Time capsule town is Californias most stunning hidden gem and just 50 miles from LA
Chock-full of charming Mission-era architecture and lush trees, the Los Rios Historic District is a feast for the eyes and steeped in history.The Orange County neighborhood is nestled in San Juan Capistrano, a city established by the Spanish in 1776 as the seventh of the Spanish California missions.“It just feels like a step back in time,” third-generation resident Damian Orozco told SFGATE.Orozco’s family operates a tea house on Los Rios Street in the historic city, but he says the neighborhood hasn’t always been tourist-friendly.According to him, the area was rough in the 1980s and ’90s.“The Los Rios District was nothing like what it’s like today,” he told the outlet.
“Really, it was considered the wrong side of the tracks.Both sides of my family are from San Juan Capistrano, and when my mom was riding horses back in the day, they would always tell her not to go through the Los Rios District because it wasn’t a great neighborhood.” But now, the historic strip is dotted with charming homes and quaint small businesses.
There are also tourist hubs like a petting zoo and the San Juan Capistrano Historical Society, which features a museum detailing the city’s path from a tiny Catholic parish to a thriving West Coast destination.The historic district is also located right along Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner route, which takes visitors along the golden coast from San Luis Obispo to San Diego.Orozco says the neighborhood began to change after the opening of the Ramos House Cafe in the ’90s.“They were the first restaurant on the street, or the first shop on the street, that reopened its doors and started the revitalization process,” Orozco said. The neighborhood also boasts what is believed to be the oldest home in California, the Pablo Pryer Adobe-Hyde House built in 1790 — and the centuries-old Mission San Juan Capistrano, which welcomes some 300,000 visitors per year.“That’s one of my favorite things to hear from our guests, that...