Mission State Park
Mission State Park
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State Parks • Missions
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The park houses a replica of the mission founded in 1791.
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  • mini
    Fremont, California176,137 contributions
    Nice Mission State Park in Santa Cruz, Ca
    We visited the Mission State Park in Santa Cruz. There is a nice museum, store, and of course the historic mission to see. The mission was founded on August 28, 1971 by Fermin Lasuen. It is one of the California missions. There is also in this area the larger currently active church Holy Cross Church founded in 1889, In the past we went to a wedding of a friend there. This is a special historic area of Santa Cruz to visit. Suggested donation to visit the site is $5 per person. Parking is free.
    Visited January 2020
    Written February 1, 2020
  • Gardengel-IoW
    West Sussex, United Kingdom690 contributions
    Not the best
    by far. The church was closed and is only open for limited times and is quite small. Down the road is the historic state park that you can look around for free. Again a small building compared to other sites and quite untidy grounds
    Visited February 2020
    Written February 15, 2020
  • wireless_in_CA
    United States4,829 contributions
    Quiet After Easter Mass
    We discovered that the church and school were part of the Brothers of Holy Cross. The grounds included the school, church, parish office, a number of buildings and a Central Park. There was lots of available parking on the street and in the church parking lot. After service all buildings were closed so if one wants to visit the inside then plan around mass times. Limited information about the church a was posted outside. Overall the buildings were nice and fairly typical design. The park was open and some families were out and about.
    Visited April 2021
    Traveled with family
    Written April 5, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.

4.0
61 reviews
Excellent
17
Very good
25
Average
14
Poor
5
Terrible
0

ElizabethO_10
Fresno, CA28 contributions
Jan 2014 • Family
We're trying to see all the missions before our daughter is in 4th grade. This one is very small, but a nice visit when in Santa Cruz. You should know the adobe building is open more often than the actual church. We couldn't go inside the church because it is only open Thursday-Saturday. We didn't see this anywhere on the website. Just a little heads up if you are trying to get a mission project done.
Written January 22, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Hermes_NL 🇳🇱
Amsterdam, The Netherlands20,069 contributions
Jul 2015 • Family
The current church is not the original mission which was destroyed by earthquakes. It us still in active use. There is a replica of the original mission which serves as visitor centre and chapel. There is plenty parking around the church.
Written July 19, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Ronne M
Santa Cruz, California, United States57 contributions
Aug 2013 • Couples
Mission State Park is not a big Park but a sweet one, plenty of Shade nice green Grass and just outside the Santa Cruz Mission a nice place to have your picnic if your exploring the Missions of California, Holy Cross Church is right across the road..a visit to the Mission or Church right off the main road of Mission Street. Safe, very Clean, pretty and relaxing.
Written October 14, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

1GiantsMS
Redwood City, CA1,182 contributions
Oct 2020
Walked here from our hotel and was pleased. The architecture and grounds are fabulous. Very easy walk from Hotel Paradox. Parking appeared to be available nearby. Great views of area.
Written October 29, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

vacayfamily2016
Sacramento, CA20 contributions
Dec 2016 • Family
Small mission, free admission, self guided tour that will take just a few minutes. A humble place of worship that is an important part of California history.
Written January 16, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

DancingEmpress
Denver, CO55 contributions
Jun 2013 • Couples
The church of the Santa Cruz Mission is actually a replica of the original, built at a much smaller scale. The only original buildings are one old row of housing and a grain storage building. The two museum portions are split, but only a very short distance from each other.
Having been to many California missions, I would say the church does not really stand out. However, I did find the story of the rebuilding to be interesting. What I found the most fascinating was the museum in the old row houses. Not only do they talk about how the Ohlone people lived when the mission was operational, but they talk about the Californians who lived there at the time of independence from Mexico, and then the Irish who lived there during and after the Gold Rush. Different "apartments" were even set up to reflect the different periods in the building's history.
Overall, if you've seen a lot of missions and are pressed for time, this might be one to skip. But if you have even 20 minutes, or if you're introducing young kids to the missions, this is a fun one to see.
Written July 30, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

SarahCanary
25 contributions
The State has really fixed this place up. It is the only standing structure from when the spanish missionaries settled here, and it is the slave barracks where they held the Olone Indians. The different rooms are redone to reflect different periods in it's history, including one left untouched. There is a lot of history to learn about Santa Cruz at this place. Some of it very tragic.
Written July 10, 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Dr. Tim
Marana, AZ5,139 contributions
Sep 2018 • Solo
The 16th of the 21 California Missions I visited on my Motorcycle trip was Mission Santa Cruz aka The Mission of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. It was founded August 28th, 1791 as the 12th Spanish Mission. The original mission is all ruins and a new “replica” mission was built in the 1930s across the street and is very small. Holy Cross Catholic Church is across the street and Holy Cross School is next door. I was there on 9-11 so with all the festivities there was no parking nearby. Also the mission State Park was closed so make sure you check their website for hours and availability.
Written September 12, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Marta E
El Paso, TX887 contributions
Jul 2018 • Solo
some chard from the garden behind the visitor/gift center when I told them I absolutely love greens and make myself a green smoothie when I am home! IT is small but still a part of California history. Told by Julie that a different family occupied each room of the only original building that is left of the original mission. There were some anthropologists going through some dirt looking for artifacts and another volunteer was fixing a fence to the small garden..Glad to see that the locals really want to preserve this little gem..I wanted to see the church but it was Monday and it was closed..maybe next time..I wonder how many California missions I have visited already!
Written July 17, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

JeriLG
Santa Cruz, CA1,478 contributions
Jan 2018 • Family
Holy Cross dominates Santa Cruz landscape. It is the first thing you see entering on HIghway 17 and is visible from multiple angels through out town. The mission park is adjacent and quite interesting. You get a feel for what it was like at the time the mission was build. Docents are knowledgable. It is worth the visit for anyone studying California Missions.
Written January 14, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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