Quick Take: Orange County (but not Disney)

It had been a few years since I spent time in Orange County, California. I love the sunshine and laid-back vibe of Southern California, but in recent years, my travels have taken me more often to LGBTQ hotspots like Los Angeles and Palm Springs.

So when my husband invited me to tag along on a trip to Anaheim for a work conference, I was all in. That said—I’m not really a Disney person. Sure, the Mouse and his crew are iconic, but the long lines and steep ticket prices just don’t appeal to me.

Still, with a little research, some LGBTQ travel hacks, and tips from social media friends, we found plenty of things to love in and around Anaheim. From local breweries to artsy neighborhoods and great food, there’s more to Orange County than theme parks.

For the record, my comments below are focused on the areas I explored on my most recent trip, which was centered right next to Anaheim Convention Center. This is also across the street from Disneyland, in case that’s part of your travel agenda. There’s lots more to Orange County, of course.

Getting There

John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana (code: SNA) is the only airport actually located in Orange County. It’s relatively small and easy to get in and out of (29 minutes from hotel to gate on our return). Most major carriers serve the airport, though predominantly from their hubs. It is technically possible to use transit from the airport, but not especially practical. Rideshare (or a rental car) are certainly quicker.

Other options are:

• Long Beach (code: LGB), a similar distance by car but even less practical via transit. And you’re probably only going there if you’re on Southwest since JetBlue pulled out in 2020.
• Los Angeles International (code: LAX), where there’s a lot more service, but a significantly longer drive also brings much greater chances of stereotypical Los Angeles traffic snags.
• Hollywood Burbank Airport (code: BUR) and Ontario International Airport (code: ONT) are also relatively easy to get in and out of, if you’re doing other exploration in the Los Angeles area, but are comparatively inconvenient for Orange County

LGBTQ Safety

Anaheim only scores an 80 in HRC’s database of LGBTQ legal protections. Most of those are at the state level—not the county or city—so it’s likely not a surprise that statewide, California earns a B grade from Safehome.org for LGBTQ safety—their rating is a mix of legal protections and reported hate crime statistics (both the quality and quantity of data available to them and the fact that it’s statewide mean the ranking is imperfect, but I still found it of interest since few other resources include hate crime statistics in their formulas). As well California is listed as one of the safer states in terms of transgender protections and a relative lack of anti-trans legislation.

Eating and Drinking

To my surprise, there was a lot to check out that was within a short Lyft ride from our Anaheim hotel. From the research I’d done, I figured (and hoped) I wouldn’t need a rental car, and that proved to be true—as well as the responsible thing since we checked out several watering holes in our exploration.

Highlights in Anaheim, all walkable from one another, included:

• Villains Brewing Company, where we went for an early lunch. Not only was the outdoor patio a great place to enjoy sun or shade, but the beers were good too. The Pancho Pantera packs a serious punch at 17% alcohol (!), but I swear this dark chocolate stout would make an epic ice cream float. I only had a sample of the stout, and instead focused my sipping on the far less boozy Saca la Bolsita Mexican Lager. Food was great too: heavy on smoked barbecue, but with lots of other options.
• Unsung Brewing Company, Make bar, Pali Wine Company, and Saemo Korean all share a swanky restaurant/bar area and courtyard (who knew a wheelbarrow made a cute lounge chair?). We didn’t eat here, but the beer was good and the space was beautiful. I didn’t realize until after I got home that the space is a former marmalade factory.
• Anaheim Packing District is located in one of the last remaining citrus packing warehouses in Orange County. It’s across the street from Unsung Brewing and features all my favorite elements of a great food hall: food from all across the globe, fun tchotchkes, ice cream (and other sweets) and good drinks. BXCR (read: boxcar) is a fun cocktail lounge inside an adapted rail car. Iron Press in any other context would be considered a taproom, but it’s open to great people-watching for the folks wandering through the building. And the area by the restaurants across the parking lot also turn into a makers mart on the weekend. Definitely worth checking out.

Elsewhere in the area, but not necessarily walkable from the above places, are a number of other great spots:

• Brewery X has a huge indoor beer hall (accessed at the back of the parking lot, oddly), but also has a massive outdoor area. On the weekends, they often have live music, DJs, and a makers mart. When we were there at the end of September/beginning of October, it was set up for Oktoberfest, including a number of German-themed fest beers.
• Calaca Mamas Cantina was recommended by a friend of a friend, and the organic Mexican-inspired food was delicious. I’m told the owners are Spanish, thus my “Mexican-inspired” verbiage. Portions, at least for brunch, were generous, so if you’re not a big eater, consider splitting entrees, or an entree and appetizer. Oh, and the sangria was good, though not my absolute favorite. It’s walking distance from the convention center and our waiter indicated it’s a favorite with the convention and expense-account crowd.
• The Fifth Rooftop Restaurant and Bar is a couple doors down from Calaca Mama’s. I’d read that it was a great place to watch Disney’s evening fireworks, but those don’t happen every night, so plan accordingly. We checked the place out during a convention event, so I can’t speak to what it’s like on a “normal” night, but would encourage folks to check opening hours since they appear to host a lot of convention events—and are closed to the public during these times.
• And, as mentioned, we were in Orange County during the time of Oktoberfest (which, if you weren’t aware, officially ends at the beginning of October). That’s where the Biergarten at Old World Huntington Beach comes in. Described as an “outdoor shopping and dining complex with quaint, European-style buildings & cobblestone streets,” it clearly comes alive for Oktoberfest (which they also string out until November). In the evenings, there’s a steep admission fee ($35+), but on certain nights it’s waived if you’re in traditional German lederhosen or dirndls. It was a blast with good music (some traditional, some not), good food, and good beer. It wasn’t quite the same as being in München, but it was closer than many.

Other Activities

Due to the hubby’s conference activities and my need to work in the hotel room during the day, we didn’t get in as much exploration as I’d hoped, so there were a number of things left on my to-do list, such as:

• Poppy and Seed, with its outdoor dining amid their own organic garden, was on our short list of places to eat.
• Orange Hill Restaurant (especially recommended for brunch) is said to have a menu almost as delectable as the view.
• Joe’s Italian Ice “stands as a testament to the pursuit of perfecting the art of Italian Ice,” I read.
• Don Churros Gomez is a cart in the Anaheim Marketplace. You had me at churros and I’ll need to go back for this.
• Flightdeck + Rogue Racing has flight and racing simulators. Really bummed I didn’t make it to this one.

In short, we didn’t have enough time to do everything we wanted, but we had a great time. It’s an easy flight from Portland and I was happy that we were able to explore so easily on foot and via ride share. It’s back on my shortlist for weekend getaways, though keep in mind, it’s near the coast, so especially when it’s hot inland, there’s potential for morning (or longer) marine layer that can keep things cooler than expected. Bring an extra layer, just in case.