We came here with family (about 12), to pay our respects to a beloved member buried here. It was our first time at this Mission. I must admit that it was quite awesome, serene, beautiful grounds. We walked around, saw the giant Pepper tree from afar, and of course visited the cemetery.We also went into the church itself.Everything at this Mission is first classBecause we were pressed for time and with family, we did not go into the museum.When we are this way again, we will visit the museum

I specifically went to Oceanside to see this Mission and a museum downtown. I also purposely chose to go on a Wednesday at 10 AM, when they opened, to avoid crowds... it was perfect. The Mission did not disappoint. Beautifully kept, my friend and I came in August and paid the adult entry fee of $8., plenty of parking. It was fairly hot day, little to no shade unless you are inside, so be prepared. We did the Self-Guided Tour throughout the whole property inside and out, all 11 points of interest. I loved seeing the oldest Peruvian Pepper tree. A little disappointed that you could not walk through the beautiful gardens and see the pepper tree up close. There was a gentleman walking the grounds to help direct and and to answer any question you had. He was truly a book of information on the history of the entire place. This mission in Oceanside is definitely worth visiting.The Mission: definitely worth a visit. Employee/Volunteers: very nice. Spend: 1-2 hours.

I have been to at least half of the California missions. None of them tried to whitewash history like Mission San Luis Rey. The descriptions told tall tales about how happy the Native Americans were (not Indians as this museum referred to them) and how sad they were when the founder of the mission left. When I talked to the cashier about the signage, she told me that I was opening up a can of worms and that there are two sides to every story and that I should go to their website. Sorry, there is not a valid other side to genocide and enslavement of an entire group of people. If you want to visit, tour the free sites of the mission, but do not give them any money and avoid the museum.

We enjoyed the church, it was beautiful. The mission was well kept. It was very informative of the Indians and the padres that had lived there. There was a very nice courtyard. Worth the trip.

This is one of The most impressive Missions in California….the Museum attached to it is full of fascinating history, including an excellent video exploring the early colonization of Southern California and its native inhabitants.