Mormons And Mexican Food at Old Town: Saying Goodbye to San Diego (For Now)

Our San Diego trip was almost over already! We were a little sad to be heading home so soon, but Real Life was beckoning us with its darn obligations and responsibilities. However, Nate and I were kind of tired out from driving and hiking all over San Diego, so driving home was a secret relief, as well!

The morning we checked out from the hotel, we decided to take another trip to Old Town San Diego, to see the sights there that we'd missed on our last visit. Most notably, we wanted to visit this place:

The Mormon Batallion Historic Site! It had come to us highly recommended by several trusted sources; it was located right inside Old Town; and best of all, it was free! (Can you tell that our family likes free things?)

Westward ho!!

 

The tour was about 40 minutes long, and it involved visitors moving from one room to another, while a narrative of the Mormon Batallion's march played out in various semi-interactive ways. The story of the Batallion's journey was told by several actors, each of whom portrayed a character who participated in the Batallion march in some way (I am not sure if the characters were real historical figures or merely amalgams from several accounts).

You first "meet" the characters in the waiting room, where a worker dressed in period clothing welcomes you to the center. After a couple of minutes, the framed photos behind her on the wall actually come to life (through the magic of digital video, of course!). The characters in the portraits welcome you and offer to tell you the "story" of their journey with the Mormon Batallion. It's all very cute and kinda Harry Potter-esque (if Hogwarts was populated by Mormons).

Anyway, the tour takes you through several rooms decorated like various stops on the journey; there's a pioneer encampment in Iowa, where members of the Batallion were first recruited; next, you journey to Fort Leavenworth, where you are "outfitted" for the march to San Diego...

 

Lorelai made a very adorable soldier!

There was another room "on the road" (it was an undefined camp in the wilderness that showcased the hardships faced by the Batallion soldiers & crew). At one point, the furniture in the room actually started shaking, and Lorelai started freaking out, thinking we were in the middle of one of those famous California earthquakes she'd been reading so much about lately. But no...it was all part of the show! Turns out, the Batallion was "menaced" by a stampeding herd of cattle, and that's what the shaking represented.

The final room on the tour was a replica of the Old Courthouse, a longtime San Diego landmark that Batallion members actually helped build! It was very fun (and inspiring) to see the journey these brave members of the church took, all in service of a country that hadn't always treated them fairly. It was nice to see how the legacy of the Mormon Batallion's march left imprints not just in San Diego, but in Salt Lake City as well.

After the official tour ended, there were still several activities to do in the center. There were several interactive activities & games on computer screens in the area:

In one activity, you can learn the actual names (and biographical information) about all the soldiers in the Mormon Batallion.

In another, you can virtually stake a claim on a portion of the hills, then "mine" them for gold:

Celeste and Nathan both racked up quite the load of cash playing that game!

Lorelai attempted (unsuccessfully) to wrestle an old-timey cannon.

After our antics indoors, we went outside to "pan for gold." There was a cute little stream and well provided for just this purpose.

 

The family with our tour guide...one of the sister missionaries who works at the site (she also happens to be related to my piano tuner back home...small world!)

Celeste took the sample bricks from the brick oven, and decided to build a tower, because why not?

There was a small tower atop the center which gave us a nice view of Old Town...and a nice view of the activity courtyard connected to the historical site.

We even got a great family picture to commemorate the event:

Yes, we are honest-to-goodness members of the Battalion now, or something! Anyway, it was a really clever, funny, and moving tour. I highly recommend it as a short, easy family activity in San Diego.

After the historic site, we walked back downhill into the thick of Old Town, to search for a delicious lunch. We had heard good things about the Old Town Mexican Cafe...

We got to watch the abuelas make fresh tortillas for the cafe..fun!

...and it did not disappoint! Their handmade tortillas were very delicious, and we ate like pigs. The atmosphere was loud but friendly, and the food was very satisfying.

Yum.

There's not much to report after that. We "walked off" our meal by checking out a few other sites in Old Town--mostly old-time candy stores, courtyards, and blacksmith shops. Sadly, I didn't think to photograph any of those sites...silly me! We will have to document them next time we go to Old Town...because there WILL BE a next time! There have been many great discoveries in San Diego this time around, and we hope we will be able to fit them all in on future trips.

When we decided we could walk no more, we reluctantly piled into our car and headed home for Arizona. The drive was mostly uneventful, with one big exception: when we stopped for gas in Yuma, the van suddenly refused to start! Somehow the car battery had completely run out of steam. Luckily, a good Samaritan at the gas station helped us jump-start the car, and we were on our way again, with no further incidents (even managing to stop for dinner). We didn't get home until about 10 pm, at which point Nathan, the kids, and I all crashed and burned pretty hard for the rest of the weekend!

It was a whirlwind weekend, but we are all so glad we were able to go to San Diego! It is such a beautiful, green, lush city (at least compared to our desert paradise!). It is a city we felt safe in, and welcomed. We hope we will feel that way again on our next visit.