Search a tourist attraction

The grassy plaza fronting the mission is bordered on the south and east by the state park complex of mid-19C buildings. The large Plaza Hotel, originally a single-story adobe structure, was built in 1814 as a mission barracks and converted to a hotel in the 1850s by Angelo Zanetta, who topped it with a wooden second story. It contains re-created period rooms, including a saloon with the original carved-wood bar.The lovely Castro Adobe retains its 1840s appearance on the exterior. The interior reflects the 1870s, when the structure was home to the Breen family, survivors of the ill-fated Donner Party. Plaza Hall, built as a single-story barracks, also was expanded in 1868 by Zanetta, who hoped it would be chosen as the new county courthouse. When this did not occur, the structure became the Zanetta home; its present decor is based upon the period of the family's occupancy. The stables, blacksmith shop and washhouse display additional 19C artifacts.