Downtown Santa Ana is filled with culture and fun! You could spend hours there, exploring the Old Orange County Courthouse, the Dr Howe-Waffle House, The Fiesta Marketplace and the Santa Ana Arts District. Click here to learn about the day trip I took with my family to Downtown Santa Ana!
I'm from San Diego and one of the things I miss most about my hometown is the Gaslamp District. It's in downtown San Diego and filled with art, music and lots of shops!
Orange County doesn't have a downtown area, but you can find small downtown districts within many of the major cities here and Downtown Santa Ana has quickly become one of my favorites!
We started our adventure at the Old Orange County Courthouse, which offers tours Monday through Friday 9am to 5pm. Martin particularly enjoyed looking at the Cannon War Monument outside of the courthouse.
Right across the street is the Dr Howe-Waffle house (pictured below with a child that is certainly not mine!). Dr Howe-Waffle was the first female doctor in Orange County. The home was built in 1887 and is open for tours on a very limited schedule (please click on link to see exact hours the home is open)
Then we ventured over to the 4th Street Shopping District (also called the Fiesta Marketplace) which advertises itself as "A Little Piece of Mexico" and that it is! With over 40 shops and restaurants, it is really a fun way to enjoy a bit of Mexican culture, right here in "the OC".
Next stop was the Santa Ana Arts District (SAAD). With art galleries lining the 8 blocks of the art district, there really is something for everyone. Martin particularly enjoyed the "Shag" exhibit at the Grand Central Art Center which included a room with artist renderings of Disneyland rides!
Special Scavenger Hunt Item: Can you find the blue piano in the artist district?
From what we found, the restaurants in the Arts District are not very kid friendly. If you are hungry, head back over to the Fiesta Marketplace or down the street to Original Mike's (which has a beautiful patio area).
We were able to entertain ourselves for almost 5 hours and had a wonderful, cultural experience!
Have any tips on a day trip to Downtown Santa Ana? Comment here!
WOW this a great article! I really enjoyed learning about the location about the first female doctor in the OC! I will def look into the schedule to take my kiddos there! I spent half of my life going to what we call 4 street...that is were we get all of the baptism clothing, quinceanera clothing, any Mexican artifact can be bought there...even Mexican treats!! Thanks for sharing this with us!!