The hook
The ninth of California's missions, and the last one Junípero Serra founded before he died, still stands as a working church in the middle of downtown Ventura.
01Why it's worth it
Serra dedicated San Buenaventura on Easter Sunday of 1782, the last of the missions he established in his lifetime, and the church that survives, rebuilt after fire and earthquake, is a cool, dim, thick-walled sanctuary right on Ventura's Main Street. It once drew water through an aqueduct that ran seven miles from the Ventura River, and a fragment of that stonework can still be found nearby. Behind the church are a small museum and a garden courtyard. In 2020 the Pope raised it to a minor basilica, a rare rank for a California mission. It anchors the old town, so a visit folds naturally into the walkable downtown around it and the pier a few blocks off.
02How to experience it
It's at Main and Figueroa in downtown Ventura, about six hours from the Bay. The church is active, so visit respectfully outside of Mass. There's a small admission for the self-guided route through the church, museum, and garden. Combine it with the downtown and the beach promenade.