Central Coast Living: Missions

On any given day, you may see hundreds of tourists at the Old Mission Santa Barbara. The director of the California Missions Foundation says it is one of the most popular missions in the state.
     
For a trip up the coast to all five missions in our area, Rokas Kundrtos starts in Santa Barbara.
     
"We just wanted to see the California history, the Spanish history over here. So we’re going to stop at the Santa Barbara mission, the next stop is the San Luis Obispo mission and then San Miguel," said Kundrtos, who is visiting from Lithuania. 
     
In Solvang, the Santa Ines Mission’s docent Paul Melancon knows everything about the mission.
     
"You’re going to learn about a pirate, you’re going to learn about a little girl who saved the mission and you may learn something about ghosts," Melancon said. He calls it the hidden gem of the California missions because it is inland.
     
"It was established as a go-between for Santa Barbara and La Purisima for the Franciscans to evangelize the Tulares," Melancon said.
     
The mission in Lompoc is a great place to bring kids for a cultural experience.
     
In San Luis Obispo, the city is centered around the de Tolosa Mission. It was the location of one of California’s first producers of wine, according to the Missions Foundation.
     
The mission in San Miguel is considered the center mission in the state. It is also one of the least restored and most authentic.