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If you love getting in touch with nature, Orange County has definitely got you covered. You can go bird watching in Bolsa Chica, or practice your photography skills during a nice hike on the Back Bay. There are also plenty of parks, trails, gardens, wetlands and miles of wilderness to explore as well.
If you’re more of an indoor person, feel free to take in a museum in Tustin or Santa Ana, stroll into an antique store in Old Towne Orange, or visit one of the many historical buildings and points of interest at The Mission in San Juan Capistrano.
Historical Parks
Regional Parks
Wilderness Parks
Historic Sites
Anaheim Museum
1908 landmark houses a pictorial history of Anaheim, one of the original Carnegie libraries. Anaheim. 714-778-3301.
Bowers Museum of Cultural Art
One of Southern California's finest museums and Orange County's largest, the Bowers Museum presents world class exhibits and is devoted to promoting the understanding of human nature through art. Santa Ana. 714-567-3600.
Bradford House
1890 home listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Placentia. 714-993-2470.
Crystal Cove State Park
Located north of Laguna Beach. Features overnight campsites. 949-494-3539.
Discovery Museum of Orange County
Restored 1898 Kellogg House and Garden. Santa Ana. 714-540-0404.
George Key Ranch
An 1898 home, botanical garden and orange grove, listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Placentia. 714-528-4260.
Helen Modjeska Historic House and Gardens
A National Historic Landmark. Modjeska Canyon. 949-855-2028.
Heritage Hill Historical park
Historically furnished buildings in a park setting. Lake Forest. 949-855-2028.
Historic Downtown Fullerton
A cluster of over 70 historic buildings and a rustic old town atmosphere are just a sampling of what Downtown Fullerton has to offer. 714-738-6879.
Historic Yorba Cemetery
Yorba Linda. 714-528-4260.
Laguna Beach Lifeguard Tower
Main Beach, Laguna Beach.
Mission San Juan Capistrano
Built in 1776, one of Father Junipero Serra’s historic missions known for the return of the swallows every March. San Juan Capistrano. 949-234-1300.
Muckenthaler Cultural Center
Traveling exhibits and events. Fullerton. 714-738-6595.
Newland House
Historically furnished Victorian home. Huntington Beach. 714-962-5777.
Newport Harbor Nautical Museum
A floating museum featuring nautical artifacts. Newport Beach. 949-675-8915.
Old Orange Courthouse Museum
1901 landmark used in numerous movies. Santa Ana. 714-834-3703.
Old Towne Orange Plaza
Listed in the National Register of Historic Places. 714-538-3581.
Old Town Tustin
This area is centered around a group of historic buildings that date back to the 1880s. 714-832-1845.
Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Birthplace
Depicts the public and private life of America’s 37th President. Includes the farmhouse where he was born and the burial gardens of President and Mrs. Nixon. Yorba Linda. 714-993-3393
South Coast Wilderness Parks
These parks are some of the last remaining coastal canyons in Southern California. Guided hikes, mountain bike, and equestrian rides are offered. Call ahead for reservations. 949-855-7275.
The Ramon Peralta Adobe Historic Site
6393 E. Santa Ana canyon Road, Anaheim 92807. 714-528-4260.
Stanley Ranch Museum
2-acres of century-old buildings including where Walt Disney started his business. Garden Grove. 714-530-8871.
The Tustin Area Museum
The museum contains a wealth of information and photographs about the history and growth of Tustin. 714-731-5701.
Whitaker-Jaynes Estate
An 1887 historical house filled with turn of the century furnishings in the Buena Park Historical District. Buena Park. 714-562-3570.
Natural Science
Ocean Institute
Dana Point. 949-496-2274.
Discovery Museum of Orange County
Restored 1898 Kellogg House and Garden. Santa Ana. 714-540-0404.
Fullerton Arboretum
Fullerton. 714-278-3404.
Newport Harbor Nautical Museum
A floating museum featuring nautical artifacts. Newport Beach. 949-675-8915.
Orange County Natural History Museum
Located in Aliso/Wood Canyon Wilderness Park. Laguna Niguel. 949-831-3287.
Sherman Library and Gardens
Botanical gardens with paths leading to living exhibits. Cultural and educational research center devoted to the study of the Pacific Southwest. Corona Del Mar. 949-673-2261.
Upper Newport Bay Peter and Mary Muth Interpretive Center.
Exhibits and programs about the delicate ecological system in this unique wetland estuary. Newport Beach. 949-640-6745.
Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve
Over 300 acres of preserved wetlands, home to a variety of bird and waterfowl species, follow signed walkways, Huntington Beach. 714-846-1114.
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