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
Sign up for The Wild
We’ll help you find the best places to hike, bike and run, as well as the perfect silent spots for meditation and yoga.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.