Love to visit historical sites and know there are a great deal of mission along the coast. Vacationing down the coastline from SF to SB and would like to know the best missions to visit. Also if there are any other sites that would be worthy of a stop please enlighten. Think someone wrote about a stagecoach stop that is now general store or a restaurant, but can't find the posting. Any ideas are appreciated. Thanks !

Last Saturday, I visited the LaPurisma Mission which is near Lompoc - 17 miles west of Buellton, north of SB. This is one of two missions run by the State of California. We went to the small visitor's center (they're constructing a new one) and picked up a self-guiding map. It took us about two hours. Could have stayed longer.

They had sheep, racks with cowhide drying, olive press, room with candles hanging and how they dipped them with tallow, chickens, turkeys...a lady was weaving on an old loom, the mayor's apartment, the church, school, padres vestments...and above all, the setting with the rolling hills was beautiful. I highly recommend it, if you want to visit a mission.

www.lapurismamission.org

I also highly recommend La Purisima mission. It is the most completely restored mission in a setting in the middle of nowhere--makes you feel like it was in mission times. Carmel is the prettiest mission. I would also suggest seeing San Miguel, Santa Barbara and San Juan Bautista mssions--all unique with different qualities.

Before visiting the Mission San Miguel (just outside of Paso Robles) make sure that it is open to visitors. I believe that it sustained some damage in the recent earthquake.

I haven't been to LaPurisma since I was a kid, so I can't really comment on it, but it sounds great - I think I will put it on my list of things to check out in the near future.

Carmel is a great mission and will be right on the route from SF to SB. I like San Juan Bautista a lot too because in addition to the mission, there are quite a few restored or reconstructed buildings in the town, most of which are centered around the old town square. From SF to Monterey if you were to take Hwy 101 south and then cut over to the coast on Hwy 156, San Juan Bautista would only be a few miles out of your way.

La Purisima is my favorite mission, too! About 60 miles north of Santa Barbara...

Just visited Mission Dolores in San Fran this past week. Although it doesn't have the land that some of the other missions do (it's right in the middle of San Fran), I thought it was a beautiful place. The Mission church and the cemetery are the only remaining parts of the original mission, but still quite interesting and nice. The basilica right next door, built soon after the 1906 earthquake, is gorgeous. It doesn't take as long to visit, but it is the northern most mission and one I'm glad I had the chance to see.

Whoa there Chele 60!
Of the 21 missions the Northen-most is San Francisco Salono on the town square in the City of Sonoma. You can read all about the history of this oone and the other 20 at http://missions.bgmm.com/sanfran.htm
R5

Oops! That's Northern and Solano and one
R5

I believe that the stagecoach stop you are referring to is near Santa Ynez.

If you drive through the mountains from the Santa Barbara area, I recommend a visit along the Old Stagecoach Trail to the Cold Spring Tavern. It is an historic and rustic stagecoach stop off of Highway 154. They serve lunch and dinner (maybe breakfast) and have an all-local wine list along with cold beer and sodas. Quite the interesting place, if even just for a short stop. The "general store" is next door, and sells only a few T-shirts. The whole thing was certainly worth ths stop... be sure to check out the "jail" in back!

Ellenbw -- do you have any info on San Miguel? We love that mission and stop there every year on our trip up to Monterey to stretch our feet! We're heading up again in two weeks -- oh no!

Nevermind -- just found the website -- missionsanmiguel.org and it reports the mission, museum and gift shop are open again, but the mission church remains closed.

My 2 favorite Missions are Mission Santa Clara and the Carmel Mission.