ORANGE COUNTY GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENT TOURS

They’re not touted by Orange County tourist bureaus and many locals don’t know they exist. Yet tours of county government offices often do a brisk business, in and out of tourist season. They’re visited by students, professionals, civic groups and plenty of curious citizens. They’re free but must be scheduled in advance. Most include access for the handicapped--check ahead of time with the tour guide. Here are a few you might want to consider:

AGRICULTURAL COMMISSIONER

Address: 1010 S. Harbor Blvd., Anaheim

Contact: Kathy Czech, (714) 447-7100

Ages: Fifth grade and older

Group size: Up to 30

Hours: Mon.-Fri., by arrangement

Length of tour: 30 min.

Tour includes: Entomology and plant pathology labs

ANIMAL SHELTER

Address: 561 The City Drive South, Orange

Contact: Kennel Services, (714) 834-6943

Ages: All ages

Group size: Up to 20

Hours: 10-3, Mon.-Sat.

Length of tour: 1 hour

Tour includes: Animals confined in shelter, talk on shelter activities

CEMETERY DISTRICT

Address: Call for directions to Santa Ana, Anaheim, El Toro and Magnolia sites.

Contact: Cemetery district office,

(714) 951-9102

Ages: Elementary school and older

Hours: 8-5, seven days. While the cemetery district does not offer organized tours, cemetery managers offer their services by pre-arrangement. They can provide historical information about the cemetery and Orange County pioneer families buried there.

Length of tour: 1 hour

Tour includes: Self-guided walk through historic cemeteries. The Santa Ana Cemetery, with old-fashioned, pre-1900 monuments to Orange County pioneers such as the McFaddens, Spurgeons, Yorbas and the Columbus Tustin families, is of particular interest to historians.

FIRE DEPARTMENT

Address: 45 stations in Orange County, call for directions to nearest station

Contact: Information education officer, (714) 744-0400

Ages: All ages

Group size: Up to 30

Hours: Seven days, day and evening, by arrangement. Call for station open-house days.

Length of tour: 20 minutes to 1 hour

Tour includes: Fire station, firefighting apparatus, fire engines--hook and ladder, paramedic trucks, living quarters

HARBOR PATROL

Address: Newport Harbor, 1901 Bayside Drive, Corona del Mar

Contact: Watch commander,

(714) 673-1004

Ages: 7-11

Group size: Up to 35

Hours: Weekday mornings

Length of tour: 30 minutes

Tour includes: Introduction to Harbor Patrol operations, fireboats, patrol boat, boating safety

LAW LIBRARY

Address: 515 N. Flower St., Santa Ana

Contact: Richard Ayotte, public services librarian, (714) 834-3001

Ages: junior high and older

Group size: 12

Hours: 8-5, Mon.-Fri.

Length of tour: 30-45 min.

Tour includes: Public areas, including reading room and microfiche

LIBRARY--SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO BRANCH

Address: 31495 El Camino Real, San Juan Capistrano

Contact: Molly Burke, docents tour director, (714) 496-9667

Ages: Teen-agers and adults

Group size: 10 or more

Hours: 11-1, Saturdays

Length of tour: 30 minutes

Tour includes: Architectural tour of award-winning library designed by Michael Graves. Lecture, tour of building, grounds, meeting rooms. Each branch in the county system also offers how-to-use-the-library tours for children and adults. Call individual branches for information.

OLD COUNTY COURTHOUSE

Address: 211 W. Santa Ana Blvd.,

Santa Ana

Contact: (714) 834-3703

Ages: All ages

Group size: Up to 20

Hours: 9-3 Tuesday or by arrangement on Thursday

Length of tour: 30 min. to 1 hour

Tour includes: Courtrooms and museum gallery of historic 1901 county courthouse. Also available by special arrangement is an architectural tour of the building’s exterior and interior, with legal highlights in the county’s history.

ORANGEWOOD CHILDREN’S HOME

Address: 401 City Drive South, Orange

Contact: Dorothy Hayward, (714) 834-7102

Ages: 18 and older

Group size: Up to 15

Hours: 10:30-11:30, alternate Fridays

Length of tour: 1 hour

Tour includes: Intake section, children’s cottages, gym. Also includes discussion of Orangewood’s role in juvenile court system.

RECORDER’S OFFICE

Address: 630 N. Broadway, Santa Ana

Contact: Lee Branch, county recorder, (714) 834-2500

Ages: Adults

Group size: 6 to 8

Hours: By arrangement

Length of tour: 1 hour

Tour includes: Explanations of index system and how to use it, role of county recorder, how documents are examined. Geared toward those in real estate-related services--title companies, escrow services, paralegals.

SUPERIOR COURT

Address: 700 Civic Center Drive West, Santa Ana

Contact: Court Administration, (714) 834-3226

Ages: Grades 8-12

Group size: Up to 60

Hours: 9-12, twice a month, second and fourth Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, November through May

Length of tour: 3 hours

Tour includes: Led by Orange County Law Auxiliary members, tour includes observation of traffic court, arraignments, trial in progress; participation in mock trials.

TRANSIT DISTRICT

Address: 11222 Acacia Parkway, Garden Grove

Contact: Kathy Zeutzius, community relations, (714) 638-9000, Ext. 358

Ages: All ages

Group size: Up to 30

Hours: By arrangement

Length of tour: 45 min.

Tour includes: Operations and maintenance facilities, bus washer, radio dispatch room, painting room, probe (removes money from coin box)

VECTOR CONTROL

Address: 13001 Garden Grove Blvd., Garden Grove

Contact: Fred Beams, (714) 971-2421

Ages: Fourth grade and older

Group size: Up to 20

Hours: 7-4:30, Mon.-Fri.

Length of tour: 1 hour

Tour includes: Film, short lecture, tour of labs, special equipment such as amphibious sprayers.

WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT

Address: Huntington Beach--call for directions.

Contact: Corinne Clawson, public information officer, (714) 962-2411

Ages: 10 and older

Group size: 10 to 25, larger groups by special arrangement

Hours: 8-3, Mon.-Sat.

Length of tour: 2 hours

Tour includes: Bus or walking tour, film, lectures on waste treatment process

Source: Individual agencies