San Diego is a wonderful coastal city to visit and enjoy. It has a long and colorful past. There are several exciting places to visit and to discover the rich history of this area. The Old Town San Diego Historic Park is a great place to experience the history of early San Diego.

Visitors can get a glimpse into how this area was a joining of two cultures which turned San Diego from a Mexican pueblo into an American settlement. You will be able to see original and reconstructed building from that period. There are five original adobe buildings that are a part of this historical park and are now museums, shops and restaurants.

The park has many historical buildings to visit. The La Casa de Estudillo is a mansion built around a beautiful garden court yard. Mason Street School was California’s first public schoolhouse. Make sure you visit the San Diego Printing Office – the city’s oldest surviing newspaper office. There are many sights to see and sounds to hear.

Mission Trails Regional park is one of the largest urban parks in the nation. There is over 5,800 acres to explore and it includes two lakes, the San Diego River and the Old Mission Dam. You can visit the 1,592 foot Cowles Mountain which gives you a scenic view of the area. There are many trails to explore and an abundant of bird life.

Heritage Park, an 8 acre country park, is dedicated to the preservation of Victorian architecture. You can visit seven original 19^th century homes that were moved to the park. These homes are now the home to a bed and breakfast, and other novelty shops. At the entrance to the park you can see the Temple Beth Israel which was originally built in 1889 in classic revival style.

Visit the Junipero Serra Museum if you want to learn more about the people and cultures that first settled in this area. This museum is perched on a hill above Old Town and is a Spanish Mission styled structure. The museum contains exhibits on Native American, Spanish and Mexican people who first settled here. You can visit the tower which overlooks the city and you can see for miles. There is also a park surrounding the museum where you can walk the trails or have a picnic.

The Whaley house was built in 1856 and was the first two story brick house to be constructed in this part of the country. There is an urban legend that this house is a designated haunted house. As many as 100,000 people visit each year to see for themselves. There are many interesting and unique artifacts here. You can visit and maybe you will see one of the four spirits who are said to haunt the structure.

San Diego and the surrounding areas are wonderful places to visit and to learn about the diverse cultural that makes up this coastal city.

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