World Country Guide

Orange County

Orange County used to be a quiet farming community, but ever since Walt Disney decided to build his first amusement park in Anaheim in 1955, millions of visitors have been descending on the region. The area is now famous for its luxury beach resorts and some of the best family entertainment in the world. Orange County encompasses an area of 2067 sq km (798 sq miles), with 68km (42 miles) of coastline and beaches. There are 31 incorporated cities within its boundaries, including Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, Dana Point and Costa Mesa. Anaheim and Buena Park host a high concentration of family-oriented attractions. The region offers a variety of accommodation, from family hotels for the budget-conscious to full-service luxury hotels. The region also offers a feast of international and continental cuisine, from five-star restaurants to quaint boardwalk cafes.
Anaheim City is 45km (28 miles) south of central Los Angeles and 50km (31 miles) southeast of Los Angeles International Airport, 145km (90 miles) north of San Diego and 645km (400 miles) south of San Francisco. There are close to 20,000 hotel rooms in Anaheim and nearly half of them surround the Anaheim Convention Center and are within walking distance of Disneyland. Easily the most renowned attraction in Orange County, Disneyland continues to be hugely popular. Tomorrowland brings a new generation 3-D experience, with a high-speed journey throughout the land upon rocket cars of the future, an interactive pavilion of technology and the landmark Astro Orbitor attraction. Other attractions include Honey, I Shrunk the Audience, Innoventions and the ever-popular Star Tours; and the thrill rides, such as Splash Mountain and the Matterhorn. Disneyland is open every day of the year. Also in Anaheim is Tinseltown Studios, which allows visitors to attend a two-hour awards show and dinner. As part of the experience, some guests will be presented with a Tinseltown statuette for their on-screen performance in a well-known film.
Southeast of LA and a stone’s throw from Disneyland is Buena Park. Boasting a variety of dining and shopping opportunities, this one-mile stretch of land is aptly known as the ‘Entertainment Corridor’. One of the nation’s oldest and most popular theme parks, Knott’s Berry Farm was founded by Walter and Cordelia Knott and is now in its 79th year. Originally established as a diversion for visitors to the Knotts’ rhubarb farm and kitchen cafe, it now has six themed areas, including Ghost Town, complete with cowboys and gunfights, and Camp Snoopy, the 6-acre home of Snoopy and the Peanuts gang. The park is always offering something new and the latest is Supreme Scream on the Boardwalk. One of the world’s tallest thrill rides, the 254ft vertical ascent is followed by three seconds of weightlessness and a downward plunge at 80kph (50mph).
The nearby Movieland Wax Museum is home to more than 300 movie and TV stars, all in realistic sets with props and costumes from the shows that made them famous. Guests can walk through replica movie sets with their favourite stars, including John Wayne, Robin Williams, Marilyn Monroe and Julia Roberts. Also nearby is Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum which features treasures collected by the journalist, such as a flea circus with fleas in costume, shrunken heads, mummies and more. Also in Buena Park is Adventure City, a 2-acre children’s theme park offering 11 rides and attractions, live entertainment and programmes designed to educate children about topics ranging from transport to crime prevention.
Known as the ‘City of the Arts’, Costa Mesa is the cultural hub of Orange County. It features the striking Orange County Performing Arts Center, which hosts a wide variety of cultural arts, including theatre, ballet, opera and classical music, while the South Coast Repertory stages cutting-edge productions and Tony-Award-winning plays. The Orange County Museum of Art’s South Coast Plaza Gallery has exhibits by artists working in different media. Nearby is the California Scenario, an outdoor sculpture garden designed by Isamu Noguchi. The city’s fairgrounds host the annual Orange County Fair in July.
Orange County’s 68km (42 miles) of beaches offer pristine stretches of sand and tidal pools, along with some of the finest sunbathing, surfing and sailing anywhere in the USA.
Huntington Beach is known as ‘Surf City’ and offers surfing aficionados unsurpassed opportunities. The world’s largest surfing contest, the Bluetorch Pro of Surfing Championships, hits the beach each summer. The Huntington Beach International Surfing Museum chronicles the history of the sport through antique surfboards, photographs and memorabilia of both pioneering and modern-day surfing legends. Newport Beach used to be an idyllic weekend hideaway for the rich and famous. Today, it is a coastal community of diverse character and unique lifestyles, where a vibrant business culture combines with the intimate atmosphere of charming and distinct enclaves. Newport Beach is surrounded by one of the largest small-boat harbours in the world and bordered by more than 10km (6 miles) of scenic Pacific Ocean coastline, making it a popular vacation spot. The nearby Balboa Pier, a 276m- (919ft-) long structure, provides a perfect place for fishing and sightseeing. The Orange County Museum of Art has an extensive collection of Californian art. Laguna Beach, the ‘Riviera of the West Coast’, is considered by many to be the jewel of Southern Californian beach cities. Part of Laguna’s charm is its seaside village atmosphere; the strand flows seamlessly into the town, which is filled with bistros, shops and art galleries. Heisler Park, on a bluff overlooking the Pacific, is a great place for a picnic or barbecue and has stairs leading directly down to the beach. Laguna Beach is also home to more than 70 art galleries, including the famous Laguna Art Museum.
Dana Point is known for the Dana Point Marina and its range of water activities. Whale watching is available from late December through March, when boat excursions take visitors to view hundreds of Californian Gray Whales on their annual migration along the coast. Boats depart from Balboa Pavilion as well as Dana Point.
The Mission San Juan Capistrano in San Juan Capistrano, built in 1776 and recently restored, is the oldest historical attraction in Southern California. It was made famous by the annual return of the swallows on St Joseph’s Day (19 March). The Los Rios District features some of California’s oldest adobe buildings, some still inhabited.
Yorba Linda is home to the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, at the farmhouse where America’s 37th President was born and raised. The graves of the President and Mrs Nixon are set among White-House-styled gardens.
An Orange County landmark, the Crystal Cathedral is a spectacular US$16 million glass cathedral designed by architect Philip Johnson. The only one of its kind in the world, it is open daily to visitors and free guided tours are available. The Glory of Christmas and The Glory of Easter theatrical productions, using special effects, live animals and casts of over 200, are presented annually. Little Saigon is the largest Vietnamese business district in the USA. The area features a wide variety of French, Vietnamese and Asian shops and restaurants as well as an Asian Garden. Raging Waters, in San Dimas, is the largest water theme park west of the Mississippi and features a variety of slides, rides, chutes and lagoons for adults and children and a 12m (40ft) volcano.
Wild Rivers Waterpark offers over 40 rides and attractions, two huge wave-action pools and special features for both kids and adults. The park’s attractions include The Edge, The Ledge, The Abyss and Tugboat Bay.
Cruises are available to beautiful Catalina Island, 40km (26 miles) off the Californian coast. Sightseeing tours include a glass-bottomed boat trip, scenic Terrace Drive, kayaking excursions, harbour and coastal boat cruises and a new undersea adventure in a semi-submersible submarine. Several companies operate speedy luxury passenger vessels to the island. The Catalina Flyer, a 500-passenger catamaran, whisks passengers to Catalina Island in less than 75 minutes. Daily trips are offered from March to November, with limited weekend runs during the winter months. Other vessels, operated by Catalina Channel Express sail all year round from San Pedro, Long Beach and Dana Point. Glen Ivy Hot Springs Spa, only 30 minutes from Anaheim, offers mineral pools, wading pools and saunas, and visitors can treat themselves to a massage, facial or even a eucalyptus wrap. This picturesque day resort has been a popular spot for over 100 years and is famous for its natural hot springs and red clay mud bath.
Orange County is home to many theatres, including the 3000-seat Orange County Performing Arts Center, South Coast Repertory Theater, Fullerton Civic Light Opera Company, Goodtime Theater and Irvine Meadows Amphitheater. Dinner theatres in the area include Medieval Times Dinner and Tournament, Wild Bill’s Wild West Dinner Extravaganza, Comedy Mystery Dinner Theater and Wizardz. Nightclubs range from quiet piano bars to folk and pop.
Located 15 minutes south of Anaheim is South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa. Its national and international shops offer the greatest variety of world-class shopping and dining in Southern California. Restaurants here offer gourmet food as well as informal Californian dishes. South Coast Plaza is also notable for its range of confectioners. Adjacent to South Coast Plaza is Crystal Court, which features some 40 speciality shops. Orange County’s largest indoor swapmeet, Anaheim Indoor Marketplace, has more than 12,356 sq metres (133,000 sq ft) of space with over 200 variety shops. Many brand-name items can be found here at 50 to 70 per cent below retail price. Overlooking the Pacific Ocean is Fashion Island Shopping Center. Orange County’s only open-air regional shopping centre, it features 200 shops and services, more than 40 places to eat and a variety of entertainment options. MainPlace offers 190 shops and the MainPlace/MarketPlace, which showcases international food shops and restaurants, gourmet coffees, and desserts. In addition to a variety of shops, Triangle Square offers the sounds of world-renowned and locally acclaimed entertainers and a number of award-winning restaurants. The Mall of Orange features major department stores and over 100 fine speciality shops and restaurants. Another shopping expedition is a visit to Ontario Mills where visitors will find a 1.7 million sq ft megamall. The Lab, Anti-Mall has a variety of unique and alternative shops for those seeking a different shopping experience.
The Edison International Field of Anaheim is the home of Major League Baseball’s Anaheim Angels, whilst the National Hockey League’s Mighty Ducks of Anaheim face off at the 17,250-seat Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim.
Amtrak has five train stations located throughout Orange County in the cities of Anaheim, Santa Ana, Fullerton, San Juan Capistrano and Irvine. A Greyhound bus station is located in Anaheim at 100 West Winston Street. Greyhound offers regular departures to almost anywhere in the USA. Scheduled daily shuttles provide transport from the major airports to various Orange County destinations. There are several companies that service the area including Airport Bus and SuperShuttle. Airport Bus offers a complete scheduled coach service to Anaheim from Los Angeles International and John Wayne/Orange County airports at economical fares with no reservations required. SuperShuttle is available seven days a week, 24 hours a day and services all hotels. Vans are available at Los Angeles airport on demand, but reservations are required at John Wayne.
Several major sightseeing companies offer a variety of tours and excursions; contact the tourist board for further details (see Contact Addresses section). Car hire is an option that allows visitors to explore Orange County at their own pace and according to their own tastes. Several companies are available in the area. Yellow Cab and other taxi companies provide transport to all Southern California areas, including the airports.
The following is a selection of special events occurring in Orange County in 2005:
Mar 18-20 Return of the Swallows Celebration, San Juan Capistrano. Apr 21-30 Newport Beach International Film Festival. Apr 29-May 1 Youth Expo, Costa Mesa. Jun Huntington Beach Smooth Jazz Series Presents. Jul 4 Independence Day Celebrations and Parade. Jul 8-31 Orange County Fair, Costa Mesa. Sep 17-tbc 35th Annual Summer Surf Contes, Huntington Beach. Dec 12-21 Cruise of Lights, Huntington Beach.
The average temperature is 21ºC (70°F). Summers are moderate to hot with cool evenings. Winters are mild with a little rain. Rainfall averages 13 inches annually.