Old Town Irvine Amusements, Food Above Par

Formerly the site of bean and grain silos and a blacksmith shop, Old Town Irvine is a wonderful place to go back in time, but an even better place to spend it. These days you can play seven of the finest golf courses in the world in its 99-year-old warehouse. You can enjoy the finest gumbo and ham hocks in Orange County in an old garage. And what was once the General Store offers Santa- and Elvis-inspired collectibles.

11 to 12:15: We could have chosen Quinta del Lago in Portugal or Club de Bonmont in Switzerland--in fact, we could have hit both in the same day--but we opted for something closer to home, the back nine at Pebble Beach, and still saved hundreds of dollars in greens fees.

Indoor Golf Center is like virtual reality without the headsets. Clubs are provided, though many golfers bring their own, and you play the courses as if you were there. Tee locations--pro, men’s or ladies’--are as they are on a regulation course, pro being farthest and ladies closest to the hole. An infrared camera reads spin, rotation and trajectory to determine t1751457894s score.

Best of all, the view from each new position is projected on a large canvas screen before you. We felt what it was like to avoid the Pacific Ocean, the wind-swept Monterey pines, the windows of the beautiful homes surrounding Pebble Beach. To escape sand traps, you hit out from a strip of simulated sand. Once on the green, you putt out, just like in miniature golf.

Real golfers can get through 18 holes in an hour, but beginners should allow considerably more time. Rates are $12 for nine holes, $20 for 18. Indoor Golf Center offers three machines (one tucked away upstairs), and a video golf game. Paraphernalia includes “Golf or die” caps. Snacks, beer and a jukebox make it a great place to hang out.

12:15 to 1:15: The original Burrell’s in Santa Ana was cozy. The Old Town Irvine location, in an earlier incarnation the second Ford dealership in Orange County, is spacious and bright with no compromise in quality.

Specialties include fried catfish ($8.50, with two side orders) and ham hocks with black-eyed peas ($7.95). Pork “tips ‘n ends” ($5.95 for the ample “small plate,” which includes one side order) are perfect with the Louisiana Hot Sauce. Side orders ($1.50) include dirty rice and hush puppies (cornmeal balls with onions and jalapenos).

An ideal lunch combination might be Louisiana gumbo ($2.75 for half a pint, bursting with flavor, the crab still in shell), a side of collard greens and corn bread, and maybe a slice of sweet potato pie ($1.95); pecan pie ($2.25) offers whole fresh nuts and a profoundly satisfying filling. Whipped cream on both desserts was light, not sweet and gooey.

1:15 to 1:35: Stary-Sheets Fine Art Galleries specializes in the “California school of watercolor,” which refers to a style developed by a small group of painters during the 1930s and ‘40s to reflect local character. That school included Millard Sheets, father of the gallery’s owner. Far more interesting were examples of neon sculpture and whimsical contemporary furniture such as Mark Bryan’s “Bonfire of the Vanities,” a chest of drawers with human feet and bluish legs below and, above, a mirror surrounded by flames.

1:35 to 2: If you’re into miniatures, the Wee House is for you. There’s a whole glass cabinet full of little cottages, for instance, and an entire “Snow Village” display table. Of wider interest, perhaps, are collectors’ plates: scenes of Native Americans, and wolves, in winter; “The Sound of Music” and “Casablanca” plates, and a whole wall of Marilyn Monroe, the Beatles and Elvis.

If Burrell’s didn’t satisfy your sweet-and-gooey quota, the Wee House will. Terminally cute items include fat little friars playing musical instruments, and a little rodent at a spinning wheel inside its “Oh, What a Beautiful Morning” teapot bungalow. “Cherished Teddies” by Priscilla Hillman are proclaimed 1993 collectible of the year, and the teary-eyed Precious Moments Collection is far too precious for words. Commanding hundreds of dollars with little increase in aesthetic value are Hummel figurines, such as rosy-cheeked children chasing geese.

You’ll also find “Star Trek” figurines; skiing nutcracker men; and the fantasy creatures of “Chronicles of Krystonia,” all of whom are fondling little crystals. One creature in the series muses, “A comfortable cradle, a quiet cave and a great toe to suck--what more could a young dragon want?”

1. Indoor Golf Center 14988 Sand Canyon Ave. (714) 857-1224 Open daily, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

2. Burrells Wood Pit Bar-B-Que 14962 Sand Canyon Ave. 714) 786-0451 Open Sunday through Thursday, 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.

3. Stary Sheets Fine Art Galleries 14988 Sand Canyon Ave. (714) 733-0445 Open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.

4. Wee House 14980 Sand Canyon Ave. (714) 552-3228 Open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

PARKING/BUSES

Parking: There is ample, free parking throughout Old Town Irvine.

Buses: OCTA buses 75 (Santa Ana to Laguna Hills) and 85 (Santa Ana to San Clemente) stop at Sand Canyon Ave. and Burt Rd.