Old Town Tutors

About Old Town

Near the intersection of the Mission and San Diego freeways, Old Town is a bustling neighborhood in San Diego with nine hotels, 32 restaurants and 12 art galleries. Spanish troops and Franciscan missionaries led by Captain Fernando Rivera y Moncada and Father Juan Crespí pushed into what is now San Diego County in May of 1769. They established the first European settlement in Old Town on the site of Presidio Park where they mounted a cannon at the top of the highest point. Juan Gaspar de Portolá and Father Junipero Serra soon followed with Mission San Diego de Alcalá built in July. The mission was later moved several miles east. Old Town is sometimes considered the “birthplace” of California, even though the Kumeyaay Native Americans already occupied San Diego County. When the Spanish arrived, some of the indigenous people made friends and helped build the mission, some fled to the hills and many died from the diseases brought by the Spanish. In 1775, resentful about losing their land to the intruders, Kumeyaay warriors descended on the mission, executed Father Luis Jayme and burned the mission to the ground. The Spanish considered abandoning the area for a time but eventually rebuilt the mission and continued constructing their settlements with more development in the area around Old Town. Today, Old Town is, as its name suggests, an historical area with a wealth of interesting attractions and activities.

An Old Town tutor will keep you caught up on your toughest academic subjects so you can enjoy the things to do in Old Town and the rest of the San Diego area. For those interested in history, the area is well known for its museums. Old Town San Diego State Historic Park is one of the most visited state parks in California. Featuring museums, adobe houses and the building which housed the first San Diego newspaper, the park chronicles San Diego history from the time of the earliest Spanish settlements through Mexican and then American rule. The Wells Fargo History Museum is housed in the Colorado House, a recreation of a 19th century building complete with vintage furnishings from San Diego’s past. The museum includes an original stagecoach from 1867, a panoramic painting of San Diego and gold nuggets from the California gold rush.

Built between 1827 and 1829, La Casa de Estudillo in Old Town is one of the best-preserved adobe houses in California. Over the years, the building has served as a residence, a town hall, a chapel and a museum. Acquired by the California State Parks system in 1968, the house has been restored to the way it would have looked during the old rancho period of California history. It is listed as a National Historic Landmark.

Just down San Diego Avenue from the park is the Whaley House Museum built by early San Diego settler Thomas Whaley who came to California during the gold rush. Built in 1857 the house is a classic example of Greek Revival Architecture, popular in the mid-1800’s. The house has a museum but is more interesting for its Ghost Hunting Tour, labeled a “paranormal investigation,” which takes place periodically throughout the year. The tour delves into the history of Whaley House, regarded as the “Most Haunted House in America.”