Hidden Gems in Santa Ana
5 spots in Santa Ana, CA that locals know about and most visitors walk straight past.
3 of these you cannot simply turn up to — docent-led hikes, scheduled access days, or a few open hours a month.
Every location below was checked against Google Maps; anything that could not be verified was left out rather than guessed. Descriptions come from the sources credited under each entry.
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Santa Ana Mural Walk
Landmark · Easy
"One of Southern California's most extensive collections of murals," found "in alleys, on the sides of buildings, doorways, electrical utility boxes, and even in entire city blocks," much of it rooted in the city's Chicano movement heritage. The Heritage Museum publishes a self-guided downtown route of under a mile starting at Plaza de Santa Ana, with eight stops.
- Access: A route, not a single address. The murals are spread across downtown.
- Parking: Downtown metered parking and structures.
Described from heritagemuseumoc.org, travelsantaana.com
Old Orange County Courthouse
Landmark · Easy
Built in 1901 of granite and sandstone, listed on the National Register and a State Historic Landmark; its restored early-1900s interior now holds the Old Courthouse Museum, the Orange County History Center and the county Archives. Open weekdays 8am to 4:30pm, admission free, with OC Parks tours by appointment.
- Hours: Open weekdays 8am to 4:30pm. Admission free; OC Parks tours by appointment.
Described from parks.oc.gov
Howe-Waffle House and Medical Museum
Landmark · Easy
A twelve-room Queen Anne Victorian, built 1887-1889 and moved to Civic Center Drive in 1975, home of Dr. Willella Howe-Waffle, one of Orange County's first women physicians, who delivered more than 1,000 babies over a 38-year practice and died in 1924 while attending a patient. Sources differ on frequency: Wikipedia says it "is open for tours six times a year," while the preservation society only directs visitors to its events page.
- Hours: Open only on scheduled dates, not regular hours. Sources disagree on how often - check the Santa Ana Historical Preservation Society's events page before going.
Described from santaanahistory.com, en.wikipedia.org
Heritage Museum of Orange County
Landmark · Easy
Founded in 1981 on "nearly 12 acres of land in Santa Ana," the grounds hold the 1898 Queen Anne Kellogg House, the 1899 Colonial Revival Maag Farmhouse, a blacksmith shop and the Gospel Swamp Farm.
- Hours: Select Sundays 11am to 3pm, and the open dates vary. Check the events calendar before going.
Described from heritagemuseumoc.org, en.wikipedia.org
Santa Ana Fire Museum
Landmark · Easy
Inside Fire Station #75, the museum holds "vintage equipment and memorabilia dating back to the late 1800s" alongside contemporary apparatus, centred on a fully restored 1921 Seagrave fire engine visitors can climb on during guided tours. Tickets are "Adults $5, Seniors and Members $4, Students K-12 $3."
- Hours: Open only on scheduled tour days, not regular hours.
- Access: Ticketed: $5 adults, $4 seniors and members, $3 students.
Described from santaanahistory.com
These places change and we do not get to visit them all. If something here is closed, moved, or just wrong, tell us and we will fix it.
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