La Purisima Mission Historic State Park

Perhaps the crown jewel of the region’s historic structures is La Purisima Mission Historic State Park, the most fully restored of the three completely preserved missions within the California State Park system. Also boasting the most authentic looking setting of all the missions, La Purisima takes visitors back to its 1820 heyday and features livestock and plants of that period including burros, four-horn “churro” sheep, horses, longhorn cattle, goats, swine, turkeys, and geese. More than 37 rooms are restored and furnished while the 900 acres showcase the property’s original aqueduct, washing pools, pond, and more than 12 miles of maintained hiking trails. Knowledgeable guides and “characters of the past” dressed as padres, soldiers and American Indians are frequently present on weekends.