Estancia Park Is Perfect for Picnic, Local-History Lesson

With enough speed on Adams Avenue, it’s easy to pass right by Estancia Park in Costa Mesa without ever noticing it.

It’s a well-kept park on a breezy bluff, perfect for a summer picnic. As a bonus, there’s a historical building in the park’s center. The Diego Sepulveda Adobe teaches visitors about four eras in Southern California history: Indian, Mission, Spanish and Victorian.

12 to 1: Unpack your picnic basket at the end of the park that borders Mesa Verde West. This is the high ground, which a breeze cools even on hot afternoons.

There are picnic tables here, and many are under the branches of shade trees. Trash cans, restrooms and a water fountain are available, too.

1 to 1:30: The adobe is at the center of the park. Before you enter the building, take note of the grounds, which are landscaped with aloe, cacti and roses.

In one corner of the yard stands a weathered blue El Camino Real bell. It was originally positioned, a plaque tells visitors, on the highway connecting the outposts of the San Juan Capistrano mission.

The building has been restored to look as it might have when it was first built: red tile roof, mud-colored brick walls.

Inside, the adobe’s three rooms are furnished to reflect four periods in California history. In the southwest room are the earliest artifacts: Indian baskets, Mexican pottery and a replica of a beehive-style oven.

The east room and reception area has maps depicting land grants and mission holdings.

The northwest room is furnished as it might have been in Victorian times, with a treadle sewing machine, kerosene lamps and a redwood-and-tile fireplace.

The adobe has had a varied history--a station for ranch-hands and the padres who came from Mission San Juan Capistrano to minister to them; a private home; a public landmark.

Its history begins in 1810, when the king of Spain gave the land to Jose Antonio Yorba, a retired soldier. Yorba built the adobe sometime between 1820 and 1823.

The building went through a succession of owners, until it was purchased by the Segerstrom family. The family donated the building and five surrounding acres to the city in 1940.

There is some doubt about whether the building’s namesake, Don Jose Diego Sepulveda, ever actually lived there. Diego Sepulveda, who was mayor of Los Angeles in the mid-1800s, may have simply used the structure as a way station--or estancia-- between Los Angeles and San Juan Capistrano.

1:30 to 2:15: Behind the adobe, paved paths lead down to the lower portion of the park.

You can continue walking the path and circle the park’s 10 acres. Or you can stop and take advantage of the soccer fields, basketball court or swing set.

2:15 to 3: Follow your activities with a trip to the frozen yogurt shop. Golden Spoon frozen yogurt is about 20 minutes along Adams Avenue on foot.

Or you can drive. If you do, be sure to turn in at the movie theater entrance on the left, just before Harbor Boulevard. Then you can pull up from behind the strip mall where the Golden Spoon is. Otherwise, if you go as far as Harbor Boulevard, you’ll be stuck making U-turns for days.

Estancia Park

Estancia Park. 1900 Adams Ave. Ten-acre public park has picnic benches, soccer fields, basketball courts and swings.

Diego Sepulveda Adobe. In Estancia Park. (714) 754-5300. Open to visitors on Saturdays from 1 to 5 p.m. Don’t be misled by the hours posted out front. But groups can make an appointment for any day by calling (714) 631-5918. The adobe was built to serve as a waystation for herdsmen from the San Juan Capistrano mission. Later, it was a private home. Admission is free.

Golden Spoon Frozen Yogurt. 2801 Harbor Blvd. Hours are Sunday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. (714) 641-7495. Serves nonfat yogurt with a variety of toppings, including fresh fruit.