Preserve a Local Treasure

Membership to the Mission San Juan Capistrano Preservation Society is a MUST for Orange County families. Why?

• I see something different and learn something new on every visit to the Mission.
• They have special programs for kids.
• It’s local history!
• It’s such a deal – for a family of 4 we get in for $55/year this year. Plus, your dollars go towards preserving this special place. We even received an amazing hardcover cookbook this year with our membership purchase. I want to make every recipe in The Bells Are Ringing: A Call to Table. Every time we get a membership, we get a free gift similar to the cookbook. But I imagine it’s just while supplies last.
• Most of all, there’s a peacefulness and serenity to the place that makes it perfect for repeat visits.

Go to the Mission SJC website to see all the benefits of a Preservation Society Membership.

Imagine I were there with you to take you on a tour!  Here are the Top 10 Stops We’d Make If You Were on a Mission Tour with Me:

1. First, I’d encourage you to buy a membership.
2. Once inside, I’d tell you that you get a free audio tour – kid version and adult version – with your membership and you can check out your audio device at a table right past the admission gates. (I’d probably also tell you to take it all in first and get the audio tour later – at a time when you visit on a date without the kids. Or as a homeschool field trip with your 4th grader who is studying Missions.)
3. The California Mission Resource Studio is a must-see for the kids. The short black and white movie about the swallows is entertaining and there is lots for children to touch and learn.
4. Look, but don’t touch the koi. Do you see the reflections in the fountain? Hear the dripping water? See the lily pads and flowers?
5. How does the sunlight play on the buildings?  Is it sunset? Where are the shadows? Remember to look up.
6. Walk by the window to see the display about the song When the Swallows Come Back to Capistrano on your way to visit the garden and see adobe bricks.
7. Go gold panning on a weekend – and visit the curiosity carts during the summer.
8. Look for the Father Serra’s signature — and discover the story behind the bullet in the Mission Treasure Exhibit.
9. Rest in the Serra Chapel and marvel at its small spaces and colors.
10. In the Rancho Period Room, look up to see the exposed ceiling and find the mirrored reflection showing the bottom side of the shelves in the armoire. Read where they came from (coolest story ever!).

Remember, go to the Mission SJC website to plan your visit and see all the benefits of a Preservation Society Membership.

Disclosure: I received NO compensation for this post. As always, just making recommendations based on my personal experiences.