Here is a list of historic places in Southern California, from iconic landmarks to western ghost towns. Use this list to discover attractions dating back 100 years or more.
Union Station Los Angeles
Opened in 1939, Union Station is known as the “Last of the Great Railway Stations.” This iconic Southern California landmark has been restored to new condition. Stepping into the Art Deco grand waiting room is like taking a trip back in time. Union Station’s historic ticket hall has been used in numerous movies and TV shows. Union Station LA is located at 800 N Alameda St, Los Angeles. Nearby historic attractions include El Pueblo de Los Angeles and Chinatown Los Angeles.
Angels Flight Railway
The original Angels Flight Railway was built in 1901 at Hill Street at Third in downtown Los Angeles. It operated there for nearly seventy years before being closed and dismantled in 1969 to make way for Bunker Hill’s redevelopment. The railway’s two cars were stored for 27 years until a restored Angles Flight reopened half a block south of the original site. Today, you can ride the historic funicular railway at 350 S Grand Ave, Los Angeles, California. Website.
Heritage Square Los Angeles
Heritage Square is a living history museum that showcases historic Southern California buildings from 1850 to 1950. Many of these buildings were saved from demolition, including several from Bunker Hill. Historical attractions include the Hale House, the Longfellow-Hastings Octagon House, and the 1875 Palms Depot, a Pacific Electric Railway Station. 3800 Homer St, Los Angeles. Website.
Heritage Hill Lake Forest, California
Heritage Hill features some of the oldest buildings in Orange County. Four acres of land surrounding the original Serrano Adobe was set aside as a historic park in 1973. The park houses an extensive collection of artifacts and buildings. Historical attractions include the 1863 Jose Serrano Adobe, El Toro’s first one-room School House, St. George’s Episcopal Church, El Toro’s first church, and the 1908 Bennett Ranch House. 25151 Serrano Rd, Lake Forest, CA.
Stanley Ranch Garden Grove
Agnes Stanley donated the last two acres of her ranch to the Garden Grove Historical Society in 1970. Since then, the Garden Grove Historical Society has been saving old historic buildings from destruction and moving them to the ranch. Stanley Ranch Museum, 12174 Euclid Street, Garden Grove.
Fort Tejon State Historic Park
Fort Tejon was established in 1854 and later home to the U.S. Army’s First Dragoons. They worked from the outpost until the summer of 1864, when the Army closed the fort, ending its career as an active military post. Visitors can view the standard soldier’s everyday life and the civilian men, women, and children who lived at this outpost. 4201 Fort Tejon Rd, Lebec, California. Website.
Daggett California
Daggett was founded in the 1880s and initially called Calico Junction. One year later, it was renamed Daggett after the Lieutenant Governor of California, John Daggett. A railroad ran from the Calico Mountains’ borax mines to Dagget, where the ore was processed in the nearby mills. Not too much is left of Daggett today, but it’s well worth a look, especially if you plan on visiting nearby Calico Ghost Town. Daggett is located on Interstate east of Barstow, California.
Cold Springs Tavern Santa Barbara
Cold Springs Tavern started as an 1865 stagecoach station on the Santa Barbara to Santa Ynez route. Horses were changed, and passengers were fed and given a break from the jarring wagon ride. Today, the tavern is a popular stop for locals and tourists. There is a dining room, a western saloon on-site, and several historic buildings, including the original Ojai jail. 5995 Stagecoach Rd, Santa Barbara. Website.
Mission Capistrano
The mission was founded around 1776 in the Capistrano Valley, now called San Juan Capistrano. The Great Stone Church was one of the few buildings that survived an1800, even though it was heavily damaged. In 1812, another earthquake caused even more damage. By 1834, the Mision was all but abandoned. It was not until the early 1900s that any restoration work on the Mission was undertaken. Today, the Mission is a popular tourist attraction with an excellent museum, chapel, gardens, and Great Stone Church’s ruins. 26801 Ortega Hwy, San Juan Capistrano, California.
Mission Inn Riverside
Considered the largest Mission Revival Style building in the United States, Mission Inn is well worth a look for history buffs. The inn started as the Glenwood Cottage boarding house in 1876. It became a full-service hotel in the early 1900s, and from then on, one section after another was added. Construction of the hotel took over 30 years before it was complete. In 1985, the hotel received a full restoration. Several US Presidents have stayed here, including Richard Nixon, Theodore Roosevelt, and Ronald Reagan. 3649 Mission Inn Avenue, Riverside, California. Website.
Day Trip to Redlands
Redlands is located in the Eastern Inland Empire and offers day-trippers opportunities for sightseeing, dining, and learning about Southern California history. Redlands is about 60 miles from Los Angeles or Orange County—less than an hour to or from Palm Springs.
Catalina Island Casino
Even though it’s called a Casino, it has never been a gambling hall. On May 29, 1929, the Catalina Casino was completed at the cost of 2 million dollars. There was a theatre on the main floor and a ballroom and promenade on the upper level. Today, the theatre still features live entertainment and first-run movies—the 20,000-square-foot Catalina Casino Ballroom hosts significant events and festivals. Walking tours of the Casino are available. 1 Casino Way, Avalon, California. Website.
USS Iowa Battleship
The USS Iowa was commissioned in 1943 and served during World War II and the Korean War. The massive ship was decommissioned on October 26, 1994. On July 4, 2012, the USS Iowa Museum opened at the Port of Los Angeles Berth entrance. The museum lets visitors see how life on a battleship was with self-guided and guided tours and special events. The Museum is at Berth 87 at the Los Angeles World Cruise Port Terminal. 250 S Harbor Blvd, Los Angeles, California.
Old Town San Diego
Old Town San Diego Historical Park features historic buildings from the 1820s to 1870. The Old Town was the center of San Diego until the mid-1860s. Historical attractions include Casa de Estudillo, an 1827 adobe house, the first San Diego Courthouse, the San Diego Union Museum, and the restored 1870 Cosmopolitan Hotel and Restaurant. 4002 Wallace St, San Diego, California. Website.
Old Plank Road
The Old Plank Road was built in 1915 to cross the Algodones Dunes while traveling from San Diego to Yuma. The Plank Road’s length was slightly over six miles, and over 13,000 planks were used to construct the road. After ten years of trying to keep the road open, it was replaced with asphaltic and concrete. While most of the plank road is long gone, one section can be viewed as a California Historical Landmark along Interstate 80.
Interesting note is that many of the Old West buildings in Knott’s Berry Farm are actual 19c old west buildings that were collected throughout Southern California and preserved by the amusement park. Mr Knott himself scouted these structures personally
I think that a couple of the buildings came from Calico Ghost town which Mr Knott owned at one time.
Two very distinctive sites, of many, in Redlands, CA is the Morley Mansion on Terracinna Drive and the Kimberly Mansion!