There’s nothing like stopping at 1 of the 21 California missions and a plus that it’s less the a 10 minute drive from where I live. The shop keeper was very friendly. I love that the gift shop has a variety of things to look at and buy. I even bought a candle and placed it in the church. My son loved seeing new thing and of course the fish made his day. This is very beautiful place to stop at.On the plus side if you’re catholic they have a sunrise mass on Easter Sunday that is very beautiful to attend. Don’t forget to bundle up!

Traditional mission - very cool for a quick visit!

One of the most beautiful CA missions. The history of CA is important. Significant Time Period Displays educate us of the Soledad Mission, the land, the nature, and the people around ! ❤️Pat Morris, volunteer of the short tour of the history, is amazingly generous! The historical time pieces are very well organized.Nettie the volunteer gardener, age 84, is assisted by the man power of volunteer Miguel, makes the grounds incredibly peaceful and beautiful.🙏❤️🙏GOD bless these behind the scene volunteers!So grateful to visit the Soledad Mission!Please, CA, do not continue with chemical farming around the missions. The water has nitrate. Permaculture. Holistic Natural Farming (without chemicals) is extremely important for the future of our land, people, and nature!🙏🐝🙏🦋🙏🍀🙏

We have a goal to visit all the Missions in CA. Mission Soledad was abandoned not long after it was founded. It lie in ruins for years until the Daughters of the West rescued it and restored it in 1955. Each Mission has a small gift shop, museum, gardens & a chapel. A great place to get in touch with history, with God and with nature.

Had fun got to cross it off the list of missions.

Great place to visit. The lady was very nice and please support the mission. Drop donation or buy souvenirs for maintenance and preservation.

Very nice people and a nice rebuilt mission. The ruins are especially interesting. Im happy they created the structure to protect them. If you are Catholic, the gift shop has some lovely items.

Cute little mission. The church is also small, but is nice and cozy. This is the first time I see this Virgin, De la Soledad. Really liked it. Gave it 4 stars because the bathroom was closed.

Another isolated mission located smack in the middle of farmlands. Very well kept but small in stature. But it still has all the basics of a mission. Kept grounds. Old unkempt grounds. Small store. Small museum. Small church. Another great example of what a mission must have looked like back then.

Very interesting historical site to stop by if you are in the area.They have picnic table outside, and a nice little museum (free).

One of the smaller missions but the weather is great and the front is very pleasing to the eyes. The church is very small but well kept. Staff are very helpful and friendly.

Great little Mission and little tour. Worth the visit. Go see the chapel, the tiny museum and the old mission site. Youll get a new feel for the times in the area.

Really beautiful mission. Well organized and informative museum. Very helpful and friendly staff.

Really wanted to visit this one. Looks so intimate, and has a lovely grove of olive trees. Completely closed in coronavirus era.

It was closed when I got there so I was only able to walk around outside.

Beautiful experience, beautiful surroundings. Beautiful mission

I love visiting all of the missions! Each definitely has their own unique story. Mission Soledad was very quaint, in an agricultural town; one of the smaller missions. Similar in size to Mission San Buena Ventura.There was no admission fee but they do take donations.

Relaxing place. We got there before anyone else and it was peaceful. Beautiful view.

Beautiful surroundings

Their chapel was beautiful, small but worth a visit.

Historical and intimate. The land and views are amazing!

Spiritual and holy place. Looking out from there, you can understand why they named it for its solitude.

A very nice preservation of the site in a Beutiful location.

A CA mission off the beaten path. Good historical landmark.

Beautiful reconstruction of the original since it was destroyed by flooding. On one side are ruins of what was the original.

I only give it 4 stars because we had to wait around 20 minutes to have them open up. Otherwise it is a beautiful piece of California and Catholic history.

Love the gift shop.

Grounds are small and not much to see. Kind of just a checkbox as far as missions go.

Place with a super nice energy and a beautiful story is worth too much to visit.

Nice place for a picnic. Tables available.

Very quaint Mission. Take a step back in time off the busy highway and connect with God.

An old California mission. Not glitzy but very real. A window of the past.

Nice looking for a small mission like how it looks but a bit far from the town

Love the garden and the peace and tranquility.

Its a place for a quick visit. Definitely a place to visit during your route to the 21 california missions. They have old ruins of the original mission, which was washed away during flooding. I briefly saw inside the new version of the church. I didnt ask when that was built but it still seems pretty old. The place is small itself. I think I spent a whole half hour there, maybe even less time. Parking is free and there are restrooms. This may even be a nice place to sit and have a picnic lunch. I believe there are benches here for that.

Very well maintained mission. Went there to do a project with for my daughter and she was very happy to find lot of notes put in the museum. She was thrilled to see some stuff about missionaries. Might not be a place for adults though. The chapel was also will maintained.

Docent Carrie was so knowledgable!💯

Large parking lot, though not cemented. Chapel is small. Good shop and museum.

Loved it.

A visit out to one of the missions . It was small and off the beaten path but well worth the stop :)

There really isnt a lot at this small mission. The grounds are decently kept, the church inside is beautiful, the museum parts were educational. I enjoyed visit and am happy that they are making efforts to save the buildings and grounds.

Awesome experience, very informative of history of area and the museum

A mission that is far off the beaten path; but well worth the drive.Clean bathrooms, nice garden area and a covered cement slab with two picnic tables. Also a fantastic view of the foothills. Nice and quiet!

Remote, have place to your self

Great serene Mission set in the Valley of Soledad surrounded by farming and fields. This is one of the smaller quaint Missions along the original El Camino Real. Plenty of parking, a nice courtyard of roses, lawn and flowers a docent is available during open hours. . This is a nice rest stop and a view into Californias early history.

This is one of our favorite missions. It’s off the beaten path, and feels more quaint and serene than others. We stopped here to have a picnic lunch, and found the gardens to be lush with flowers and well kept. In the back, you can see original foundations of some of the buildings, and even see an original adobe wall that is being preserved under a corrugated roof. It’s fascinating to think that you are viewing something the Padres and local Native Americans built nearly two centuries ago. Inside is a chapel that is similar to other mission chapels, and a small gift shop and an informative museum. It’s a few miles off the 101, so it is quiet and peaceful. The mountains to the west are majestic in their own way. Happy we stopped here.

Great peaceful and tranquil place to visit and learn about History, Native History. My son and I visited the Mission in September, on a warm windy sunnyday. Bring a lunch, they have a picnic area.

I enjoy historical sites. I am a big fan of the history of California. Since this part of the history, it was a good short stop. Pat, the staff member, shared some history of the mission. This is the smallest of all the missions and you can tell. It is great that the members of the community have invested their time, money and efforts to replicate the mission. It is not original so if you you want to see the real deal, you might want to pass but a great short stop off the 101 to stretch your legs and see some art.

The 2 volunteers working at the mission on 02272020 were very well informed and delightful. The grounds and buildings were lovely and inspiring.

Very small, but well-organized, the museum is divided into time-periods. Make sure to tour the grounds for ruins of the original adobes walls and other features. The last room of the museum contains models of all 21 missions done by the same artist and so worth seeing!!!

Love this place!!!

Full Disclosure: Im not particularly religious and Im not suggesting only those who are can visit the missions in case thats the deterrent for some. But I absolutely enjoy the history and purpose of these structures. Missions are places that remain from a different time and its great that we have the opportunity to look back and try imagine a different life.

Even though it was closed, we had a great time walking around the grounds and the caretaker was kind enough to let us walk-around for a while and look at the outside stuff like the priest grave site.

A quaint rustic small mission with its own beauty! A few miles off Hwy 101 in the middle of farms. Bathrooms are far end of parking lot. So be sure to go before touring mission.

My husband and I have visited Mission Soledad every year during Lent for 20 years. Unfortunately we missed this years visit because it temporary close 😔Were praying that it will open again soon🙏🙏🙏

Peaceful, and Beautiful.

Very quiet. Lovely chapel. There are a few picnic tables and a bathroom. It is a short way off the highway. A good break for a long drive.

Beautiful quiet place worth driving off the road for the roses are beautiful. Peaceful place, with the historical ruins preserved and a nice sense of the history of early California. Chapel and buildings were not open when we stopped by and would be more interesting if one could go inside. Beautiful country location with national Park land along the Arroyo Seco near by.

We got here right at the end of the day so we didnt have much time to explore. This Mission is a bit out of the way from Hwy. 101. It was a good break from driving and good to support our Historical Sites. No other amenities here.

Im unable to walk so could not see everything up close. However I was able to enjoy it from my van as it was all open and visable from the parking lot while my family got closer. A big win for me.

Decent church to go to i liked it a lot

One of the more humble missions. Extensive museums including the ruins of the original mission. Very nice...& knowledgeable...lady at the gift shop. Among the ag fields of the Salinas Valley (aka: Californias Salad Bowl), ergo very dusty, but kept fairly dusted consider.

Not really worth seeing. They only have a little to show. The mission has a long way to go to recreate everything. You are better off going to one of the more restored missions. It is a long way to go to for what you see. The San Juan Capistrano is far better.

A forgotten mission. So peaceful. Staffed, lovely sanctuary open. Great book available on history of area/mission.

A beautiful little mission church, Nuestra Señora de la Soledad. We attended Christmas Eve mass with Father Ken, the priest who presented Junipero Serra to the pope for sainthood. The chapel is simple but beautiful and full for Christmas mass. Normally masses are held once a month on the first Sunday at 10am

Very nice mission. Always great to see these churches kept around for all to enjoy.

Beautiful.

So beautiful historical place. The structure and the smell reminds me of the all houses in Mexico since i believe the wall are made of Adobe.

A bit out of the way, but a wonderful place to visit and reflect!

Beautiful feeling of stepping back into time and realizing a great sense of peace after praying in the church. Highly recommend any mission to collect and reastablish your thoughts, faith and energy.

Mission Soledad is located in a rural area about 2 miles from the town of Soledad. Unlike its urban counterparts, it is much quieter and relaxed. This makes visiting it a unique experience.

Small and substantial!

Mass is celebrated on the first Sunday of each month followed by homemade refreshments/hospitality. All are welcome and made to feel at home.

Love the smaller, quaint missions. They feel more authentic

Hands down one of the very best of the missions! Quaint and out in the middle of nowhere. Great docent, incredibly insightful site.

So driving down the 101 making our way down to Solvang as our next stop we start seeing the sign for the Soledad Mission next exit. So I tell my sister Detour!! Lol, we got of the exit & pulled off on the side of the road we kinda expected it to be right in front of us, well its not. You still need to drive a little distance to find it. But we finally found our #2 visit, Nuestra Señora De La Soledad Mission.Walking up to the back you can see the whole site of the old church destroyed by floods. We werent sure if this one had a museum, good thing we stopped in at the gift shop because the entrance is on the right side. Really glad we didnt miss this one. They have all 21 detailed replicas of the missions created by Elsie Jennings, those were pretty cool.#13 of 21

Im on a mision to see all the Missions. This one is very, very small but interesting none the less.

Nice place for picnics, lessons,and family time eeeeeeeeeeeeee

It is super awesome and I hope my kids go there to

A lot of history for this small but nice mission

We went to the mission and took many pictures and also we pray too.I t was very beautiful .We even got some souvenirs.It was a beautiful place to go.

Beautiful place a lot of stuff to seelots of History highly recommended.

We did a tour of California missions, this one has had a very nice restoration.

Christmas looked very beautiful in the mission.

Old, historic California Mission in country setting.

Our favorite mission, never miss a chance to stop by. Free exhibits, nice gift shop. Dont miss a chance to get some Olive oil, made from trees on site.

Nice picnic area if you bring food .

Very nice one. enjoyed time with my family here.

Mission Soledad was established in 1791 in Californias Salinas Valley. Admission is by a voluntary donation. Surrounded by vineyards, the mission is a quiet and peaceful place to visit, well worth spending an hour or so to view the historic artifacts.

One more place to explored!!

Always beautiful on Easter sunday. Had mass outside.

Very nice area lots of originally to the history and location. Its what all California mission should look like. Two down nineteen to go.

Nice little museum with history about the area and mission. The Chapel is also pretty.

Remote and quiet, much of this mission is unrestored. The museum and church are peaceful.

Nice place with original foundations preserved. A little far out though.

I love the site. It really helps with info. The site is really specific. :D

The history of this place is so very fascinating. It highlights what happened to the missions when the Mexican government decided to stop supporting the missions. The resident priest at Soledad died from hunger and want! The native peoples carried his body to be buried at Mission San Antonio de Padua, a gesture of great love and respect. The mission was sold and the new owner had difficulty supporting the land; he had changed from the missions growing vegetables to growing cattle. A disease set in and the cattle died. So the owner sold the roof tiles sitting on top of, and protecting the adobe bricks. As a result the bricks washed away and so now you can see the remains of the walls and foundations. There are projects underway to get funding to restore this mission. The views over the fields and up the mountains are stunning! Because it is so close to the original, it is one of my favorite missions.

Out of the way mission and a rebuilt one but has a really great museum component with scale miniatures of all missions

Very simple, lonely mission. Nice place for quiet solitude

Visited another mission, kind of spooky but full of history