For my staycation in San Luis Obispo California, I am trying to re-experience some of my favorite destinations and discover new ones. On Saturday, I was treated to a tour by a docent who speaks French and is in my French Meet Up group. We met in the Youth Center behind the Mission, and were regaled with an informative talk in French on the history of this mission, the fifth in the series of missions up and down the state of California, or Alta California as it was then called. Our tour took us outside to the front garden of the mission, and we learned that the SLO mission is the only one to still ring its bells everyday. The Coat of Arms above the entry door shows the unity between the Franciscan brothers and the indigenous Chumash who lived in the area. The painted walls and archway inside the mission are fully restored, and the statuary and paintings along the walls create a peaceful atmosphere. It is an active parish, and is often visited by its parishioners. The parish cat, a descendant of the original cats kept to ward of pests, made an appearance too! We also walked out to the back garden, where the original mission bells are on display, along with a recreation of a Chumash style oven. The fig tree and grape vines are reminders of the original crops grown in and around the mission. The tour was a revelation of the history and meaning of a place I know well, and added depth to my understanding of my town! I am looking forward to more adventures on my summer Staycation! read more

Old Mission Parish - Cross in the plaza - Churches Near Me - San Luis Obispo, California

Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa is a beautiful and peaceful historical site tucked right into the heart of downtown SLO. It's the fifth of the 21 California missions, and the grounds and church are pretty well-preserved and full of history. Inside, there's a small museum, and the church itself is still active. Here's your fun fact (like all of my other reviews): this is the only mission named for a bishop, Saint Louis of Toulouse. That said, parking is a pain. It's downtown, so street parking is limited, and public lots fill up fast, especially on weekends, since the plaza outside is a popular local gathering spot during events and market days. Also, the area directly around the mission, particularly near the creek, is not the cleanest. There was quite a bit of trash, and it has unfortunately become a hangout spot for the local homeless population. It didn't feel unsafe, but it did take away from the peaceful atmosphere you'd expect at a place like this. Definitely check out the garden courtyard, it's the highlight. It's full of native plants, flowers, and shaded benches. A great place to both start and end your mission tour. Still, the mission itself is worth seeing if you're into California history or working your way through all 21 missions. read more

Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa was founded by Junípero Serra in 1772. It is located in downtown San Luis Obispo and offers public tours of the church and grounds. There's limited parking at the church but there is street parking and parking structures within walking distance. They have daily mass that is also livestreamed and have self-guided tours and a gift shop. I liked walking around the exterior and checking out the grounds. read more

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Beautiful mission in the heart of town with lots of shops and restaurants nearby. The mission is small but they have it in perfect state. It's a nice place to take an afternoon stroll with family. Free parking and free guided tours. Staffs and volunteers are helpful and informative. It's interesting to see all the vintage tools, machineries, and furnitures from the 18th century. Also, there's many artifacts from the Chumash Indians when they inhabited the area. A visit to the SLO mission is a journey through architectural beauty, historical relevance, and nature's grace. read more

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Even though the Mission is right in the middle of downtown it was very quiet and peaceful. read more

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Located in Central California, Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa is named after Saint Louis, Bishop of Toulouse, and was the fifth Mission in the chain. It's founding date is September 1st, 1772 by Father Junipero Serra. The date 1772 can be seen on the facade of the chapel. The mission was founded three years after the fathers first discovered La Cañada de Los Osos - the Valley of the Bears - during a failed trip from San Diego in search of Monterey. The front doors were created large enough to accommodate horses to keep them from being stolen. The mission was also often plagued by rats and mice- so cats were imported to control them- as is made evident by the specially designed "Kitty door". As supplies dwindled in 1772 at the already established four missions of California, residents were plagued by shortages of food. Remembering the Valley of the Bears, a hunting expedition was sent in the summer of 1772 to bring back meat. The local Indians were thankful to the soldiers for killing the bears, a feared enemy. Some of the meat was traded with local people in exchange for edible seed, after which time Father Serra decided La Cañada de Los Osos would be an ideal place for the fifth mission. Although the city of San Luis Obispo has not remained a rugged bear country, a statue of a grizzly bear sits as reminder in the mission plaza. In 1776, four years after its founding, an Indian fired a flaming arrow onto the roof of one of the mission buildings, starting a disastrous fire that severely damaged several buildings. After this incident, the fathers began work on making roof tiles locally, to reduce susceptibility to another flaming disaster. As the city modernized, so did the mission. What was once the fathers' soup kitchen is now this youth center. Mission San Luis Obispo is one of the only missions that never had to relocate; it still stands on its original site. The mission's walls, which are 50 to 60 feet high, were built according to Vatican law. This law stated that churches were to be built as tall as the local tree - in this case, the pine. The church, with a long secondary nave forms an L-shaped church, the only one of its kind amongst the California missions. Father Luis Antonio Martinez, who managed the mission for 34 years, grew a large mission vineyard. He sold some of this wine to the other missions when they couldn't grow their own, and also exported it as far as England and Russia. No fee for entering, however a recommended $5 donation is suggested. They do provide a nice booklet to self tour. Please be generous, it takes a lot to maintain the mission and they receive no state funds. Also support their gift shop. I purchased a small book of the history. read more

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Limited on-site free parking. Many parking garages with fees in the area. The Mission offers guided tours or self guided. Gorgeous church and grounds. Free admission to mission and no charge for tour. read more

Old Mission Parish - Churches Near Me - San Luis Obispo, California

The priest at this church really made my day so awful. I have a service pet who is well behaved and I need her to be with me due to medical alerts. After Mass, he tells me out the door to not bring her again! I was so hurt by his unwelcoming words to our family visiting. I understand he has the discretion to allow a pet to assist a community member. She did not cause any disruption yet he made it clear not to bring her ever again. I pray that God touch his heart and not be so cruel to us worshipers and not deny service trained pets to assist the disabled. I know God would not approve of that. read more

This Mission is located in the Downtown San Luis Obispo. There is construction going on in some areas. They also have Mass for those who are interested. There is also a very nice garden to walk in...very walkable path while enjoying the views. read more

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Mission San Luis Obispo was the 5th mission founded by Father Junipero Serra in 1772. It was my first time visiting last month with my roommate on our road trip last month. There was no mass going on when we went and the gift shop was also closed, however the church was open to the public. It was cool looking at the historical artwork inside the church. It would be awesome to attend mass here one day. read more

Old Mission Parish - Churches Near Me - San Luis Obispo, California

Beautiful mission situated downtown. While the modern amenities nearby continue to encroach the grounds, glad to see how SLO is keeping the mission grounds as traditional as possible. Easy to find and nice open space to walk around in. Manicured lawns and garden set against the build up local town is a nice break. There is plenty to learn about and see. The mission staff and volunteers are helpful and informative. A nice place to visit and learn about California history. read more

Old Mission Parish - Churches Near Me - San Luis Obispo, California

My wife and I took the train from Carpinteria up to San Luis Obispo. It was a beautiful train ride up the coast and I did not realize how much of a college town SLO was. I researched it and SLO has Cal Poly in town. There are a lot of college kids here. My wife and I took a picture of the mission, but I thought it was pretty underwhelming. We walked in and there was a nice museum off to the side with some artifacts, but I would have liked a lot more. The facade is very pretty and bubblegum alley is very nearby. I don't think we need to go back to SLO, but it was a fun trip. read more

*Visit was made before lockdown was but in place, there was already a post on the Church doors suspending holding hands during prayers to avoid the spread of the virus* This Mission took us a little while to get to since we had to find parking a little on the side and of course we had to spend some $$ in the meter. After that it wasn't much of a walk to the Mission. So this is #7 for us now. Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa was also founded by Father Junipero Serra. This also has an active Mass going on to this day but check the schedule to see if they are currently open. Like most of the Missions the museum is right next to the gift shop so that is where we entered from, the only difference here is instead of charging for admission they depend on donations. This Mission contained several artifacts in the museum which I really enjoyed looking at. After going through these rooms I took off to the garden, it was very big. It had different paths/walkways to show you the stone stove, a bell, benches where you can just sit and look at the garden. Went back inside to look at the Church and right at the entrance they have the big thing for the Holy Water, I just sat there for a minute before leaving. It's a very nice Mission. FYI it poured once we left lol. #5 of 21 read more

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This is a very small church/mission located in the heart of downtown SLO. Bubblegum Alley is just a disgusting chewed-up piece of old bubble gum steps away. There is a small courtyard behind the church and a small parking lot but there's plenty of free street parking around, if necessary. The church has two wings to it leading to the altar. I don't think I've ever seen a configuration like it before. We visited in late December during normal daylight hours and the museum and gift shop were closed for repairs or remodeling. Unfortunately, there was nothing on the website about this which was kind of a bummer because we would have purchased a little momento from our visit and would have liked to have seen the museum. Chalk it up to God's will. I imagine both the gift shop and museum are very small here but we still would have given them a whirl. It's a pretty church but the entire property is very small so you probably won't spend too much time here if you visit. read more

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Conveniently located in downtown San Luis Obispo this working church is worth your time, so check it out. We were lucky enough to arrive at the Mission just when they started a free docent lead tour. The tour was about an hour long and we learned the history of the Mission including the artwork and day-in-the-life of their patron. The church has an odd layout with two halls of pews that form an L shape. The main pulpit faces both halls. The church walls are beautifully painted with art and there are many hanging paintings ( in dire need of refurbishment). The wooden ceiling is filled with hand painted stars. The Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa is smaller than some of the others in the state, but it's also a real working church as well. If you're looking for a Mission for a fourth grade project, this might work. The Mission San Juan Capistrano is real nice one for the school project. - Parking around the Mission is 1.50 an hour ( no credit cards) - Check out bubblegum alley a block away - Avoid the History Center of San Luis Obispo ( across the street) read more

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One of the smaller missions, Mission San Luis Obispo still retains its culture and Californian history. The gardens and grounds are exceptionally well-kept, complete w flowering roses and real grapevine arches (seriously, the clusters of green grapes draping above and around you are stunning, & likely unseen anywhere else besides a winery:) We walked the brief self-guided tour (optional but rec. $5 donation) & enjoyed highlights like the bronze casted bells & the original antiques i.e. barbecue/stone oven over two hundred years old. An excellent jaunt back in time and respite from sun in the shaded paths & historic spaces! read more

Old Mission Parish - Mission grounds garden - Churches Near Me - San Luis Obispo, California

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I've gone to a mass here and have also visited just to meditate and pray as other tourists quietly roam around. I have also gone through the museum and explored the grounds. A nice little gift shop is located here too. It's a small but interesting museum if you are into California mission history. Very old & beautiful church interior and grounds. Cool old enormous bells which were used in the past are on display in the small courtyard area behind the building. This historic mission is located right in the middle of downtown and if you find yourself shopping or eating at a nearby restaurant you're sure to hear the bells ring at noon. read more

Old Mission Parish - Churches Near Me - San Luis Obispo, California

Errrrr um... this place needs more cowbell. (No disrespect, Jesus. But you know the other missions bring their A-game. Maybe you can help out this one in the off-season. Amen.) read more

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Mission #4 on our quickie mission tour of July 2014. Our goal? How many California missions can we see, not to mention hit their gift shops, on our 3-day Central California coastal trip? Naturally, this was crammed in between stuffing our faces at 4+ star Yelp restaurants, wine tasting, and dipping our toes in the Pacific Ocean. The real intent for us coming here was to marvel at the lifestyle of the missionaries and the native Indians at the turn of the 19th Century. Glossed over in many cases, it is not a pretty story actually. The tragedy of the indigenous people being forcefully converted to Christianity, families separated, being treated shamefully like slaves, is something that is referred to in their museums, but not really emphasized. I cannot fathom the sadness that is attached to these now gorgeous missions today. Mission San Luis Obispo is a lovely, smaller, and very well maintained mission with an active church. It is critically located in the center of quaint old SLO, surrounded with lush city parks, lots of boutique businesses, gourmet restaurants, and other equally interesting sounding museums. It is well worth the trip. The mission has no entry fee, but accepts donations, and has its own small museum featuring a lot of fascinating artifacts. It is a pleasure to be able to visit the church and amble through the beautiful green gardens with a lovely grape arbor, fruit trees, and lots of flowering plants. Even the gift shop is one of the better ones, with some of the more classy collectibles to purchase. Definitely put this one on your Must See Mission List! read more

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One of the nicer mission churches. Our timing was perfect for the outdoor vigil mass at 5:30pm. Very welcoming gentleman took our temperatures and sanitized our hands as we walked into the courtyard. Social distance seating and communion was brought to us. No singing, only the cantor. Well thought out homily. Two Handicapped parking lots at the church. Street parking for others. read more

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I came on a Sunday morning to find out that they hold multiple sessions of mass throughout the morning and 2 Spanish masses in the evening. Every nook and cranny of this place is kept really well. Some of the old school items I enjoyed seeing included the actual wooden front doors and the bells. The courtyard landscape is beautiful, all the grape vines neatly lined, a wishing well to make dreams come true with proceeds going to charity, and various fruit trees looking pristine. The bells sounded beautiful, yet loud. The mission's location is conveniently located downtown, so my visit was complete: learned, ate, and shopped! What a great way to spend part of my Sunday! read more

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Located in the middle of downtown, we had to travel several blocks away to secure parking on a Sunday morning. Our arrival at this historic mission coincided with the conclusion of service so we initially walked around the courtyard until the congregation exited. The chapel is quite impressive with wings including one occupied by the large choir. We were quite impressed by the mission's architecture including the courtyard, less so with the museum and gift shop though other visitors will likely disagree. read more

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The location of this mission is great. The mission grounds itself are begging to be explored as well as the mission itself. And when you're done, you can go shopping or to a restaurant since it's situated in the downtown are of SLO. I've had the pleasure of listening to the organ and it resonates so melodically throughout the church. I would attend mass here only to listen to the organ again. read more

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I personally would not feel comfortable giving someone's place of worship a bad Yelp review but that is certainly within a person's right to self-expression. Here are some of the more illuminating one-star reviews of the SLO Mission: "I am giving this 1 star only because of the amount of transients who hang around in front of the mission ... The little restroom building out in front of the mission is old and smelly and needs a heavy dose of tlc! ... Everything else looks great and the building is beautiful, but this heavy tourist attraction could use a little help from the police." "But the reason for 1 star? The most unfriendly girl in the Gift Shop ... This girl who was working on the afternoon of Thursday, May 16th was so rude because she completely ignored us...and we were the only ones there." "This has been one of my least favorite missions. It is in the middle of downtown slo, a convenient location, but it is clear that the church has completely taken over the mission." "I was playing Pokemon Go and a wild Bulbasaur appeared in the sanctuary. The priest had the nerve to tell me to silence my phone." "Sacramental wine had poor mouthfeel. Literally zero gluten free wafer options." read more

Old Mission Parish - Mass Schedule Saturday: 7:00, 5:30 pm Sunday: English 7:00 am, 9:00 am, 11:00 am, 6:00 pm Spanish 12:30 pm 7:30 pm Weekdays: 7am, 12:10pm - Churches Near Me - San Luis Obispo, California

Another mission church checked off in my bucket list. The SLO Mission Church is well maintained and a nice place to top off our 3 day road trip during 2019 president's week. Funny story, we came here thrice but twice we have ended up not getting inside because we would always get held up by distractions and time constraints. One our first visit we parked by the back where we saw the garden but the church and museum was already closed... I think it was past 4PM ( FYI, yelp said 5PM is the closing timeso I thought we made it. But I was told wrong so we just took pics at the garden. On our second attempt we tried checking it out for a quick stop on the front of the church but somehow our itinerary wouldn't allow us to go in as we still had to travel to Santa Barbara and came back to SLO pretty late. Sunday, we came in finally for the self guided tour, attended church and ate donuts and juice with the parishioners after mass. Now why just 4 stars. The church was stuffy for my allergies throughout the mass as they closed the door behind us. I started coughing to my shame along with my family. Probably next time I'll try to go to a different seat where there is an airway. So that is it, I do recommend it for you to visit. read more

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Pretty mission with nice grounds, an interesting museum, and a nice little giftshop. Worth a gander if you are in SLO and easy parking at the garage off Morro, first 60 mins are free! read more

Old Mission Parish - In all its majesty - Churches Near Me - San Luis Obispo, California

The mission is one of the prettiest historical missions on Central Coast. The grounds are beautiful. The church is gorgeous. It's a nice place to stop if you are in San Luis Obispo. You won't be disappointed. read more

Came to see the mission, closed! Can not enter anywhere. Homeless people all over the grounds. No where online did it say that it was closed. read more

Old Mission Parish - Closed gift shop - Churches Near Me - San Luis Obispo, California

Old mission is in the central part of SLO . It is still operated as church . It's next to creek and a nice place to take evening stroll with wine glass in hand . Beautiful small art galleries offering complimentary wine strawberries and chocolates can be found as well. Good place to take pictures and get a feel of old small American town . read more

Came here last weekend before my trip started, since I'd like to see all the missions. Went in and the place is pretty well maintained. The area is clean and when you go inside, you can feel the "holiness" of the place. read more

Old Mission Parish - Churches Near Me - San Luis Obispo, California

I'm not sure why there are separate Yelp entires for Mission SLO and its church, they're kind of the same thing. Here's my review for the mission - use your imagination and apply it to the church that is part of the mission... I've been to lots of California missions and the SLO mission is in the top third of the better ones. Mission SLO is beautifully situated in downtown San Luis Obispo, it's well maintainted and is very accessible. The museum is full of interesting artifacts and the gift shop contains a nice selection of trinkets, postcards, books and religious items - not your typical tourist attraction gift shop junk. The attached church is beautiful and open to visitors (check the mass schedule if you are interested in attending, fyi.) I love California missions - such a rich part of our great state's history. An easy 5 stars! read more

Not a MUST SEE, but a must-see if you're in or passing San Luis Obispo. Less than half a mile from the 101, please stop to see the Mission AND Bubblegum Alley. One of these are covered in Hubba Bubba, but I won't give it away. This mission is one of the better museums, gift shops, and pretty gardens, with a fountain and bells. My favorite was the real-life bench from the old church. It must have stank though because my wife said it was a P.U. read more

The Old Mission San Luis Obispo is a central landmark in downtown SLO and is still owned and operated as a church. The large building is just west of downtown along the river. You will need to park remotely and walk over as the small parking lot is for official business only. The mission looks fantastic from the outside with a classic look. It is surrounded by a plaza and small park probably operated by the city rather than the church. Inside, you can tour a small museum that houses a large assortment of native and church art with general descriptions of some of the historical parts of SLO. Most of the mission is still an operational church, so you have less freedom to roam like state parks. The museum portion is worth a look, but probably does not get updated very often. Nevertheless, it is a beautiful part of downtown SLO and a landmark for the region. read more

Old Mission Parish - Mission Exterior - Churches Near Me - San Luis Obispo, California

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This mission is great to take a stroll through. The area is always clean. It's right next to the creek which has tons of water from the recent rain so it's very peaceful. A great place to walk your dog with lots of green grass, which is finally all unfenced and ready for sitting. There are many events held at the mission from the awesome sidewalk art to dia de muerto. During the summer there's almost always something going on and you can visit Santa in the winter! Love the mission, check it out! read more

Old Mission Parish - Cheese cow, thing never moves, beginning to think it isn't alive... - Churches Near Me - San Luis Obispo, California

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I've been here a few times now and I've always thought it was really charming. They offer tours, there is a gift shop and you can relax on a bench in their gardens. The property is really clean and just an overall nice atmosphere to be in. read more

FREE. Went to check out the Mission SLO de Tolosa. It's in Downtown SLO so easy to get to & look around. FREE parking too. We were lucky to go on the docent tour. To me it was boring, but just too much information & I just want to look quickly & go. Sat down in the church & then I started to get sleepy. Standing I'm ok though. I liked taking pics of the outside where the dry fountain is & Father Serra outside main entrance. Garden entrance is just ok. Don't pick the grapes & I guess the figs. Not much to look at. Read some history about the Chumash Indians, etc. Small gift shop. B. bought a lucky 3-legged pig $6, but then lost his clip-on sunglasses. So much for that. Two bathrooms in the building by the parking lot. read more

A very clean and well kept facility located in the center of town. It is small compared to the other missions in California and you can get in and out in about 20 minutes. The chapel and bell tower are still active for services. We got to catch the end of a quinceañera. It's free to visit but they do ask for a donation which is only $3, so it's not much to ask for. The museum is small and very limited in information and artifacts. Overall, definitely worth a quick visit. read more

After visiting Bubblegum ally, we thought to check out the mission. What can I say, its an old, beautiful church! You can look all around and look inside as well. There is also a self guided tour in the gift shop. When you enter the gift shop, there are many things you can buy that is religious, but wish you could also buy something that represents you were there too. This a great piece of history to show the kiddos and the whole family. Take the time to look around and take in the majestic age of this building. read more

Old Mission Parish - Sign outside - Churches Near Me - San Luis Obispo, California

Mission #5 on my California missions mission. San Luis Obispo de Tolosa is unlike any of the other missions I've previously visited; it is situated smack in the center of a bustling business district in downtown San Luis Obispo and the historic sanctuary/church is still an active part of the community. (Ventura is located near the businesses, but is slightly more removed) However, the museum was poorly organized. It provided no cohesive narrative. It was basically a lot of rooms with donated items and artifacts randomly assembled. While they were all really cool to see, they just didn't make any sense. What's this weird girl's doll doing next to a room full of Chumash pottery? The gardens weren't as impressive as those in Ventura or San Gabriel, either. The arbor with it's massive grape vines was definitely a beautiful component (as were the walnut and fig trees) and provided a nice shaded area for our renegade picnic -- we wheeled our Igloo cooler through the courtyard and made salami and asiago sandwiches after mass let out. If given more time, I might have enjoyed the surrounding neighborhood some, but the mission itself can be seen in a relatively short amount of time. read more

Old Mission Parish - Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa - Churches Near Me - San Luis Obispo, California

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Beautiful mission. I always make a stop when I'm in the area. Parking is easy, and it's free. The mission reminds me of Mission San Jose but the church here is much bigger and more beautiful. The upkeep is very well. Some of the dolls in the museum are pretty creepy. They have a caricature of a bride in a black dress. Supposedly, this was a Spanish for women who remarried. Wonder if it's still practiced today... read more