Santa Ana

No reviews yetCity California, United States

W. H. Spurgeon Building (Santa Ana, CA), California

Santora Building, Santa Ana, California, California

YMCA Building, Santa Ana, California, California

About Santa Ana

Santa Ana takes its name from the Santa Ana River and the Spanish ranch lands that once covered the area. William Spurgeon laid out the town in 1869, the railroad arrived in 1877, and when Orange County was created in 1889 Santa Ana became its county seat. Orange groves and farms surrounded the young city, and its downtown filled with brick and Spanish Revival buildings.

The red sandstone Old Orange County Courthouse of 1901 still stands as the city's landmark, and downtown keeps grand Spanish Colonial and Art Deco buildings, the restored Yost Theater and the colorful shops and restaurants of Fourth Street, the heart of one of the largest Latino communities in Orange County. The Artists Village brings galleries and monthly art walks.

Santa Ana is also a city of museums. The Bowers Museum shows art and cultures from around the world, the Discovery Cube offers hands-on science for families, and the Santa Ana Zoo at Prentice Park is known for its monkeys. Leafy historic neighborhoods such as French Park and Floral Park, and the Santa Ana River Trail, round out a visit.

Best seasonYear-round; spring and fall are especially pleasant, and summers are warm and dry.

Ideal stayOne to two days for the Bowers Museum, the historic courthouse, downtown and the zoo; Disneyland and the beaches are close by.

ArrivingJohn Wayne Airport is about 10 minutes south, and Amtrak and Metrolink trains stop at the Santa Ana Regional Transportation Center.

Your Santa Ana Bucket List: 12 Top Picks

Landmarks 2

Old Orange County Courthouse

Completed in 1901, the Old Orange County Courthouse is the oldest courthouse building in Southern California and a showpiece of Ri...

Howe-Waffle House

This 1889 Queen Anne Victorian was the home and medical office of Dr. Willella Howe-Waffle, one of the first women to practice med...

Neighborhoods 2

Downtown Santa Ana

Downtown Santa Ana, often shortened to DTSA, packs historic commercial buildings, murals and a strong Latino character into a walk...

Historic French Park

Just north of downtown, Historic French Park is a residential neighborhood of carefully kept late-1800s and early-1900s houses, in...

Entertainment 1

Yost Theater

Opened in 1912 on Spurgeon Street, the Yost is one of the oldest surviving theaters in Orange County. Over the decades it showed v...

Arts 1

Santa Ana Artists Village

Centered on Second Street and Broadway in downtown, the Artists Village gathers studios, galleries and creative spaces in historic...

Food and Drink 1

4th Street Market

4th Street Market is a food hall on East Fourth Street in downtown Santa Ana, set inside a historic building and filled with indep...

Museums 2

Bowers Museum

Founded in 1936 in a Spanish Colonial Revival building with a red-tile roof and courtyard, the Bowers Museum is Orange County's la...

Heritage Museum of Orange County

Set on several acres in western Santa Ana, the Heritage Museum of Orange County preserves a slice of the county's agricultural pas...

Family 2

Discovery Cube Orange County

Beside Interstate 5, a giant tilted black cube marks Discovery Cube Orange County, a hands-on science center aimed at children and...

Santa Ana Zoo

Tucked inside Prentice Park, the Santa Ana Zoo is a compact zoo that is easy to see in a couple of hours, which makes it ideal for...

Parks 1

Santiago Park and the Santa Ana River Trail

Santiago Park follows Santiago Creek on the north side of the city, with shady lawns, picnic areas, stone walls and structures bui...

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Photo credits

Photo: Nkpug, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Cbl62, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

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Photo: Cbl62, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

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Photo: NerdyPirateGirl, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Orange County Archives from Orange County, California, United States of America, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

Photo: NerdyPirateGirl, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Coolsheep2, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

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