Welcome to LAist City Treks, a series of easy hikes and walks that will help you explore the parts of Los Angeles and SoCal that we rarely get to see — or only see through the car window. Expect to get about 5K steps, and plenty of photos for your social media channels. Keep scrolling, because you'll also find three recommendations for grabbing a quick bite to eat once you're finished.

Where are we headed?

Why now?

Recently, the Anaheim City Council approved a $1.9 billion plan by Disney to expand the Disneyland resort. But Anaheim is so much more than the Magic Kingdom. This stroll is the best way to take in the area's many sights: It boasts public art and great architecture — including several monuments on the National Register of Historic Places — and is home to a terrific food hall.

Quickly, what can I expect?

• Route conditions: Flat and paved
• Difficulty: An easy 1 on a scale of 1 to 5
• Distance: 3 miles
• Dog friendly: Yes, except in businesses like the Anaheim Packing District
• Parking: Street parking, free
• Bathrooms: At the Pearson Park trailhead, and at businesses along the way (so consider bringing along a few singles to tip in exchange for using the facilities)

Map it!

OK, let’s get started …

Before there were Mickey hats, there were orange trees — 12,000, to be exact, which were uprooted to make room for Walt’s theme park. This route focuses on the area east of Disneyland known as the Packing District, where oranges and lemons — plucked from Anaheim’s miles of citrus groves — were boxed up and shipped to the rest of the country.

What better place to start than Anaheim’s first official city park at the junction of Harbor Boulevard and W. Sycamore Street?

Why this might look familiar

There are plenty of places to just relax and watch the wildlife in this park.

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This park is busy with friendly birds who don't mind sharing the road with you.

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Established in 1927, Pearson Park boasts several Mission Revival buildings that will remind you of San Diego’s Balboa Park. The only honking you’ll hear in this serene place is from waterfowl. I was accompanied by a noisy pair of geese along a meandering pathway, all of us headed to the large pond on the north end.

Exit the park at its northeast corner, home to the oldest public sculpture in Orange County.

Tell me about this art

This art work honors vineyard workers.

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One side of this freestanding column commemorates Polish actress Helena Modjeska, who established Anaheim’s first artists’ colony in 1876; the other side depicts four vineyard workers representative of the city’s early agricultural era.

As you leave the park, turn right so that you are now heading south on N. Lemon Street, one of many allusions to Anaheim’s once thriving produce industry. Our trek through history continues with Anaheim’s oldest residential district. To get there, turn left on Lincoln Avenue, then right on N. Anaheim Boulevard, and then left onto E. Center Street.

Before there was a Mouse House …

As you walk down Center Street, you’ll pass S. Melrose Street and S. Kroeger Street, on your right. Both blocks make up the Kroger-Melrose District —part of the​ National Register of Historic Places — and are worth exploring if you want to log a few extra steps. They contain several Craftsman and California Bungalow homes that make up, according to the Craftsman Perspective, “Anaheim’s most cohesive unit of every Twentieth Century housing stock,” with some Victorian homes dating to the 1890s.

This place used to be a hub of activity back in the day.

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At the end of Center Street is an old Union Pacific Railway Station, where boundless crates of fruit began their journeys across the U.S. — juicy spoils that advertised the West Coast as the best coast.

How did the produce get to this train station? By another train, of course! You'll see these old tracks up ahead: Turn right on S. Atchison Street and soon you'll walk past Citrus Park, on your left. Then, turn west onto E. Broadway, left on S. Olive Street and right on E. Santa Ana Street.

Tracking the past

As you walk along Santa Ana, within one block you’ll notice the sudden appearance of railroad tracks jutting into center of the street.

First laid down by Southern Pacific in 1899, this spur was a key conveyance for the Anaheim Orange & Lemon Association to transport its bounties.

Trains bearing citrus fruit once roared through this part of town.

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Repurposing, done right

Follow the rail line to the northeast corner of E. Santa Ana Street and S. Anaheim Boulevard. Here, you'll find another Mission Revival beauty, the original Packing House in the Anaheim Packing District. Turn right onto S. Anaheim and enter the Packing House’s driveway, which will lead you to former loading docks that have been converted to restaurant patios.

Inside the warehouse is a bright and airy space with food stalls, beckoning you to grab a bite or quaff a local brew. (If you're hungry by this point, consider Adya, which serves up Indian street food, or the Kroft, which specializes in sandwiches and poutine.)

The whole complex is a textbook example of how to reimagine an old structure while preserving its integrity.

A closer look at the entrance to the Anaheim Packing House: Inside is a modern, vibrant food court. But the outside remains true to its roots.

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A vintage image of the Anaheim Packing House. The reuse stays true to its past.

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Which you're finished exploring the food hall, reorient yourself back on S. Anaheim Boulevard and continue north (walking away from E. Santa Ana Street.) Continue north on Anaheim, then turn left on W. Center Street Promenade. You'll find two pleasant blocks of dining, shopping, and modern street art.

The 100 block includes the Muzeo Museum and Cultural Center, which is backdropped by a 1908 Classical Revival building that once housed the Carnegie Library. Look for Carnegie Plaza rooftop sign.

Little park, big history

We have one last stop before we had back to our starting point. Proceed left on S. Clementine Street to its intersection with W. Elm Street. On the southeast corner is a small park. Despite its name, Little People’s Park has an outsized history in Anaheim.

In the 1970s, the neighborhood’s large Latino population protested the tactics of Anaheim’s largely white police force, culminating in an uprising here in 1978.

This noted mural may be worn in some places, but is no less powerful.

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To memorialize the moment, Chicano artist Emigdio Vasquez painted a 300-foot mural on the wall of the market on the north side of Elm. After decades of sun-bleaching, the mural was updated in 2023, incorporating key figures and flashpoints in Mexican American history. (The city of Santa Ana just announced it will save another one of Vasquez' murals, called Chicano Gothic, as part of a renovation project.)

If you want to see the mural, turn left on elm and walk nearly to the end of the block. After taking in the mural, backtrack, and now stay on Elm as you walk through the intersection with S. Clementine Street. In two blocks, you'll hit Harbor Boulevard. Turn right onto Harbor Boulevard and walk back to your starting point in Pearson Park.

With apologies to Disney, this was a real-life California adventure, yet no less magical.

Done! Where to eat

LAist's Associate Editor for Food and Culture Gab Chabrán recommends the following three places in the area to grab a bite:

Adya

Adya is a fast casual Indian food stall located in the Anaheim Packing House and is known for putting a modern twist on favorites such as chicken tikka masala and their luscious chicken kebabs, and an assortment of freshly made naans (butter, garlic, goat cheese and keema).  

The Kroft

The Kroft is also located in the Anaheim Packing House, and known for its sandwiches in particular and its comfort foods in general. Fried chicken, cheese steaks, an entire menu of loaded fries, and smash burgers. But if you can only try one thing on the menu, make it the porchetta sandwich.

Tacos los Cholos

You'll have to drive to this one after you're back at your car, but Tacos los Cholos is worth the added mileage: They've been called the best tacos in Southern California. You'll also find burritos, quesadillas ... and keto tacos, too. Save room for the churro cheesecake.