Topped by the US flag and overlooking old town, this rolling 40-acre hillside – once trodden by soldiers, missionaries, and Indian neophytes – is now a popular site for weddings, picnics, and informal sports.

Within the confines of the park are assorted ruins, the Serra Museum, and the Fort Stockton Memorial. Named for Commodore Robert Stockton in 1846, the now-vanished fort is marked by a cannon, monuments, bronze statues, and a flagpole.

Serra Museum:

Built to commemorate San Diego’s original fort and mission, this gleaming, reinforced-concrete museum was designed by architect William Templeton Johnson in homage to the city’s Spanish Colonial heritage.