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    Rancho Buena Vista Adobe

    4.6 (16 reviews)

    Rancho Buena Vista Adobe Photos

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    I have a love hate relationship with this venue as a wedding planner and Coordinator, this venue is incredibly hard to work if you don't have the right team. The grounds are absolutely beautiful and the onsite staff is amazing. Franky is my favorite person I have ever worked with. He is incredibly sweet and so funny! If you have any questions about the venue see him first. He knows the grounds best. I have worked this venue numerous times and I can't stress enough how important it is to have a Coordinator on site. There are so many things to know about working here such as set up and the preferred vendors way of working. I highly recommend it but know that it is a complete Diy venue! Hire the help! You can find me at @knotsandbelles

    Vaulted wood beam verandas and archways on 3 sides of the Adobe
    Anne M.

    We chose the Adobe for our July 2013 wedding. I highly recommend checking it out if you're not into beach or hotel weddings. It's perfect for hispanic style, barbeques, casual, eco or rustic weddings. If you like things really formal this is not the place for you. The look and atmosphere of the venue, and the fact that it is private, were overwhelmingly the most important factors for us, and the Rancho definitely delivered. Our wedding turned out beautifully. I'll list out the pros and cons! PROS: 1) Beautiful outdoor venue full of history, charm, and character at every turn. 2) Said charm makes for many beautiful photo spots and most of the time you don't have to worry about ugly 'exit' signs etc in your photos. 3) Although we didn't utilize these items, they do provide some basic chairs and tables which can save you money on rentals 4) It's private, so you will be the ONLY thing happening at the time and date that you book for... no walking around a hotel seeing 3 other brides and someone else's wedding next door, or tourists gawking at you while you try to take pictures 5) There are a lot of cool 'spots' here to choose from - brick driveway, interior main courtyard, wishing well courtyard, another side concrete patio area, etc. 6) It's owned by the city, so you don't have to deal with an on-site wedding coordinator whose job it is to make you spend as much money as possible 7) You can use any vendors, which is an extremely rare occurrence at wedding venues nowadays. Also a bonus that you're not forced to pay a lot in a rental fee that includes stuff you don't want or need. 8) Because it's in VISTA instead of San Diego, you are not subject to the ridiculous 9 pm noise ordinance, and can enjoy a slighter longer party with music and alcohol going until 10 pm! 9) Ask for Santos when you book - she is in charge and is very friendly and helpful! The girl I originally spoke with on the phone is not competent.. she originally put us down for the wrong date! 10) Since you can use any vendors, you are allowed to bring your own alcohol which saved us about $1,500 for 60 people (there's a BevMo in Oceanside that offers free delivery of chilled beverages; buy your wine during the 5 cent wine sale!) 11) Rental price is very reasonable and they do not nickel and dime you or try to trick you (see #6) CONS: 1) Historic venue makes for pretty strict rules (for example - you can't hang anything on the trees bushes or the walls or use nails tape etc, you can't throw flower petals or bird seed) 2) They do have a small on-site kitchen that can be used *but* I believe this is only feasible with a small wedding as it is not equipped with commercial sized ovens/micros/etc., we had to have extra prep tables for our caterers 3) There are no nice hotels nearby - we picked a hotel on the beach in Carlsbad for our guests and got a shuttle 4) You have to rent EVERYTHING - we had to get a generator to make sure we had enough power, dance floor for our guests and the band, dishes/silverware, mats for the caterers, etc. If you have your wedding here make sure you book your rentals early on and/or save a large chunk of your budget for that 5) You can only serve beer and wine - no liquor, so no signature cocktail or whiskey bars allowed 6) The people in charge make questionable decisions about the landscaping. There is a large tree in the main courtyard. In between booking our wedding and doing the walk through, the tree died. Now I will give Santos credit that this happened shortly after we booked and she did call to tell us, however it wasn't a big deal because we weren't going to have our ceremony under it. Unfortunately they decided the best way to handle it would be to put up an ugly farm-like fence around the tree and fill the entire huge area with mulch. This cut out a large portion of the courtyard (maybe 25%) and forced us to move our cocktail hour to a different area. Also, it was just ugly and took away from the historic character. Also in between my doing the walk through and our ceremony, someone decided it would be a good idea to shear off the beautiful hanging vines on the courtyard wall in a straight horizontal line (they grow in arches.) We were having our ceremony against this wall and it made the vines look a little weird. This is a main photo spot. 7) No backup if it rains 8) Events are limited to 5 hrs, but you can rent for longer to do getting ready, picture time, prep, breakdown etc. We rented from 1 pm - 11 pm and the actual event was 5-10 pm. Cleanup 10-11 pm. As far as i know this is definitely not one of the most sought after venues in SD county and it was easy for us to get our day, but I think it's getting a lot more popular so book early if you can.

    Gourmet taco cart catering for a beautiful wedding by SOHO TACO at Rancho Buena Vista Adobe. More: SOHOTACO.com

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    Ask the Community - Rancho Buena Vista Adobe

    Is alcohol an option at weddings?

    Only if it's within your budget

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    Review Highlights - Rancho Buena Vista Adobe

    Santos with the City of Vista was my main contact while planning our wedding, and she was wonderful.

    Mentioned in 3 reviews

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    Queen Califia's Magical Circle Garden - Sculpture garden

    Queen Califia's Magical Circle Garden

    4.5(157 reviews)
    13.2 mi

    When I knew I'd be spending a few days in Escondido, I started looking into all that this San Diego…read moresuburb comes to offer. After checking out TripAdvisor, Queen Califia's Magical Circle Garden stood out. I'm all about art, especially when the scale is impressive like it is here. We stopped by on a Tuesday morning around 9:30 a.m. Make sure to check out their website to see when they're open because their hours are quite limited (Tuesday and Thursday from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. when I was there and every fourth Saturday from 9 a.m.-2 p.m.). It's located inside Kit Carson Park. I didn't have any trouble parking in their lot and then walking to the sculpture garden. Once you arrive, take in all the artist, Niki de Saint Phalle, created. It's weird, it's cool, and it's trippy all in one. There's some information you can read to learn more and while we were there, there were some members of the non-profit that is involved with the art installation there that told us more about it. Walk around and take it all in. You can easily do it in 10-15 minutes and it's a free attraction. Saint Phalle has other artwork in San Diego, but the Magical Circle Garden, is by far the most expansive one in terms of scope. And the most interesting in my book.

    Very creative and interesting garden to observe and explore. The maze/ garden takes about 30…read moreminutes with picture options available. We were lucky to get the opportunity to speak with the docents and sign their guest book. A unique place to visit and worth a visit. Every Tuesday & Thursday open currently 9-12p and specific Saturday's. Make sure to review their site so you plan accordingly and the best part it's FREE!

    Photos
    Queen Califia's Magical Circle Garden
    Queen Califia's Magical Circle Garden
    Queen Califia's Magical Circle Garden - Sculpture garden

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    Sculpture garden

    Mission San Luis Rey - Church built in 1811

    Mission San Luis Rey

    4.4(144 reviews)
    5.3 mi

    A fantastic slice of early California history with a beautiful church built in 1811, fascinating…read morecemetary, a 200+ year old pepper tree, coffee shop, excellent gift shop, museum, and tours of the buildings and grounds. There is even a priest who sits outside to bless you and any items you purchased in the gift shop -- a nice touch! Notwithstanding Father Junípero Serra's apparent and controversial role in the cultural and physical destruction of Indigenous peoples, the place is a great peek into the past from religious, cultural, and archtectural perpectives.

    My goal is to visit all of the missions in California. As an elementary school teacher, I find it…read moreto be fascinating to explore the locations that I teach about during the school year. It helps to personalize all that is taught in classrooms across California. Mission San Luis Rey is one of the prettiest missions that I've visited so far. The parking lot is large, and it also has an overflow to accommodate larger crowds during special events. There is a large, white church that is in the center of the parking lot. Due to its size and proximity, it immediately grabs your attention. Many people begin exploring at the church, but there's much more to see. If you walk to the far left side of the property, you'll see the actual entrance. There is small gift shop as well as a counter where you'll pay your entry fee to explore the museum. One thing that I liked about Mission San Luis Rey is that replicas of various artifacts looked pretty authentic. Also, the backstory for each item was described in detail. The mission was incredibly clean, demonstrating how much pride people take in the presentation of the property. There is a small cemetery adjacent to the church. You can walk around and pay your respects to people who had either a physical or emotional impact on the mission and the community. The grounds are well-maintained and it remains inviting to people who want to explore around. The church is large and inviting. You can purchase candles and place them near the entrance as well as the room off to the side or another room closer to the front of the church. The displays are beautiful and well-lit to draw your attention to details. People maintain a low tone in the church to allow guests to pray, have a moment to themselves, or to make a connection with a higher power. Before you leave, make sure that you stop by the small coffee shop. It's located near the bathrooms near the south side of the property. There is a little gated patio area where you can hang out with friends, family, or even your dog! Mission San Luis Rey is a great place to visit. People are very friendly and quite helpful. When we went to the mission, the weather was perfect and we had a clear view of the area. It was a great experience and I will definitely come back for another visit. I don't know which mission we will visit next, but so far, this is my favorite.

    Photos
    Mission San Luis Rey
    Mission San Luis Rey - Candlelight concert

    Candlelight concert

    Mission San Luis Rey

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    Double Peak Park

    Double Peak Park

    4.6(181 reviews)
    7.4 mi

    I visited Double Peak Park in San Marcos recently, and it turned out to be a much more lively and…read morememorable place than I expected. Even though it is an outdoor park, it has this energetic atmosphere that teenagers would enjoy a lot. I saw a surprising number of teenagers around the lookout areas, the trails, and the picnic spots, which made the whole place feel youthful and social in a way that reminded me of the playful energy I felt at Funko Hollywood. The wide open views at the top almost felt unreal when I first saw them, and I could easily understand why so many teens were taking pictures there. The scenery practically invites you to take photos without needing anything extra. As I walked around, I realized there was more to the park than I expected. Some parts of the trail felt a little worn down, and a few areas could have been more polished, which is part of why I would give it four stars instead of five. Still, I appreciated how easy it was to explore the park without feeling rushed or overwhelmed. Even with groups of teenagers laughing and taking pictures, the atmosphere stayed calm and relaxing. I only visited Double Peak Park one time before writing this review, but it left a strong impression on me because of how open, peaceful, and lively it felt all at once. It is one of the more refreshing outdoor places I have been to in a while, and I never doubted that the experience would turn out the way I hoped it would. I would highly recommend that teenagers go there because they would love the photo opportunities, the sense of freedom on the trails, and the creative feeling that comes from being somewhere with such a wide and inspiring view. It gives them a place to hang out, take pictures, and enjoy themselves without spending any money.

    What a view! I came up for the Starwalk event hosted by the city of San Marcos through the Double…read morePeak Astronomy program. There was plenty of parking but we got there early just in case. We walked up to the check-in desk, provided our info, and were given instructions, star maps, and red lenses for our phones. We then walked to Mahnita Boyden-Wofford Amphitheater (a large cement amphitheater) and found seats facing the volunteer ranger presenting the night's info. Unfortunately, it was a bit too foggy to see much. The volunteer ranger (John Walsh) answered questions and explained differences between various stars, meteors, satellites and sky debris. Occasionally, the sky would open up for us to see a few stars. We did get to see the summer triangle and a satellite though. It was a good learning experience and I hope to do more in the future on a clear night. Tip: apparently it's tarrantula season so watch your step.

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    Double Peak Park
    Double Peak Park
    Double Peak Park - Perfect spot

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    Perfect spot

    Rancho Buena Vista Adobe - landmarks - Updated June 2026

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