Mission Dolores

This is such an enriching and quick tour that no one visiting the City should miss Mission Dolores. The buildings (the Mission and the Parish next door) are beautiful in their own right. That there is a building in San Francisco that is original from its built day is so unique. We took the self guided tour using the map given to you upon arrival. We donated the requested $7 fee each thinking that it was a rather small donation considering funds for maintenance are not gathered from any other revenue. The alters are beautiful, each in their own right. I'm not Catholic, but I do appreciate art. The history is poignant with respect as to how these buildings were built and who built them, but the fact that they are still standing and serving the community is very uplifting. The cemetery, reduced considerably in size is the only one within city limits. Most of the original occupants were moved to a common grave in a respectful manner. Go and enjoy a real jewel of San Francisco with out the touristy crowds and hype.

My friend was visiting and I met up with her in San Francisco for the morning. I am from San Francisco and never came here - honestly I am glad I have never visited. $7 for a walk around - the tour is self guide and really not too interesting. We were done in less than 30 minutes. Our encounter for the man in the front left a sour taste. When we first entered he asked where we were from - I am assuming it's for data collecting. We said San Jose and LA. When were we leaving. Man: What ethnities are you two? (I already had a bad feeling) Me: We are BORN IN AMERICA. Man: Yes but where are your families from Us: China and Taiwan Man: There are many Chinese people in San Francisco. I am not sure how this is helpful nor relevant.

I swear that this is one of my very last Yelp reviews on planet Earth. I don't know how it ends with Mission de Asis..1776 is the year in United States..Philadelphia style..and Spain tried to make a conquest. This the church and building for the Christian mission. It stands today. It's not talked about too much. It's a Christian church..Spanish I guess..it's running all the time..it says 1913--2013..rebuilt and the centennial..there was a musical program today with a quintet playing violin..small audience..it's an aging church..not too much display..candles..not too much decor..never been inside until I was poking around the Mission district..I went inside there was music..a few brochures..I have no idea how people go to church in San Francisco..this is the original Mission de Asis church in San Francisco..that would be the Spanish church!

What a gem in the middle of the city. I loved every corner of it here from when you enter to the cemetery it's all so cool to see and experience. They offer tours but I recommend walking at your own pace since there is so much detail ms art especially inside the church altars. They have a museum with artifacts and a gift shop too :) A must see for sure

My 4th grade classroom visited this mission many years ago. So I just had to take my sons to visit this place. So much rich history is here. From the moment you walk in you can see and feel the nostalgia of this old building. The museum has many incredible artifacts. The cemetery is very interesting. The interior of the mission is very humbling. A rich piece of California history for sure. A must stop for any history buff.

The church is beautiful, but we had an unfortunate encounter with the man who was working at the gift shop. We had never been to this church before. Like tourists we were following the sign which led us to the gift shop entrance. The man behind the counter was eating and unfriendly. We asked him how to get inside of the church, he pointed to the sign with the price and said we needed to pay to get in. "Even if we just want to pray?" We asked. "Yes!" He responded rudely. We didn't get his name but he said he is from El Salvador. We left the gift shop feeling uneasy. Luckily we decided to just open the main door and got in. It was still early on a Saturday so not many people were inside. The church is majestic and the architecture is lovely but I think they need to teach the El Salvadoran at the gift shop to have better manner and compassion towards others, tourists or not!

Nice mission and historic place to visit in San Francisco. It has a nice basilica, museum and old cemetery. They filmed vertigo here so that was a motivation to see it. I like visiting missions for the history and this one is good.

I am on a mission to visit all the remaining missions in California. For many reasons, I never visited the most convenient one in San Francisco. Mission Dolores is in the Mission District, hence the name of the neighborhood! There is only street parking in the area, but it's close to Muni. The mission is split into two main areas. The historic tour starts in the old chapel and winds through the basilica and graveyard. The tour is worth the time and money including a good history of the area. This is an active church rather than a state park so expect a lot of religious stuff. Restrooms are outside near the back. The chapel is really amazing especially given its age. Pope John Paul II visited here and blessed the AIDS victims which was a good thing at the time. The basilica is very spectacular and ornate. Time your visit with the organ practice for a very special experience. The self guided tour is quick but informative and ends in the cool graveyard. Mission burritos worldwide are named after this facility, so it's worth a stop on your SF journey. They lack a lot of the classic features found at other missions, but the location and basilica are very impressive. Paired with an authentic burrito, gourmet ice cream, and a walk in the park, Mission Dolores is the anchor of a great day in the city.

October 9, 1776 Mission Dolores de Asis was founded by Father Junipero Serra. The mission was named after a nearby arroyo known as the creek of sorrows. The mission is the oldest intact building in San Francisco of all 21 missions. The Mission, its Basilica, gardens and cemetery grounds are beautiful and spiritual. Visit to learn of, and enjoy, it's unique historic, architectural and religious significance. From the days of the gold rush, to notable San Franciscans, to date, the mission's history is vast. There is a cover charge of $7. Call, (415) 621-8203, to get more particulars. I hope you enjoy your visit as much as I have.

There is a self guided tour of the mission which is open Tuesday-Sunday 10am-5pm. The main basilica has beautiful stained glass windows and architecture. There are really nice cemetery gardens where one can walk through and sit down. After the tour there is a gift shop with lots of nice items. I bought bracelets, San Francisco memorabilia and religious items. I highly recommend a visit if you are in the area.

This was our first time visiting the Mission Dolores. It's a self guided tour. Through the mission, Basilica and the grounds that ends in a tiny gift shop. The gift shop carriers your typical Catholic items, also items from Mexico. The staff was very friendly and helpful.

Beautiful well preserved mission in the heart of the Mission district. Well worth the $7 to tour the numerous buildings and cemetery.

So much history. I definitely recommend the cute little gift shop. I wish my local church had one

I was in the neighborhood and checked out the oldest building in San Fran which was a small beautiful church. The church was very well maintained inside and outside. The outside architect was pictueresque. There is a lot of native american decor and artwork and reminds you of a historical setting. The day I was visiting, there was a concert playing and I was able to sit and enjoy the music while I looked around. Its definitely a place to check out if you're in the gorgeous mission dolores community. This area was my favorite during my brief visit to San Fran.

If you are in the city make time to stop by here. It will take your breath away. So much history tucked away, it's literally a hidden gem in the beautiful city. The oldest most intact building in SF. The most intact of all missions, not to mention the fact that this mission has an adjacent cemetery, the only one within the city limits. There's a small donation fee per person. For this fee you have access to the original mission, basilica, a small museum and cemetery. We visit the city a lot and had never been here. My 4th grader was doing her mission project for school so we made it a family day and brought the whole family. So glad we did.

Oh gosh, where is Carlotta Valdes buried? What do you mean you never heard of her? That's the mystery woman that Kim Novak was obsessed with in "Vertigo" as Jimmy Stewart was getting obsessed with her. That's a whole lot of obsession in one movie, but that's Hitch for ya. He was obsessed with cool blondes that he could manipulate behind the camera. Anyway, the mission got rid of the fictitious Carlotta Valdes tombstone but only when relatives of the deceased actually buried in the cemetery complained that it was disrespectful. I can understand that, but I don't think a souvenir "RIP Carlotta" tombstone snow globe would be too tacky, do you? Regardless, I keep forgetting what a lovely building the mission is. and I have to admit that I keep forgetting it's even there. See my photo gallery if you don't believe me. That's the drawback of being the oldest surviving building in the city, even though there are actually two buildings - the original adobe chapel with the beautiful Spanish Baroque ornamental ceiling design and the much larger basilica next door with all the stained glass and rows of wooden pews. The latter is still very much an active community church and well worth coming by for a service. For me, the high point of the grounds will always be the cemetery since it's the last remaining one within the city limits. That's right - when you keel over and kick the bucket in San Francisco, your choices are to end up in Colma or as a pile of ashes in a columbarium. No exceptions. Before you consider your fate, make sure to stop and enjoy the rose garden where a statue of a pensive Father Junipero Serra stands guard over the graves, the last of whom was buried in 1898. Unless you count Carlotta. Oh wait, she's a fake. And of course, what California mission would be complete without a gift shop where you can start your own ceramic tile collection of all 21 California missions? Alas, I was looking for the boxing nun hand puppet, but none were to be found. Admission is bargain-priced at $5. Definitely go if you've never been.

This is a fairly interesting Mission Not as interesting as the Missions in San Juan Capistrano and Monterey. But I try to visit all the missions I have not seen. The building is original, they claim. The Basilica next door is, of course, much newer. Worth a visit. Note: there is little historical context given to the mission. The signage does not reflect accurately the relation between the mission and the indigenous people of California.

Self guided tour was very nice. You can see everything in a half hour or less. Great history. Must see if you are in the area (especially if you're Catholic).

The Day of the Dead is a big deal for my gf so we came here in hopes that there might be something going on. Was there anything going on? No. Not at all. However, it was still an awesome experience as we got to walk around this piece of history. It's $5 bucks to get in. So know that in advance. There is also a really old cemetery which was all kinds of cool. It has really been kept in great shape and it really feels like something out of a movie. Lots of cool trinkets on display. It's not a huge place, so you won't spend a while lot of time here, but it's worth visiting at least once.

I came here for the cemetery.. Yes I said that I do enjoy missions themselves as well of course. Mission Dolores did not disappoint in that respect. A beautiful ornate building. Smaller than most missions, but just as interesting $5.00 got us a self guided tour. It was good Friday so we had to peace out of there by noon. Woops I went into the chapel itself to check out the walls and ornate statues. It delivered Then I bee-lined for the cemetery. Small, but had a nice gothic vibe There were several interesting statues, tombs and grave stones. Plus many trees growing everywhere, winding vines and moss. One of the tombstones was a statue of a woman. They had made it where her eyes were stained with tears. It was creepy and beautiful all at the same time Many pictures were taken. I was pretty impressed by this section alone I would highly recommend this little piece of history

Here's a little update I told you they went on adventure through California to El Camino real as I stated there's a cemetery in the back, and it was built in 1776 and there's 21 of these missionaries throughout California. I went to the one in Santa Barbara 25 years ago before there was even a Yelp or Facebook. lol There's all kinds of history on this church little plaques little gift shop Cemetery and a few people that were buried there were hung I wonder what the story was, and it was built During the our independence year! 1776 Wow now that I did not know I love history and one of the oldest Church in San Francisco. I'm definitely going to go back and go check out everything and will be posting more photos hopefully I'll go when it's not a lot of tourists because then there's no parking because the buses take up the street parking then gets too crowded. they're open 7 days a week from 9am gets crowded, so best thing is to come early and they have brochures in different languages.

The visit to this mission has truly inspired me to want to eventually get through every mission in my state . The chapel makes you gasps but once you enter the basilica , be prepared to have your breath taken away . Even the cemetery which reminds me of a gothic cemetery I visited in London a few years back.

I gave this place five stars because it's the oldest building in SF !! It's so well kept. It's not a very big mission it's one of the smaller ones if anything. I do enjoy visiting the California missions . The basilica next door is very big and beautiful! It's $7 p/p to visit. I'd say do it if you're in the area

I've been to San Francisco couple of dozens time and always passed on visiting this place. What an amazing place; filled with history, beautiful architectural designs and an important site for San Francisco. The original mission withstood the earthquake with its unique destiny to the foundation and the ceiling was painted by the Indians that built the mission. The basilica is more modern and remodeled in 1913. Beautiful architectural designs with many stained glass displaying numerous mission throughout California. The only cemetery that is non military still stands in the back. The city was named after the mission. Great place to visit.

A solemn place for the first-time visitor. As in other missions, the gift shop serves as entrance and exit - past the gift shop a lot of history is revealed to the visitor. I thought the cemetery and the history of the area and mission was the most interesting. The cemertery has a LOT of tombstones, all dating back to the 1800s; often depressing to see that most of the deaths were children but in those olden days guess that medical care was minimal plus the weather was not as "accommodating" as it is today. I found it interesting that many of the deaths were of people who immigrated to the area were from Ireland and Scotland! wow! Within the history of the mission are also little historical tidbits of SF also and will prove very informative to the history buff. The gift shop also has guides of the other missions. Thought the little refrigerator magnets were VERY expensive!!! PHOTOGRAPHICALLY SPEAKING: The chapel itself isn't much, aside from the oddly-painted ceiling and the altar. Very dark. The cemetery still seems the place to be for photographs of the tombstones, though in many spots the shadows aren't good for recording dates and words of the stones. Though many are unreadable, many others are very legible and very photogenic. Many historical notes are good too.

i visited Mission Dolores for the first time 4/2/06 and thought it was good. For $5 per adult it's not the cheapest place but we have to support the Mission right? Small Mission. Decent restrooms-have separate men and women bathrooms, fully stocked the time I went in the women's. Small cemetery. Checked out the Basilica for a tiny bit. They were going to close soon so didn't get a lot of time in the Mission but an hour was plenty. We got there about 4:10pm and the sign said they close at 4pm. They still let us walk around until 5pm. Weird.

My wife and I attended Good Friday evening services which began at 6:30PM. The liturgy is in Spanish at the Basilica portion of the Mission Dolores Church and the liturgy is in English at the old Mission Dolores church which is part of the original Mission Dolores which was built around 1777 as part of the Spanish Missions. The Basilica portion of the church is very old as well and well maintained for it's age. There is a very strong spiritual aura here since it has been around for so long. The services were very moving especially the "Veneration of the Cross" portion of the mass which basically is a large wooden cross that is passed around to the congregation. I loved these services and probably will return to this beautiful old mission which is a historical landmark and a large part of old San Francisco history.

The oldest building in San Francisco and the first building in San Francisco! The parish is actually older than the United States of America! Is the oldest Parish in San Francisco if not the Bay Area! There is a celebration next weekend!

I have started visiting (and revisiting) some of the missions I visited as a child. This past week I went back to Mission Dolores... It did not fail, it's always lovely to see these. It's colorful and lots for the eyes enjoy. The only thing is that majority of these missions are free to visit and if you can you put in a donation. We always do but with this church, you have to pay $5 adult / $3 child to get in. No donation, there is an admission charge. I don't quite understand, is this set up completely for tourists/visitors or are folks allowed to go in and pray without the expectation to pay to enter!? Admission includes the mission, the basilica, a small museum and you exit out by going through the graveyard/garden.

I didn't go in (I don't pay to enter churches - that's just me). Nice to finally see Mission Dolores after having grown up in the Bay Area. Funny, I visited other missions in California as a kid but my parents never took me here... Nice sanctuary in the Mission (now I've seen what the Mission district is named for).

My son was required to visit a Mission for his Spanish Class. I was pleasantly surprised and this lovely place. The Mission is convenient to get to. The location was a short walk from Dolores Park. Very clean leading to the church. Parking was a challenge, however restrictions are lax on Sunday. The docents were very nice. We were let loose after paying a small fee to explore the grounds. There is a cemetery that was actually very peaceful and well maintained. With the beautiful trees and plantings you forget you're in the city. Spending quality time with my son was a bonus. They also have a lovely gift shop with quality religious pieces. Nice little outing.

Was really hesitant with coming here on a Sunday and not being able to see the Basilica. If you time it in between services, you can get in and snap pictures! It's absolutely stunning inside. The mission itself is small and packed. Falls right in line with the essence of SF. The two Filipino ladies working there are so sweet! Student admission of $3 makes visiting this place a no brainer!

This is a small mission with a huge basilica next to it. The mission itself is supposed to be the only one that hasn't been reconstructed in anyway. The docent on hand was very informative. There is a huge canvas inside the mission church that covers Native American art. You'd have to google the covered art to see what it is. Overall it's a nice mission but you won't spend too much time here. The basilica next door has some incredible stained glass that feature all of the 21 missions.

I really enjoyed coming here with friends. The entrance is only 5$, and free if you are a student. This mission was the first established in the area, and gave the name to the city, in 1776. It's a composition of different parts, a chapel, a basilica and an outdoor cemetery. It is really worth going, to understand the fundation of this city and its roots. I especially enjoyed a walk in the outdoor cemetery, that really brought me back to the Old World for a couple of minutes. Check it out!

This is a fantastic place to spend an afternoon and a few rolls of film (haha, do you remember "rolls of film"??). You enter the Mission Dolores through the gift shop on Dolores Street, not 16th St. The Mission is the smaller white building (pictured) that is just south of the giant Basilica on the corner. The gift shop entrance is the small door to the left of the main entrance (far left in the picture). I paid $5 admission to a cool yoga-instructor type who prepared me for the awesomeness of this place, "I can really feel it's spirit, and I'm not even a Christian. I think that's why they filmed Vertigo in the Cemetery." Cameo in an Hitchcock classic is just one funky feature of this place. Another is the jolly old tour guide who glides around in a silky red cape. He knows *everything* about this place and lots about Vertigo too! With only an hour to wander, I skipped the guided tour and passed quickly through the Chapel, Basilica, and Museum, to maximize my time in the Cemetery. It's a teeny little cemetery which is picture-perfect spooky with crumbling monuments and oddly tilted head stones. The Gift Shop Clerk was right, this place does have a large presence. You can't help thinking about all the dead missionaries and public servants buried here and the thousands of indigenous people who died during the Mission's construction. (Queue up a little Radiohead on the iPod and you'll be in the perfect frame of mind.) Highlight: they allow flash photography in every part of the Mission (even the Chapel).

Went to Saturday Vigil yesterday. Normally, their Saturday Vigil is at 5 PM. We showed up 45 minutes early, parking our car in their free parking lot. We walked in to the museum & heard singing. Curious, we stepped into the Basilica, only to find Mass was in full progress! Apparently they had started at 4 PM b/c 3 Bishops were in attendance, celebrating Mass. Also, for recognition of the National Conference for Native Americans. What a special delight to participate in that Mass. There was Native American songs + prayers, drumming and other Sacred customs. I was so glad to experience & share the respect of many Tribes present. This was my first time to be in the Basilica. It is a beautiful historical landmark of San Francisco. If you are fortunate to go there, save some time to visit the museum & the cemetery (only cemetery in S.F.).

Reasons to check this place out. 1) Oldest building in San Fran. 2) Cool history lessons and artifacts from the original San Franciscans. 3) 5 dollar entry. 4) Colorful stain glass windows for each California Mission. 5) Spiritual refuge....

This very mission is the one I chose to do for my 4th grade project (you know which one I'm talking about) and to this day it still remains my favorite as indicative of how often I visit it! I truly appreciate the amount of upkeep and restoration that is done to keep the same historic and respectable essence throughout the entirety of this landmark. Everything from the basilica to the garden is clean, tranquil, and easily accessible, perfect for everyone enjoying a calm and affordable walkthrough. The tour begins and ends in the cute gift shop, and whenever we go there are always two of the nicest and most helpful ladies running it. The architecture is astounding and the artifacts inside are all clearly labeled, creating this "lost in time" atmosphere that peacefully surrounds you and makes you forget about the fast-paced hustle & bustle of our modern day San Francisco for a bit. Will be coming back here for Sunday service whenever I get the chance! :)

It is really interesting to get a lot of California history in one place, and to see maybe the oldest structure in San Francisco. I think most San Franciscans can live here for years and never try visiting this mission once, which is a shame. Before going it's worth reading its Wikipedia page and understanding the broader story of the missions and how they were all connected. Only $5 for a ticket and an hour of your time, well worth it one weekend.

We have lived in SF for 14 years and I'm embarrassed to say we've never been to this mission. I didn't realize that the original mission well at least portions of it, are still standing! They told us this is the most if not one of the most original missions in California. I am going to book a tour. If you have over 20 people you can get an official tour and I'm going to do that. They do give you a hand out to read for your visit . This is definitely worth a visit if you're interested in history. The chapel is beautiful and the ceiling is amazing. It was interesting to walk around the graveyard as well. The gift shop has great items and they had a wonderful collection of Milagros, the folk art made in Mexico from tin. I bought a bunch for my sister to hang up in her house as she really likes them. You see a lot of those heart full cart items in the art of Frida Kahlo. I recommend taking a visit to this historical site and if you love Mexican Folk Art , definitely visit the gift shop because they have a woman from Mexico that drives up and hand delivers beautiful handmade folk art from Mexico every few every few months. They had many beautiful heart Milagros for sale.

I created a yelp account for the sole purpose of sharing my experience at the gift shop. The staff here were INCREDIBLY rude. I am half Latina, but have blonde hair and blue eyes. Thus, you wouldn't guess just by looking at me. I speak Spanish fluently. I overheard an older woman speaking on the phone in Spanish and using racial epithets to describe some of the Asian visitors. This is a church - shame on them!! The other woman who was working wasn't very helpful and seemed annoyed to have to answer my questions.

I couldn't wait to come here and see this beautiful mission church. We came here early and found free 2hr street parking 4 mins away from the church. We came through the gift shop and got a tour map.(self guided). There was mass being held but we were able to walk in and sit for a couple minutes. We made our way to the touring area. It's the oldest structure in S.F with a cemetery and gardens. It's beautiful and tranquil.I loved the architecture inside and out. If you are visiting S.F or just live there you should visit this place. For $5, or $3 with a school I.D, it's a nice way to spend an hour. I would suggest going in the morning so you can find free parking on weekdays or you can get free parking on the weekend.

I try to visit a mission or asistencia anytime I'm in a town with one. Mission Dolores is still one of my favorites even though it's one of the smaller of the originals, and today consists of nothing more than the chapel structure and Euro-American cemetery. It is also a movie star, having been featured along with San Juan Bautista in Alfred Hitchcock's "Vertigo". The entry is at the south end of the complex, between the Mission itself and its cemetery, through the gift store (which is not a highlight of the visit for me). You are able to see both the Mission and the larger basilica next door (not one of San Francisco's great churches by any stretch of architecture or aesthetics) and there is a small room at the rear of the mission with historic relics relative to Mission Dolores. The cemetery features several notable San Franciscan's both law abiding and otherwise as well as a couple lynched by the Vigilance Committees. Only a couple of native graves are marked however, out of the 5000 buried on site, and now beneath the street and houses. Inside the church are the graves of the protestant Noe family, who gave the land back to the church. There is a replica of a native dwelling on the site of the grotto, in the cemetery. Unfortunately, Mission Dolores chooses to ignore its connection to California's slave origins, when the native peoples were in various manners brought into the "fold" but prevented from leaving, and forced to work the agricultural concerns for which the missions were founded. There was a revolt at one point when the natives weren't even being provided with the hot meal mission rules obligated the Padres to provide. It's interesting, if you see more than one mission, to see how each one chooses to deal with the thorny issue of slavery---some ignore it, like Dolores; others prefer to whitewash it, like San Juan Bautista. But all the missions closed shortly after Mexican independence as part of Mexico's outlawing of slavery. By that time Mission Dolores had long since been replaced by Mission San Rafael, and then, more effectively, by Mission San Francisco de Solano, in Sonoma and became something of a resort, of all things. As an incentive: Two blocks to the south there's BiRite ice cream, on 18th/Dolores. Dolores Park Cafe is right across 18th from that and there's Maxfield's for coffee on 17th, a block south. Dolores Park has a great view of the City from the top. And it's easy to get to Mission Dolores on the "J" church from it's 16th st stop, behind the building. Or walk down from the "F" Line stop at Dolores/Market (Whole Foods/Safeway). Definitely worth it---and if you're lucky, on a holiday mass---you'll see the building come alive with the ceremony held within its ancient walls. Do remember if visiting on Sundays or during mass--the basilica is a parish church so enter respectfully as a mass may be in progress.

I drove 2 hours to get here, and when I asked about the background/information about the mission, they said they can't tell me anything, that we need to research and find out for ourselves on the internet. Signs are poorly written and not politically correct. They are Native Americans, not Indians from the middle east morons! The signs on display also mention Spanish people. But, are these really Spaniards or are they talking about Mexican people? I guess the streets are named after people who are in the graveyard, but we don't get to know what the significance is! Rude, unhelpful, waste of money. We could have just pulled up photos off the internet and printed them instead of going there in person. If you have to go here with your kid for a school project, do not even bother, just take the photos provided on the net! they won't tell you anything, will straight up refuse to answer questions!

I visited the Mission Saturday and didn't pay a dime. A friend and I stopped by on a whim after parking outside. I was remarkably touched by the mission, it's beautiful cemetery gardens and the amazing stained glass windows inside the basilica are especially stunning on a nice day, with the light pouring in. The pews in the basilica is a great place to find some solace in the city. I highly recommend taking visitors here and "locals" should make time to stop by too and gain a deeper understanding of the history of San Francisco. Sometimes it's hard to remember our little piece of 7x7 was once just dirt and gravel.

My wife and I were on vacation in San Francisco and we have seen about 5 of the California Missions now. We entered, (Walking over the bum hanging out on the steps) and the first chapel had great stained glass and a high school class hanging out there sketching the windows. It was really pretty. We then went to the large church and looked at the other stained glass and enjoyed the self guided tour. The cemetery was pretty cool, it was a nice 30 minute jaunt near my mom's house where she grew up in. Overall, a nice little tour.

I remember making a model of this mission in 3rd grade. It is a place I studied for a report too. My first time in this mission must have been in 1994. It is a very special place. You walk in and you can see and feel and smell the history. You hear the wood floor beneath you - quickly you realize this is a sacred place even if you are only 10 years old at the time. A sense of respect and awe comes over you - its nothing like modern churches that are held in industrial warehouses or movie theaters. I remember going on a tour 22 years ago and probably much of what the tour guide told me I forgot but I did remember how I was told that the Native Americans who helped build the place were buried around the property and beneath it and likely even under the paved streets.

Idk am old school I guess but I think its weird too pay too walk around a church. I find the touristy stuff at the church really weird. All the things in the gift shop are way overpriced, they must be making alot of money cause I went to service there and they brought that offering basket around 4 or five fimes

Why doesn't anyone go here? Seriously. SERIOUSLY!!! Okay, watch out, because Supernerd is coming out in full force here... I've lived in San Francisco for less than two years, and I've been to Mission Dolores four times already. Why do stupid, fat, fanny-packed tourists from the Midwest (hey -- I can call them fat; I'm from the Midwest. I can also call Polocks dumb because I am one and Italians criminals because I'm one of those, too) want to go to crappy, smelly, Fisherman's Wharf when they can come see THIS? Fisherman's Wharf is just a great big outdoor shopping mall full of third-class crap souvenirs. They have some bad, overpriced seafood that wasn't caught or unloaded anywhere NEAR the wharf, because they haven't done that in over a CENTURY. Hell -- it's not even a "wharf." BFD. I seriously do not understand why people spend $30 for a day of parking to walk shoulder-to-shoulder with fat fanny-packers and screaming kids though THAT. Gah. I outright refuse to put that on my San Francisco Experience itinerary for out-of-town guests. Instead, I take my guests to Mission Dolores, and no one has regretted it. The original mission church itself is of course an architectural gem; it's the oldest church standing in California. Even though it's not the oldest of Father Serra's missions, none of the existing church structures pre-date this one, which has been there continuously, in one piece, since 1776. Yep -- that means it survived a lot of quakin'. And this, of course, being a state carved out by the Spanish rather than the English, is a place where the marks of Catholicism are incredibly important to the history of just about everything -- politics, trade and commerce, city planning, agriculture... But most important, this is the relatively tiny spot where the seed for the city of San Francisco -- for the whole of the Bay Area as we know it -- was planted. And here, in the tiny cemetery, are buried layer upon layer of people whose lives were entwined with the mission, from Ohlone natives drawn in and converted by Serra, whose handiwork decorates the walls and ceilings of the original church, to scores of Irish immigrants who died trying to make their fortunes during the gold rush years, to African-Americans who sought new lives and livelihoods with the railroads after the civil war... Mission Dolores represents a great amalgamation of people, time, and life... Though Serra's reasons for founding it and ALL the missions along El Camino Real were of course flawed, in our perfect, revisionist hindsight we can see it now as a melting pot, in and of itself, just like our city has grown into a melting pot on a grand scale. If you haven't been here yet, put down your bread bowl of chowder, get on the BART, and get movin'. Damn it!