We are fortunate that Cafe Coyote is located in Historic Old Town. There are over 6,000,000 visitors here each year making old town the most visited tourist area in San Diego. Sea World and the San Diego Zoo get about 3,000,000 each.
Given there are so many out of town visitors to our restaurant, there is a great opportunity for you to be a service to your guests by being knowledgeable about Old Town and San Diego’s major tourist attraction.
Old town is the “Birthplace” of San Diego and California. Father Sera, a Jesuit missionary, founded the first California mission here in 1769. The Father Sera Museum, located on Presidio Hill and the Old Town State Park, located just two (2) blocks north of Café Coyote.
The Thomas Whaley House, located at 2482 San Diego Avenue, is Southern California’s first fire kiln brick house. The house was built in 1858 at a cost of $10,000 and was furnished with lavishly decorated with victorian furniture. Not only is the house historically significant, but it is one of the registered haunted houses in the state of California. Music can be heard playing as well as children laughing; cigar smoke and lavender perfume can often be smelled. A young girl who died on the property occasionally visits the kitchen, and Yankee Jim who was hanged on the public gallows in the parlor area in 1852 remains “in spirit”. His body is buried in the El Campo Cemetery just 2 blocks away.
El Campo Cemetery
The El Campo Cemetery is San Diego’s first catholic cemetery. Located at 2410 San Diego Avenue, the cemetery has been restored to its original appearance during the 1850’s. Native Americans, state lawmakers, (some law breakers), early pioneers and the town’s first mayor all rest at El Campo.