20 Photos to Inspire Your Visit to San Diego's Old Town

Oh hello sunny San Diego! We escaped foggy San Francisco and took a quick trip down to the most southern tip of California to enjoy some relaxing family time. While I have been to San Diego in the past, I felt like I still had so much more to discover beyond the beaches.

On our trip we explored an area entirely new to me known as Old Town. Old Town is a historical park preserved to show what life was like in the early stages of the colonization of California. While the buildings have been restored to their original styles from the 1700’s, Old Town has an eclectic mix of old world with touches of contemporary style.

Given the very close proximity to Mexico, San Diego is known for their Mexican cultural influence. In Old Town you can find gorgeous assortments of handmade Mexican goods and eat foods like tamales, chile relleno and enchiladas (my all favorite Mexican dishes!). Being a first time visitor and a big fan of handcrafted artisan goods, it was a lot of fun to browse and shop.

Dia de los Muertos

Dia de los Muertos is right around the corner (officially starts on Nov 1st) and is essentially the Mexican version of Halloween. Dia de los Muertos translates to Day of the Dead and celebrates friends and family who have passed. It is a very colorful tradition which embraces life after death with painted skulls, celebration and feasting on good food. It is believed that the souls of your dead loved ones come back and visit for a night of partying and good times. Traditional foods include skull cookies, pan de muerto (bread of the dead), Mexican style hot chocolate and grilled corn on the cob with cheese.

You can pick up everything you could possibly need to celebrate Dia de los Muertos in Old Town. Get inspired to celebrate and plan your party with my Dia de los Muertos Pinterest board!