a rip-off. All the inside.... more »
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Lovely well preserved piece of local history. Plenty of information to help you gain an appreciation of the context. Helpful, efficient staff. Lots of free parking, easy to find. more »
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Great place to visit and know the history of the mission. Beautiful garden to walk and ponder . Entrance fee $15 for adult. Wear comfortable shoes for walking. Parking space is limited. more »
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The Old Mission is definitely more than I expected! It turned into a beautiful experience they made me feel very aware of the magic in this place! First, you walk through a couple informative exhibits and then you get a glimpse of the Sacred Garden. It is absolutely gorgeous and very well cared for!!! I have never seen roses like the ones in the Sacred Garden! We were told that priests still live here. It is visible that this was a full working mission to this day! Then you walk into the cemetery and in the middle of the grounds is a giant tree! A very old rare tree. You are welcome to walk around but still be respectful of the dead of course. The Church was made of a specials stone that always keeps the room at a comfortable temperature (or so we were told). We stopped by the gift shop on the way out of course! Its an experience you won’t regret for the price!
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A good place to visit in Santa Barbara. Probably it should be made free. Historic significance. Another face of the mission work done by Franciscan priests. I will share some pictures here. The museum is good. There is a gift shop. Guided tour is available. General admission is $12. Senior citizens above 65 and active military personnel are $10. This is a live monastery too. Recommended for visits. The main places are the garden, cemetery, church, the statues, museum, good shop.
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This place is gorgeous. Very historical very beautiful get there early if you plan ahead book a reservation for tour with one of the fryers that actually works there. These types of Tours are a little bit more extensive and private and exclusive do this I'm certain you appreciate it.
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Beautiful Mission. There is wheelchair access to enter the shop and tour area. The church is beautiful inside. We didn't take the tour because there was only one tour available that day and we missed it. But for a fee, you can roam the Mission on your own.
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Wonderful historic mission. The rose garden was in full bloom. It’s a self guided tour. Place gets busy by midday with your buses etc.
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