Old Town San Diego State Historic Park

It's almost Summer! Forget the June Gloom and spend a fun filled day at Old Town San Diego State Historic Park. Dates, times, and details for all programs can be found on the park's website. https://www.parks.ca.gov/Events/?page_id=663

🚶‍♀️Walking tours leave at 10:30 a.m., 12 p.m., 2 p.m., and 3:30 p.m. from the Robinson Rose Visitor Information Center! $10 for 13+ and $5 for youth 12 and under. Explore early San Diego with an expert park interpreter and get the inside scoop on the history of Old Town San Diego!

📖 Hidden History talks are back!! Stop by the Colorado House at 3 p.m. to enjoy a 15-minute talk from one our park interpreters. Visit the park website to see all program times under the news and events section! This month's subject: Charlie Parkhurst.

🐎The theme of June’s Junior Ranger program is "Life in the Pueblo"! Join park staff in visiting La Casa de Machado y Stewart to discover the vaquero lifestyle of early California to earn a Jr ranger badge. Sign up for free in the Robinson Rose Visitor Information Center. Program runs from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. most Saturdays.

🐦 The theme of June’s Little Ranger program is "Birds!" enjoy a storytime, sing fun songs, and make hands-on art to take home! Earn your Little Ranger stickers at the Mason Street Schoolhouse most Saturdays at 10:30 a.m.!

🌳 California State Parks Week is happening June 10th - 14th. Save the date and join Old Town San Diego SHP on Saturday, June 13th in playing 19th century games in the plaza. Nourish your wellbeing by playing collaborative and competitive lawn games from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. First place and participant ribbons awarded to those who join in on the fun!

Join us in celebrating America 250 and California 175 at Old Town San Diego SHP for an Old-Fashioned Fourth of July! Kick off starts on Saturday, July 4th @ 11:00 A.M. with our annual flag raising ceremony.

Make sure to stick around to participate in 19th century pastimes in the plaza! Challenge family and friends of all ages to wheelbarrow races, tug of war, sack races and other competitive lawn games!

To learn what other fun activities we have planned, visit the linktree in the bio or search https://www.parks.ca.gov/oldtownfourth

Make a new memory with California State Parks this Fourth of July!

Come play outside at Old Town San Diego State Historic Park with 19th century games in the plaza!

On Saturday June 13, 2026, from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. challenge family and friends of all ages to wheelbarrow races, tug of war, sack races and other competitive lawn games for the chance to earn a first place or participation ribbon. Don’t forget to relax and enjoy a collaborative game of graces or try your hand at old fashioned hoop and stick!

Make the decision to nourish your health and well-being this summer and make a new memory at Old Town San Diego State Historic Park. These free games will be available in the Plaza de Armas throughout the day with no reservations required.

When you see the flag flying the San Diego Union is open!

Step inside the pages of history in Old Town’s first wooden building

Stop by for one of our Walking History Tours to learn more about Old Town’s San Diego SHP’s rich history!

Check in at the Robinson & Rose Visitor Center to sign up for tours!

Get ready to dig into the past! 🌿🌻

Join us for "Rooted in History," an exciting Earth Day celebration designed just for kids and families. We’re heading to the center of La Plaza de Armas at Old Town San Diego State Historic Park for a morning of hands-on discovery and outdoor fun.

From planting seeds to discovering the pollinators that shaped our local history, there’s something for every young explorer to enjoy!

🗓️ Event Details:
When: Saturday, April 18th | 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Where: Old Town San Diego SHP (Center of La Plaza de Armas)

Who: Perfect for kids ages 3–12

✨ What’s Happening:
🎨 Hands-on Art: Create paper flowers and clothespin butterflies.

📖 Storytime at 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.

🌱 Planting for Pollinators starting at 11 a.m.

🛡️ Junior Rangers at 12 p.m. perfect for children ages 7–12.

Admission is free, and no RSVP is required—just drop in throughout the morning! Don't forget your sunscreen and water for a beautiful day in the plaza.

Let’s celebrate Earth Day by honoring the nature that keeps our history alive. See you there! 🦋✨

April is National Volunteer Month! This , celebrate BOOT (Boosters of Old Town), our incredible, hardworking, and talented volunteer organization! Stop by their booth during holidays and events like Día de Los Mu***os, Las Posadas, Independence Day, and Fiestas Patrias. BOOT makes Old Town San Diego State Historic Park amazing.

Don’t be fooled, it’s almost April! This month is Earth Month, and Old Town San Diego State Historic Park is proud to host Rooted in History, an Earth Month event for youth.

🌳 Rooted in History is happening on Saturday, April 18th! Join the park from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. to learn about the native plants and pollinators that make Old Town San Diego the amazing place it is!

🌿 The theme of April’s Junior Ranger program is "History of the Kumeyaay"! Explore the Iipay ~ Tipai Kumeyaay Mut Niihepok Land of the First People Exhibit and learn about Kumeyaay culture to earn a Jr ranger Badge. Sign up for free in the Robinson Rose Visitor Information Center. Program runs from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. every Saturday.

🌍 The theme of the April’s Little Ranger program is Caring for the Earth! Read books, sing fun songs, and make craft to take home! Earn your Little Ranger badge at the Mason Street Schoolhouse every Saturday at 10:30 a.m.!

📖 Hidden History talks are back!! Stop by the Colorado House at 3 p.m. to enjoy a 15-minute talk from one our park interpreters. Visit the park website to see all program times under the news and events section! This month's subject: Californio Women!

🚶‍♀️Walking tours leave at 10:30 a.m., 12 p.m., 2 p.m., and 3:30 p.m. from the Robinson Rose Visitor Information Center! $10 for 12+ and $5 for youth 11 and under. Explore early San Diego with an expert park interpreter and get the inside scoop on the history of Old Town San Diego!

When you see this sign up, it mean that the Print Shop in the San Diego Union museum is open! Old Town San Diego State Historic Park is home to the original printing office of the San Diego Union Tribune newspaper, a paper still in print today.

The museum is open to the public every day of the week from 10:00 am to 4:30 pm, but now, on select Saturdays, you can find a living history volunteer inside making newspaper copies on the historic printing press! The Print Shop will be open from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm on these select Saturdays- Call ahead to see if someone will be inside on the day you plan on visiting.

Hel-loquat on this fine ! The loquat tree in La Casa de Estudillo will be full of ripe loquats soon- But remember, picking any fruit, flowers, or leaves in any State Parks is not allowed! This tree is quite old and in the late spring, it houses migratory green parrots who love to eat the loquats. Leave the loquats for our birds, and take pictures of the beautiful fruit tree to take home instead.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day from Old Town San Diego State Historic Park! St. Patrick’s Day is a holiday with a lot of history, marking the arrival of Christianity to Ireland in the 5th century, although some historians believe it may have an Irish Pagan holiday originating even further back than that.

In its heyday, Old Town San Diego was home to people from all over the world, reaching a peak population of about 700 in the 1870s. This included many Irish men and women who immigrated to Mexican California and American California throughout the 1800s, finding a home right here in San Diego.

Have a wonderful St. Patty’s Day! ☘️

Cow are you doing this fine ? Check out the 🐄 cattle brands of historic San Diego ranching families and the map of their ranchos throughout the county.

Each brand design was handmade by blacksmiths throughout the 1800s, and several of the original metal brands can be found right here in our own Blacksmith Shop, open Thursday-Sunday, 10 am to 5 pm.

Almost six months ago, the community gathered in Old Town San Diego State Historic Park to celebrate Día de Los Mu***os. At the same time, monarch butterflies were migrating south for the winter, headed towards Southern California and Northern Mexico! Monarchs arrive every year just in time for Día de Los Mu***os, often seen as a sign that the spirits of the dead are returning to visit their living loved ones. Monarchs spend all winter resting where it’s warm. But now it’s springtime, and they’re heading north towards NorCal, the Pacific Northwest, and Canada!

Wave goodbye to monarchs for the season, but don’t forget they’ll be home in San Diego starting October, reaching their peak in early November during Día de Los Mu***os 2026! Celebrate the spirits of lost loved ones at the park with a community altar, free crafts, the butterfly grove (pictured here!), live music and dancing, and much, much more!

***os

Happy ! Old Town San Diego State Historic Park is celebrating Women’s History Month! We look back on the incredible women of the past and their contributions to San Diego. Juana Machado Wrightington (Doña Juanita de Dios Machado Alipás Wrightington) lived from 1814 to 1901, and worked as a nurse, midwife, and translator throughout the Mexican-American War and beyond. She was known as the “Florence Nightingale of San Diego”, and her holistic medicine and midwifery made her a pillar of the Old Town community.

Happy Women’s History Month!

The San Diego Union Print Shop officially has living history volunteers back! While the museum is open seven days a week from 10:00 am to 4:30 pm, it’s been a while since we’ve had living history demonstrations inside. The Print Shop is officially open on Saturdays from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm in addition to the regular museum hours. Watch park volunteer Betty demonstrate the newspaper printing press in the original historic home of our local newspaper, the San Diego Union Tribune!