7 Most Popular Things To Do When In Santa Ana (2024)

Santa Ana is a beautiful city in Orange County and lies within close proximity to Los Angeles and Disneyland. Though it is a small city, there’s something endearing about it that tourists from Southern California and all part of US come drawn here during each and every holiday season. Whether you are here for a day trip, a weekend stays, or a long holiday, Santa Ana and its attractions will make you fall in love with them in the most awe-inspiring way.

The city of Santa Ana is well-known for the famous Santa Ana River, Santa Ana Zoo, Bowers Museum, Discovery cube, Heritage Museum, and several other said and discussed attractions. But apart from the well-known tourist attractions in the city, there’s a lot more which one can explore, enjoy and be a part of. For turning your holiday into a delightfully different experience, the city of Santa Ana offers an abundance of activities. Here’s a list of “7 Most popular things to do when in Santa Ana”. Have a look:

7 Most Popular Things To Do When In Santa Ana

1. Explore the Santa Ana Downtown

Entire California is named for some great neighborhoods, and the Santa Ana Historic Downtown is one popular amongst them. The downtown of Santa Ana has a bustling food affair, and anything here on the menu will never disappoint your taste and exploring excitement. The 4th Street Market, Black market Bakery, and Restaurante Las Cazuelas are only a few highlights here, but the food scene goes bigger and better once you begin exploring. 

Also, apart from food, the Historic downtown of the city is also known for charming Art Deco style buildings, old-style movie theatres, performing arts theatre, and unique shops mostly filled with travelers. The downtown is also home to the Old Orange County Courthouse (which was the first Courthouse of Orange County but now serves as a building) and the famous Artist Village for Santa Ana that alone treats for several museums, shopping, and exploring scenes. Further, if you have some time to look for some handcraft wonders, do consider paying a visit to the Alta Baja Market.

2. Taste some baked in the Santa Ana Bakeries

The city has some delightful bakers, and visiting one of their bakeries is a famous thing to do when in Santa Ana. One of the well-known bakeries that cannot be missed is the La Rancherita Bakery. Despite being new in the competition, La Rancherita offers lip-smacking baked delights carved with its team of highly skilled bakers who neither compromise with the quality nor do they use even a pinch of artificial substances. It offers both dining and take-out options and specializes in some really savory meat pies.

Another great bakery to explore in Santa Ana is the Black-market Bakery. It is one of the oldest working bakeries in the town and is known for the tastiest black-bottom creme brulee, freshly made Marshmallows, Hand-Pulled Brittle, Flourless Walnut Mudslides, and mini-tarts. Further, for a relaxed atmosphere around a delightful aroma, you can also try the El Metate Panaderia, a cute little place for all customized and special needs.

3. Get a divine treatment at the Montanya Spa.

Holidays aren’t only for dispersing your energy but also for refilling the rejuvenation. Every trip must end with a relaxing day that can charge one for life further, and for any such affair, Montanya Spa in Santa Ana is one great deal. The Montanya Spa is located nearby the Bowers museum and is known for its extraordinary sanctuary of serenity. Designed with a great deal of nature, it is a resort-like day spa location, unlike any other regular spa places you would find in the city around.

Every little detail at Montanya Spa speaks softness, relaxation, and rejuvenation. The place has a special tranquil meditation room along with a bamboo-enrobed. The setting here is a Japanese treehouse inspiration with water lilies floating near a Buddha Statue nestled between huge lush green trees, providing it a unique out of the city feel. At Montanya, you can opt for several massages, body treatments, and special couple packages and achieve the perfect union of refreshments at justified prices.

4. Sip and buy some liquor from Blinking Owl Distillery

Santa Ana is working towards bringing some fine experiences to the city, and the Blinking Owl Distillery is one fine step towards the same. It is the first liquor company with a Type 74 Craft Distillers license in California, which means they can produce, sell and operate a tasting room for liquor altogether. Blinking Owl Distillery produces liquor all throughout the year, and some of their highlights include orange vodkas, traditional and barrel-aged Aquavit and gin, Scandinavian spirit, traditional and barrel-aged Aquavit & gin.

One can stop at the Distillery for shopping, tasting, or taking an informative tour where they can learn a lot about liquor. For individuals who are into fresh liquor, it is one great place to explore, and not even a single sip here will disappoint you. However, to get an entry into the Blinking Owl Distillery, one has to be a minimum of 21 years and must carry along their age IDs. Also, kids are not allowed inside the Distillery, not even under adult supervision.

5. Try on a game at the Willowick Golf Course.

The Willowick Golf Course lies in the heart of Santa Ana is only 5 miles away from the famous Anaheim Disneyland. It is an 18 holes golf course and the oldest one running in Orange County, operational for both the local public and travelers. The Golf course here is everything you would expect for- one great field-like grass driving range, two sets of tees, a PGA Class A professional on staff, three practice putting greens, and a pro shop chock-full of products. An average golf round here is of about 4 hours.

Willowick Golf Course is not just the regular golf place but also a sight featuring a 5,000 square-foot full-service bar and a restaurant. At their beautiful outdoor seating, you can grab some imported beer round or American-bistro fare, justifying your time and money.

6. Spend an evening at the 4th Street Market

Known as Orange County’s most creative market, the 4th Street Market is a well-known affair of the best South Californian menu. The market has an up-scale lineup of Vegan Sushi, Buqqa Mediterranean Grill, Naughty Panda, Malinali Superfoods, Deli Station Soups, Salads, & Sandwiches, Vietnamese Crepes and a huge variety to try from. The market starts operating from 6 or 7 in the morning and goes until late night hours sorting out all your brunch, lunch, and dinner menus in one place within an affordable price.

The specialty of the 4th Street Market is its every changing menu, so every time you visit here, you can try something new, extraordinary, and better than the last time. Also, unlike the regular food streets around the US, it does not have a basic setting but up class seating arrangements with regular in-room dining or relaxing patio arrangements. Though the regular operational hours like breakfast or lunch hours or the evening affair is quite crowded and grabbing the best seat can become a task.

7. Explore the skies via Air Combat USA

Once you are done with exploring the city on foot and vehicles, consider doing it uniquely and explore the skies of Santa Ana. The Air Combat USA provides an authentic, all glamourized, and breath-taking experience of flying in the skies of Orange County and grabbing the bird-eye view of the city. Air Combat USA has been operating for more than 20 years now and has hosted more than 50,000 guest pilots for an extraordinary flying experience.

You can opt for either a quick 10-minute ride or customize your package for a long-lasting and surreal experience. Bookings for the rides are available either online, or one can visit in person and check for empty slots as well. Here you can fly a real Marchetti SF-260s with an instructor alongside, so your safety is all taken care of. At the end of the ride, you can also ask for an HD recorded video of your experience; however, all of this is one well-expensive affair.