January 8, 2026
San Juan Capistrano is a town in Orange County, about an hour’s drive south of Long Beach. We started our visit there by having lunch in the Los Rios Historic District, which is California’s oldest continuously inhabited residential neighborhood.
The main attraction in the town is its Mission. There are 21 historic Missions in California, established in the late 1700s and early 1800s by Franciscan priests as part of Spain’s efforts to colonize and convert the indigenous people of California. The Missions are spaced roughly 20-30 miles apart, stretching all the way from San Diego to north of San Francisco. The Mission San Capistrano was established in 1776 in the same year that the Americans on the east coast were declaring independence from the British. It would take another 74 years for California to become part of that new nation, becoming the 31st state in 1850.
The San Capistrano Mission is sometimes called the Jewel of the Missions and walking around its grounds, it is easy to see why.
San Juan Capiastrano is near to one of our favourite spots in California, Laguna Beach, so we decided to drive over there for an early dinner and to enjoy the spectacular sunset.
Sitting on the edge of the cliff is the first lawn bowling club we have come across in the United States. It is also one of the prettiest we have seen anywhere.
Mal and Lauren 