Christmas Shopping in San Juan Bautista, CA

In many ways, picturesque San Juan Bautista, Calif., has never left the the 19th century. Merchants still ply their trade in the original rough-faced adobe buildings. Turn a corner, and you might startle chickens crossing the road.

Despite the turns and twists of history, this little village of 1,700 just south of the Santa Clara County line has been thriving for more than two centuries. First centered around its mission, founded in 1797, the town evolved into a bustling commercial center and stagecoach hub in the mid-1800s. Today, San Juan Bautista is still a destination, but now for seekers of antiques, good food, and snippets of state history.

Even the holidays take on an Old California flavor here, with colorful saints' banners hanging throughout the downtown area during December.

"When you drive into town, it's like going back 100 years," said San Juan city manager Jan McClintock. "It's quaint, unique and relaxing."

The mission faces San Juan Bautista Historic State Park, a lovely plaza surrounded by buildings from a bygone era. That these structures have survived at all is remarkable, since they're right next to the San Andreas Fault. To the west, you'll see Fremont Peak, where in 1846 John C. Fremont planted a U.S. flag in defiance of Mexico. The old adobes in town once housed Mexican generals and Donner Party survivors, and a nearby heart-shaped cemetery, photographed by Ansel Adams, is the final resting place for early settlers.

Yet for an old place, San Juan Bautista still has plenty of life in it. Best known for its annual antiques street fair in August, San Juan has some kind of event going on almost every weekend. In 2007, even more were added, including a Model-T car show, a Memorial Day music festival, and in October, a 50th anniversary celebration of the filming of the Hitchcock classic "Vertigo." (The mission served as the setting for the movie's thrilling climax.)