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The Mission de Alcala, Presidio Park, and Balboa Park are the top historical sights in San Diego, California. Visiting all three of these landmark sights provides the greatest spectrum of historical significance for even the most seasoned travelers!

Mission Basilica San Diego de Alcala

By visiting www.missionsandiego.com, educationally-minded travelers will discover several reasons for visiting "California's First Church." Located in Mission Valley near Qualcomm Stadium (Home of the AFC West Division Champion San Diego Chargers), de Alcala has sat upon a modest knoll for hundreds of years, long before California became a state of the Union. Friar Junipero Serra founded several missions up the Pacific coastal state of California, and he started in San Diego, California.

The mission maintains the splendor of the traditional Spanish-styled rounded red brick shingles that shelter many homes and businesses across San Diego and the rest of California. Walking under the old arches on the signature cobbled walkways, travelers from around the world get an authentic glimpse of a friar's life in this simple setting.

Presidio Park

At the junction of Interstate 5 and Interstate 8, a striking and monumental museum marks the gateway from Old Town San Diego to Mission Valley. Not only is the park rich in archaeological significance, but it is also a popular place to get together with friends and family for picnicking, grass skiing, and many wedding ceremonies.
Visit http://www.sandiegohistory.org /mainpages/locate4.htm to see the historical significance of Presidio Park.

As children, my friends and I loved riding our bikes up the steep and narrow winding road to the museum. We would visit the archaeological digging sites, hike on the numerous nature trails, and tumble forever down the wide, grassy hillside.

Balboa Park

Built originally in the early twentieth century for the World's Fair, this museum mecca has survived nearly one hundred years and continues to thrive as one of the best historical and scientific centers of discovery for travelers from all over the globe. Speaking of globes, The Old Globe Theater (a life-size replica of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre in England) offers the best performances of Shakespearean drama west of the Mississippi. The Reuben H. Fleet Science Center houses one of the foremost interactive scientific experiences for children of all ages to enjoy.

Adjacent to Balboa Park is the world famous San Diego Zoo, home of the largest and most beautiful zoological societies where numerous endangered species give birth to new generations for all of us to see and appreciate!

The Mission de Alcala, Presidio Park, and Balboa Park are only three among several cherished historical sights of San Diego, California. Other educationally rich places in America's Finest City (a name San Diego gave itself after a GOP convention was relocated in the early 1970s to some other California city!) include the Hotel del Coronado, The Wild Animal Park, the Ocean Beach Pier, the spectacular Coronado Bridge, Chicano Park, Torrey Pines State Park, and so many others! San Diego is every educationally-minded traveler's greatest adventure. Be sure to visit soon!

Learn more about this author, James Tigerlobo White.
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