SeeCalifornia.com

Unique among California’s gracious missions is Mission San Luis Obispo, part of the city-center of Central Coast’s San Luis Obispo. In recent weeks thousands of locals and visitors have poured through the Mission plaza, a popular gathering spot where Santa meets kids and listens to their holiday wishes, or shoppers find it easy to re-connect at the fountain after dining and shopping sprees downtown.

The Mission is open to the public and contains interesting art, beautiful mission bells, flowers, fountains, arbors with grapevines, and a special sanctuary. There’s a strong feeling of history inside the mission buildings, even though renovations have not necessarily remained true to the original Spanish design. Mission San Luis Obispo was established by Spaniard Father Junipero Serra in 1772. You can see a statue of Serra on the mission lawns, and experience community events throughout the year taking place in the Mission Plaza. This is our favorite mission to visit and stick around on hot summer days as the shaded eucalyptus trees and soothing sounds of the babbling brook below the mission offer respite from the busy downtown traffic visible all year-long.