Visiting Mission San Fernando Rey de España

On our valley adventure we managed to squeeze in a ton of stuff – two parks, a popcorn shop, a museum and even an estate sale. After the estate sale I realized we were near one of the California Missions – San Fernando Rey de España. I suggested one last stop and my family readily agreed.

Over the years I’ve been to several missions and I’ve seen them in all states of repair. Some missions end up surrounded by big cities while others remain off the beaten path and consequently some are beautifully preserved while others struggle to keep up. But in all my visits I’ve never come across a mission as well preserved as Mission San Fernando Rey de España.

Perhaps it’s its close proximity to the Hollywood and the entertainment industry. After all, several former stars are buried in its cemetery and Bob Hope even has a private resting place just off the church. In fact, the Bob Hope garden was one of the main reasons I wanted to visit this particular mission. Unfortunately, its only access is through the church and there just so happened to be a wedding in progress on our visit. Oh well, it’s a good reason to return. Another good reason would be the shear number of artifacts the mission contains. We arrived an hour before closing and it was starting to get chilly and dark so we didn’t view the exhibits as thoroughly as we would have liked. Still, we managed to see some beautiful pieces.

In addition, several rooms of the mission are restored to their original purpose with recreations of mission life using authentic artifacts.

I adored the library. Filled with ancient tomes I’ve never seen another room like it. It was incredible and if I had more time I would have explored the books more thoroughly. Another one of my favorite spots was the wine cellar. Heading down to it was just like stepping back in time.