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Old Town San Diego State Historic Park

Part of Downtown, Balboa Park & Central, our guide to downtown San Diego, Balboa Park and the central neighborhoods.

Old Town San Diego State Historic Park preserves the early Spanish and Mexican town. It has five original adobe buildings, museum exhibits including the First San Diego Courthouse, an outdoor Kumeyaay exhibit and a working blacksmith shop. The visitor center and select museums are open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.Checked October 22, 2026.

5original adobe buildings
10–5visitor center and select museums
4 hrsfree parking
1769first Spanish settlement
A wooden wagon with barrels and cactus in Old Town San Diego State Historic Park
A wagon in Old Town San Diego State Historic Park. Dietmar Rabich, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
Address4002 Wallace St, San Diego, CA 92110. Phone (619) 220-5422.
HoursVisitor Center and select museums 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Museums closed Thanksgiving and Christmas.
ParkingFree lots, up to 4 hours.
PetsDogs are allowed only in outdoor areas.

History

California State Parks says the park sits on the ancestral land of the Kumeyaay people and that San Diego became California’s first Spanish settlement when a mission and fort were established in 1769. The area later passed to Mexico and then to California after the Mexican-American War.

Day of The Dead

The park lists Altar Tours on October 23 and a Dia de los Muertos celebration October 31 to November 2, 2026. See the events page.

Old Town San Diego State Historic Park Open the map. © OpenStreetMap contributors.

What We Could Not Verify

  • The page does not say whether park admission is free or how much it costs.
  • Which individual museums open on which days was not confirmed.
  • The Old Town San Diego Historic District is on the National Register (1971) per the National Park Service; the exact boundary compared with the state park was not confirmed.

More in Downtown, Balboa Park & Central

FAQ

Is parking free?

The park says its lots are free for up to four hours.

Sources

  1. Old Town San Diego State Historic Park

Checked October 22, 2026 by It’s San Diego. Cite this page: It’s San Diego (itssandiego.com), checked October 22, 2026. Free to quote with a link to this page; tables are licensed CC BY 4.0.