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    Marcus F.

    You can't beat free admission in Old Town so take 20 minutes out of your day to walk through this historical 1827 Hacienda. You can enter on any of the three sides to this house, but if you enter from the front entrance there's a guy with a clicker next to a sign that says "donations". Even though this is a free experience, there's a bit of awkwardness wondering if it's really free or if there's an unwritten expectation to donate. We didn't donate and neither did most people. I suppose if you're shy about such things, you can walk on either side of this hacienda and walk in through the side wall openings. Inside the Hacienda walls is a courtyard and a garden with a nice fountain. The U shaped house includes several bedrooms, a kitchen, an outdoor pizza oven, and a chapel.. Rooms are nicely recreated with supporting information and interesting furniture pieces. Geeked out by San Diego history? Well San Diego has two California Missions, a Presidio, and multiple Adobes. My favorites are the Mission San Luis Rey in Oceanside and the Rancho Guajome Adobe, also in Oceanside.

    Stefany V.

    I'm generally interested in historical landmarks but what caught my eye about this place was the reviews saying the place is haunted. I couldn't get my friends on board with going to a "haunted house" so I forgot about it until we stumbled upon it while exploring the Old Town area. We went in (and I kept mum), and there's nothing posted anywhere I saw that corroborated the haunting claims mentioned in other reviews. We wandered around viewing the open rooms and their furniture, wandered the courtyard and saw the architecture, but saw no one who appeared to be affiliated with the property. No one was at the tour guide booth. Maybe if you already know about the history of this property or have read the book, you'll get more out of it.

    Jessica G.

    Very lovely area. So peaceful with many unique artifacts from past times. So much history to look at. Really does take you back in time.

    Tami D.

    My son and I really love history so this was a fun stop on our tour of Old Town San Diego. The house was built by the Estudillos, originally by Capitan Jose Maria Estudillo (in 1927) and then later completed by his son, Jose Antonio Estudillo, in the early 1930's. La Casa de Estudillo was an important cultural and political center during this period. Jose Antonio and his wife, Maria Victoria Dominguez, also raised their 12 children (and a few adopted children) here. This home's garden is famous for being the spot of Ramona's wedding, in Helen Hunt Jackson's 1884 novel, Ramona. Although the story is interesting, our tour guide mentioned it's lack of accuracy during our last visit here. When the Estudillos abandoned the home (it was left to a caretaker), John D. Spreckles bought the house. He hired Hazel Waterman to remodel the dilapidated building, and in 1910 the reconstruction was complete. During the 1970's (after the house was acquired by the California State Park System, 1968), the house was furnished with pieces common during the period that the Estudillos would have lived here. It's fun touring the home's 13 rooms. The decor adds to La Casa's spookiness (and rumors that the house is haunted). The rooms include bedrooms for family and guests, a kitchen, dining room, and a chapel. The nicest part of the property is the beautiful garden. The courtyard also had a wonderful fountain and a wishing well. I can imagine that the family spent a lot of time here. On our last visit to the house, a musician was playing some lovely music from his spot on the brick patio. This beautiful adobe home is currently getting some small updates and is a really loved part of Old Town. For a step back in time, La Casa de Estudillo is definitely worth a visit!

    Mike F.

    If any place is haunted, it is this place! It's obvious they are still working on the renovations, but it feels like a time warp that takes you way back to another time. We just got an eerie feeling as we were walking thru here checking things out. We really lucked out because we went around 10am on a Thursday morning, so we were literally the only ones there at the time checking it out, which probably added to the creepiness factor. lol Still, its very cool and definately worth checking out! I'm looking forward to checking it out again one day when all the work being done is completed. 4 stars

    Adnan K.

    The Casa de Estudillo, also known as the Estudillo House, is a historic adobe house in San Diego, California, United States. It was constructed in 1827 by José María Estudillo and his son José Antonio Estudillo, early settlers of San Diego, and was considered one of the finest houses in Mexican California. It is located in Old Town San Diego State Historic Park and is designated as both a National and a California Historical Landmark in its own right. The Casa de Estudillo is one of three National Historic Landmarks in Southern California that were closely tied to Ramona, a novel of Californio life shortly after the American acquisition of California; the other two are Rancho Camulos and Rancho Guajome. The large building is a U-shaped structure, measuring 113 feet (34.4 m) on the front side, and 98 feet (29.9 m) on each of the wings. It is constructed in the Spanish Colonial style, meaning that the house's 13 rooms are set consecutively in the building and connected only by an external covered corredor (as opposed to an interior hallway). The main portion (the center) contains the entrance, facing west. To its left is the chapel and to its right is the schoolroom. Both rooms originally were smaller, with bedrooms located at the ends of the building, but a 1910 restoration eliminated those walls to enlarge the rooms. Two bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen (which was added at a later date), and the servants' dining room are in the north wing, while the south wing has three bedrooms and the family dining room. The house is topped by a cupola from which bullfights and festivals in the adjacent plaza could be seen. The museum gives a good perspective on how a farmstead was setup and lets you walk through the house and see room by room how living was. Nice placards explain the rooms and times.

    Shy A.

    This is my absolute favorite spot in Old Town SD Park. I love that the minute you walk into the courtyard, you are seemingly transported back almost 200 years. I'm a sucker for history, antiques, architecture and nostalgia and this place gives me all of that. While exploring Old Town, the BFF and I came across La Casa de Estudillo almost by sheer accident and I'm so glad that one of our many tangents led us to another great memory. This place was once a social and political center of SD during CA's Mexican period giving birth to early America. The house itself retains the adobe bricks originally used, exposed wooden planks and rafters and clay tiles. Its open and inviting. The home has been restored almost from ruins in the early 1900's and they did a fantastic job retaining the glory and charm of the structure. The furnishings are not all from the same period as the guide said it was pretty unclear how the Estudiilos originally furnished their home. I often find myself back here anytime I want some peace and quiet and I just wander through the rooms. I suggest if you want to to this, go during the middle of the week around 11am. It can be hit or miss because Old Town is such a huge destination for tourists but to really take in the beauty of this spot you have to experience it without the large groups. BFF/SD

    H. A.

    Awesome place - free of charge and free to roam. My daughter got a little creeped out walking in some of the spaces, but overall, there isn't much of spookiness factor. Cool to see how rich folks lived in the past, and to marvel at how eclectic the architects must have been to decide on building a U-shaped home. Still, there are areas that are stunning that made the kid in me wish I grew up there. It's not going to blow your socks off, but it's a fascinating and enjoyable attraction.

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    This is where Ramona got married, but you cannot buy the floor tiles anymore.

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    Review Highlights - La Casa de Estudillo

    This home's garden is famous for being the spot of Ramona's wedding, in Helen Hunt Jackson's 1884 novel, Ramona.

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    Gaslamp Quarter Association

    Gaslamp Quarter Association

    4.1
    (236 reviews)
    3.7 mi

    We attended our FOURTH Taste of the Gaslamp, this is 2025!!! We have been coming since 2022!!!…read more It's a FUN San Diego Event. We started at Goodnight John Boy, which is a 1970's Nightclub!!! It was also STOP 1, serving PIZZA. We stopped at in on 16 RESTAURANTS!!! HERE IS HOW OUR DAY WENT: We proceeded over and up. We ate PIZZA again at PIZZA ON FIFTH. THEN, back down, BACK AND FORTH, and down some more. Back and Forth, AND UP!!! We had pizza and more pizza, a couple places had sliders. CHEESE BALLS at The Field!!! I ate both of our Cheese Balls, and they were large and filled with soft, creamy white cheese. When we walked into THE FIELD, the Staff approached us and took us to a table, the only empty table in the place!!! After that, they even exchanged the stool that was there with a backed chair. GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE!!! YUMMY, yummy Truffles at Sugarbear!!! We then ran into the MEXICAN REGION, with Rockin Baja and Hasta Manana, and Baja Rick's Cantina!!! We loved HASTA MANANA, in particular. It went all out MEXICAN FOOD, we had three different things to eat, including Chips and Guacamole, a Potato Taquito, and Arroz Con Leche. HASTA Manana was the HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY!!! At ROYAL India, we tried Chicken Marsala!!! We were thrilled to see CAFE SEVILLA again serving Paella!!! We were also thrilled to see SUGAR BEAR again serving DELICIOUS DESERTS!!! I have to say this about SUGARBEAR, we were greeted warmly by the owner, who was standing outside. It was JUST LIKE LAST YEAR. WHAT A DAY!!! I mean, this is a Classic San Diego LOCATION, location, location, the Gaslamp Quarter. Then, DID I MENTION, you get to taste the food at 16 Restaurants!!! TELL ME, what is better???

    Very charming neighborhood of downtown San Diego! I stayed at the Sofia Hotel so walking and…read moreexploring the area was convenient and so easy. I loved getting to pass by all the historic buildings, most were constructed in the Victorian era. Also lots of restaurants and shops along the way to Harbor Drive

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    Gaslamp Quarter Association
    Gaslamp Quarter Association
    Chocolate Cremerie Desserts at Taste of the Gaslamp 2023.

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    Chocolate Cremerie Desserts at Taste of the Gaslamp 2023.
    The Homecoming Statue

    The Homecoming Statue

    4.4
    (11 reviews)
    3.2 mi

    Pretty iconic statue along the boardwalk before you get to Seaport Village. There's not really a…read morequeue to take your picture in front of it, so hop in while you can. When I visited, there was yellow tape in front of the statue roping it off. Not clear on why.

    this statue seems to be mistaken for the Unconditional Surrender statue a lot by reviewers…read more Unconditional Surrender is tall and in color, while the Homecoming statue is life sized and bronze. They could not be more different. You will find this statue on a grass patch along the street. Parking here to get a closer look is relatively simple. There is a huge metered lot within a reasonable walking distance of this statue. It is a simple statue that depicts a sailor being embraced by a woman, that I assume to be his wife and a small child that I assume to be shared by his wife. The sculpture is the work of Stanley Bleifeld, whose intent was to express the joy of the reunion between a family when a sailor returns from a long deployment. The statue not only honors the service member, but the sacrifices made by families during challenging periods without their loved ones. The San Diego sculpture is a replica of the original one in the US Navy Memorial in Washington, DC. You will find other copies in Virginia and South Carolina. The statue is about 7 feet high and was dedicated in August 1998. It is showing its age a bit, but still looks pretty good. It is a powerful sculpture and you can really feel the reunion. Be sure to check out the expressions on the sculptures' faces, especially the kid's. Anyway, as with most sculptures that I have visited and reviewed, this is not a long stop. I was there less than 5 minutes. So, you may want to consider making this stop part of a larger itinerary to maximize your time and trip. There are a ton of statues and memorials in that area including the USS San Diego Memorial, The Bob Hope Salute, The Aircraft Carrier Memorial and the Unconditional Surrender statue. I would also consider visiting the USS Midway Museum, as well.

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    The Homecoming Statue
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    Horton Plaza Park

    Horton Plaza Park

    2.9
    (52 reviews)
    3.5 mi

    For the nany groups that gatgerwd at the park you would find the shore patrol that patroled the…read morestreets for the times were early with the servicemen that would have time in the city on shore leave. For the Horton Plaza pigeon park fid have its bad sidez wgen the mall storez started changing it caused the park to be cleaned up. The Pigeon Park gad a tunnel that ran under the park that connected to the old Grey Hound Station that is locat at 1st and Broadway. The Banking Building tgat is located at the front it was one of the many that handeled the many stores for the Wells Fargo handled the businesses of Horton Plaza as the shopping center was changing. When planet hollywood was at the mall the rsstaurant was the support for the ma with the vest food and surprising dishes. Horton Plaza Park was the front row seats to the many premeres of the msll the park was one you saw the many speakers the park was the center of the visitors and the news conferences that would be broadcasted from the park. The founder and the one that developed the many properties i the fathers of the Gaslamp anx the Spreckles theater Alonzo Horton the founder of the gaslamp and the many of thr New City the firzt bame for the city of San Diego. Horton Plaza Park the centwr of the historical landmarks for the Horton Pkaza Park was an empty field before the mall was built the Spreckles Theater one of the first musical and the first Black and White theater. With the US Grant Hotel tht oldest of San Diego it was the business hotel the hietorical loxation that oversaw the openinfband the dedication of the park. As a Yelp Elite Reviewer the historical locationd of the Broadway the main street that runs down the middle of the city. From the trip that I toom down to San Diego the park been changed with i dustrial blowers and generators for the theater was started but was never finished. The company that was doing the demo and the remodel the problem there is no money the demo and remodel had ruined the Historical Landnark seeing this the city has ruined the Histotical welcome to visitors.

    I work a block away from this parking lot and the late night parking attendant tonight was much…read moremore rude than usual. He told us to basically go to a different parking garage since they were experiencing issues tonight and only have one lane open versus 3 lanes. After I thanked him for dealing with everything he didn't say anything except "next time park it on market" it's always the guy with the hat late night that is so quiet and rude to all myself and all my coworkers. There has been one lovely late night lady and she's the best!!! 5 stars for her. Bring her around more often. Not this mean guy that hates literally everyone.

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    With the many parts of the Horton Plaza Park there is under construction of the outdoor theater and the Ampitheater.
    With the many parts of the Horton Plaza Park there is under construction of the outdoor theater and the Ampitheater.
    With the Horton Park the one hotel that has the ties to the park is the US Grant hotel which donated money to the building of the park.
    With the Horton Park the one hotel that has the ties to the park is the US Grant hotel which donated money to the building of the park.
    The many areas of the Horton Plaza Park and the site of the Horton House which you can see the site as the right.

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    The many areas of the Horton Plaza Park and the site of the Horton House which you can see the site as the right.

    La Casa de Estudillo - landmarks - Updated June 2026

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