I've visited most of the 21 Spanish missions in California, as well as missions in Arizona and…read moreMexico. I've even written a book about the California Missions (The California Mission Guide). Mission San Juan Bautista is my favorite mission to visit! It was the 15th mission in California, and was founded in 1797. The mission itself is mid-sized, and it is well preserved; it is still an active Catholic church. (The climactic scene in Alfred Hitchcock's 1958 film masterpiece, Vertigo, was filmed at Mission San Juan Bautista. There is now a popular coffee shop in town called Vertigo, in honor of the film.) What makes this mission my favorite is the surrounding town. The slogan of San Juan Bautista is "The City of History," and it's well-deserved. Across the street from the mission you'll find the Castro-Breen adobe, built in 1836, and the Plaza Hotel, built in 1856. You can also visit the Plaza stable, built around 1870, which features a small collection of buggies and wagons. The town's original main street is just a couple of blocks from the mission. There is a self-guided walking tour that features almost 50 historic sites from the 1800's. There also restaurants, shops and antique galleries. Plan on spending a full day in San Juan Bautista!

If you are a school or group learning about California missions history and interested in a tour of…read morethis mission, I highly suggest skipping the mission tour, and instead go directly to San Juan Bautista State Park, which is right next door. The land is literally connected to the mission and they offer wonderful programs about mission life. Benito is in charge at the Mission, and he screamed and yelled at our school group. And from what I learned, we were not the first. He is arrogant, hostile, aggressive, and incapable of keeping accurate schedules he makes himself. Our group consisted of women and children, almost entirely non-white. I spoke to Benito TWICE in advance of the field trip and scheduled the date and time directly with him. When I went to check in and pay before the start of our field trip, the ladies at the front called Benito, because he was somewhere else on the mission grounds on lunch break. He literally SCREAMED into the phone so loud, I could clearly understand. They may not have realized based on my race that I understood their Spanish, but I did. He kept screaming they don't set field trips at 1, but he did. We spoke in detail, and he set the tour at 1, knowing we were at the State Park Mission Life Program in the morning. The ladies were clearly intimidated by him, and kept trying to tell him that he spoke with me directly to set this up. He was angry about coming back from lunch. When he finally came, he stalked up to our group--of all women and children, almost entirely non-white--and started screaming at us about how they don't do field trips at 1. I spoke clearly and calmly to remind him that we had spoken and set this date and time. He looked at me in disgust, completely ignored and blew past me, then started addressing the group as "boys and girls." He addressed them like kindergarteners in 1950 every other sentence. His behavior was a disgrace to actually kind people-of-faith, and I'm guessing this is not the kind of legacy the church wishes to continue--MEN IN POWER SCREAMING DOWN AT WOMEN AND CHILDREN OF COLOR. It did, however, make for a very negative and real connection to actual missions history--clearly not something we were expecting our children would be exposed to on a school tour.

Do not miss the John Steinbeck House and Restaurant on your trip to the Central Valley. The food is…read moredelicious and the Volunteer Host staff will treat you like you're their best friend. We learned so much about John Steinbeck, his family and the house. Stop by the gift shop for 1st Editions of his novels. What a lovely experience!

We had such a lovely time at the Steinbeck House Mother's Day Tea. The service was exceptional, and…read moreknowing that the staff are all volunteers made the experience even more special. Everyone was so warm, attentive, and welcoming. The food and tea were absolutely excellent -- beautifully prepared and delicious. And of course, the house itself is charming, with gorgeous table settings that made the afternoon feel elegant and memorable. Everything was done with such care and attention to detail. A wonderful way to celebrate Mother's Day!

What a great experience using Limo Scene. Local company, great response time, reasonable pricing,…read moreand great service! We had a group of 11 people, and they took us to a concert in Saratoga and brought us back home safely. We will definitely be using Limo Scene again. Thank you to Maria for her service!

We had a wonderful experience with Limo Scene! Car arrived early and was clean and perfectly…read moreprepared for our night. Maria and her husband were kind and gracious and VERY professional. I wish we could do this every week! Thank you so much for helping to create an amazing evening for our night out in Monterey! Shannan Matthews