mission inn – KaylaAnn

This year I decided to travel a bit to see the famous Festival of the Lights at the Mission Inn.

First, let me begin by saying that if you are claustrophobic like me, go EARLY, like 4pm early. That way you can possibly get parking somewhat close and see the vendors before the sun sets. At 5pm they turn on the lights! If you want to go inside the Mission Inn, I suggest you get there even earlier to get in line. Regardless of the crowds, it is truly beautiful.

Here are a few of the shots I got:

This inside is also beautiful!

They had an AWESOME GINGER BREAD REPLICA!

Because I love researching things (#nerdalert), here’s some history on the Mission Inn:

It all began with the Miller family in 1874 when C.C. Miller opened a small boarding house in the middle of a small town named “The Glenwood Cottage”
Frank Miller, the son, bought the property in 1880 (changing the name to “The Glenwood Mission Inn”) and began enlarging the property opening the mission-styled first new wing in 1903
When sold to the Swig family in 1935, the hotel almost went out of business even after Swig sold over 1,000 historical paintings and artifacts.
In 1977, the hotel became a National Historical Landmark, successfully saving the hotel
Having purchased the hotel in 1992, Duane Roberts currently owns and operates the Mission Inn