Really cool place to take a stroll at. They offer free tours so you can go inside four of the buildings. We did the 11 am tour on a Saturday and our guide Victor was terrific. The tour lasted a little over an hour. Even my teen said it was a lot more fun than she had anticipated. Definitely worth a stop. read more

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My family moved to Orange County in the late 70s, I used to see this Historical Landmark Church down by the railroad tracks off El Toro Rd. Does anybody else remember this ? So happy I get to see it transferred here. Happy to see that they put a diorama here too, great educational tool. (See pic) This is the place to go to enjoy ac Candlelight, walk-through during the Christmas Holidays. In October, they have the non-scary family harvest activities. In Springtime they do the Easter Bunny egg hunt etc. Used to know a couple that were married here as well. Wondering if they still do that? My favorite thing to do here, is visit one of the nearby restaurants, take the food to go, and enjoy a picnic Table with benches. A beautiful thing to do here at Heritage Hill Park. read more

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What a wonderful fall-o-ween this park has put on for the OC community! Beautifully decorated, well-kept and organized park event perfect for the fall season. There were lines for photo opportunities and park workers/volunteers did a great job at managing lines and helping guests take nice pictures efficiently. This event was great for families, couples and even bringing your pets to get some beautiful fall pictures. We hear there's a Christmas event too, would love to attend that as well. I will say the parking situation can be a bit frustrating, especially when spots open up but they still won't let cars in to park there. But it was organized for the little parking lot they offer. read more

Heritage Hill Historical Park - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Lake Forest, California

I visited Heritage Hill historical Park because this past weekend they had a holiday light festival here. I like coming here because they actually give you tours about each historical building and talk a little history about it. All the docents were very nice and very friendly. As for the holiday light display, it was very bright, fascinating, and so much to see. I feel like they did a even better job this year than last year in creating these fun filled free events for kids and family. This time they actually had chestnuts Literally roasting over an open fire. Each visitor got to take a complementary Chestnut and it was delicious. read more

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Review is for Fall-O-Ween at Heritage Hill! Free admission, free parking, pet friendly, and stroller accessible. What more could you ask for?! Heritage Hill is located in a shopping center so parking was pretty difficult for a Saturday in October. This event is definitely more for kids. There is a scavenger hunt with a goodie bag prize, small hay maze, Halloween lights throughout, fog machines, animatronics and many beautifully decorated photo ops in front of the historical buildings! Nothing pops out to scare you, but there are some animatronics that are more on the scary side. We enjoyed taking photos with the photo ops! I liked how there are organized lines for each photo op, volunteers are there to take your photo with your phone and lights are even set up to make sure your photos come out nice and bright. We came here with 2 babies and a toddler on a Saturday night. It was really crowded and difficult to walk / push a stroller as expected for a free Halloween event! Regardless, we still had fun - especially the toddler! Restrooms and port o potties were available. Did not see any food or drinks for sale, but this is located in a shopping center with fast food, pizza, CVS and Ralph's. Everything from parking to lining up for a photo was very organized. Everyone working was friendly to all the children and seemed to really enjoy it! read more

Heritage Hill Historical Park - 2024 photo op with animatronic Oogie Boogie - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Lake Forest, California

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I attended the 2024 Fall O Ween event at Heritage Hill Park, and while the decor was nice to see, I won't be back unless they cap the attendance. This event is put on by a volunteers affiliated with OC Parks, so I will acknowledge that they did a great job of transforming the grounds with Halloween decor. The event was marketed as a fun community event, open to all, with free parking and admission. However, it was a madhouse once we got there. First, we struggled to find parking as the parking lot (which is already huge) was full and chaotic due to families and kids walking in every direction. Next, once we passed the initial queue to get into the park, we were surprised to see even more long queues for all the photo ops in the park! Even walking around the park felt extremely crowded and uncomfortable. After getting one photo op, we decided to leave early, in disappointment. While I appreciate the efforts from OC Parks to host this event, I would recommend monitoring the capacity of the event (e.g. implement a timed ticketing system or charge a nominal fee) so that attendees can actually enjoy it. read more

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Beautiful Christmas display! Make sure you go.... Highly recommended. December 8-10 from 5 pm - 9 pm. There is tons of parking. Use the whole shopping center, it's about a two minute walk. Excellent display of lights. Plenty of things to do for the kids. It takes about 45 minutes or so to walk through the whole park enjoying the lights around. Enjoy the walk and take it all in! It was beautiful. Free parking, free park entrance, nothing else you need! read more

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This park is truly a gem. Whether it's during the different holiday events they have or normally, it's a nice historical park to visit to appreciate a small part of the past that is still preserved here. It's tucked away until you enter the property and transported into another world. Ample parking in a shopping/dining complex. You can make a whole afternoon-- visit the park and then sit down at one of the restaurants to eat. I love coming here during their Fall-o-ween and Christmas festivities. They go all out with decor and lights and being there made me feel all of the joys of the season and ready for Fall! The staff are incredibly welcoming, warm, and nice. They are also kind and truly want everyone to enjoy themselves. Always felt safe with law enforcement around since the holiday events do get very busy and extremely crowded. read more

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This is a review strictly off the Fall-o-ween event. This is a good place for someone who is or wants to become an influencer. I do like that parking and admission were both free- always a great bonus! However, it is mainly just a bunch of lines to take pictures in front of different photo ops. There were no games or activities other than a small hay maze. There was also a scavenger hunt for school age children in which they get stamps on their cards at various stations and then receive a small bag or candy once they have a completed card of all 6 stations. I think that may be fun for them but for a toddler, waiting in line just to take pictures is not really worth all the hype. We did one line for pictures and skipped the others, did the hay maze real quick and left. read more

Heritage Hill Historical Park - Family photo in front of the historical school house - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Lake Forest, California

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Beautiful little park to walk through and learn the history. Came here to see their Christmas lights and loved it. It's a small area but we'll contained fire little kids. They had lights on everything including a caravan, a tractor, trees... It was so beautiful and so many photo opportunities including a man with a handheld snow machine every time a photo was being taken by one of the stalls. Loved walking into the school which was built in the 1900's and the church. All the staff were friendly and courteous but very few had masks on. read more

What a really cool experience that the OC parks put on in conjunction with Heritage Hill Historical Park. The Holiday lights experience was phenomenal. The park staff was unbelievably friendly and inviting. They put all the hard work into decorating this location and it was family friendly and best of all a free experience. What we love this at every one of the photo shop locations and there were about five of them. There were park staff that were eager, accommodating and more than happy to take a picture of you and your family. In one location you had a Park Employee creating fake snow for the photos and all those passing by during the breaks. This was the highlight of our holiday light tours. Now that we know this is here will be bringing family back each year. A big shout out and thank you to all of those who put their time and effort into making this special experience! Merry Christmas! read more

First off they open at 430pm. Be here at 400 to stand in line. This place is awesome and puts pumpkin patch in the realm that it should be. A great small maze for kids. Scavenger hunts for the kids with a goodie bag at the end. And a lot of great photo stations for the family and kids. Over all the best one I have been to. Not games or bounce house here nor needed. A must try if you haven't and no admission. Free to enjoy read more

Heritage Hill Historical Park - Barn photo - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Lake Forest, California

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Located in South Orange County in Lake Forest. Heritage hill Historical Park is a great place to learn about south Orange County and how El Toro developed. The historical structures from the adobe built in 1860 to the school house built in 1901 is just so cool to walk through and learn the history. The docents are absolutely wonderful and so very informative! This review is in particular to the annual candle walk always in December. It is solely one weekend (three days) so be sure to make plans for it! The event is $5 per person and you get to walk through all the historical structures, Carolers are singing, story times are being read in the school house, pictures with Santa are also being taken for free, and so many craft stations are available for the kiddos too. This event really gets you in the holiday spirit. Looking forward to this event next year! read more

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We came a couple years ago and was blown away with the creativity (school house was Harry Potter themed inside) and the fun candy stations for the kids. There was plenty of photo ops, crafts, and food. Fast forward to tonight and it's a huge difference. The event itself is great if you're looking for something free and festive to do, but unfortunately, the long lines took some of the joy out of it. Each photo op station has a long line, no trick or treating, no food. This time there is a scavenger hunt in which at the end, you get a small bag of dum dums, jolly rancher, bite sized Milky Way, and a single starburst. There is a small hay maze that takes a minute to walk through. Compared to previous years, I'd knock off a few stars, but as a free event, it's decent for what it is as long as you're willing to wait in lines for a photo. read more

This home is a National Historic Monument and open to the public by appointment - you must sign up for a tour through OC Parks by calling or going to their office at Heritage Hill Historical Park in Lake Forest. Cost is currently $5 per person and the number of people allowed to make a reservation is limited for each tour as the interior of the home has some small rooms. The docent who led our tour - Bob - was fantastic. He was full of detailed information and always had an answer to whatever question was asked by people in our group. I'm sure the other docents are equally interesting. The tour lasted about 2 hours and started with a short video presentation followed by a tour of the home and grounds. Lots of historical information was presented and we learned a lot about Helena Modjeska who owned this home and was an international household name in the 1890s. She was a renowned actress, the Meryl Streep of her time. But as there was no film or recording technology during her time of fame she is now a forgotten part of cultural and entertainment history. Her story is fascinating and this tour will enlighten you about her life and talent. A hidden treasure in Modjeska Canyon worth exploring. Note: The address shown is not the address for the house, it's the address for the park office. They prefer to downplay the actual location unless you have a tour scheduled. read more

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Review for Falloween: Wonderful Halloween event perfect for kids/families. Its free! Line at 5pm took about 20 minutes. Time spent inside about 45 minutes. You walk through and check out the decorations (lots of magical lighted displays), and several very cool photo spots. It's a small park. The lines for the photo ops were long, so I skipped them. No trick or treating; there is a scavenger hunt but I didn't find out what the prize was. All in all, a fun event! COVID safety: Its very crowded! You can try to leave some space between parties while in lines. Inside it's packed! Parking: Packed! Parked at the adjoining shopping center. A few restaurants are in walking distance (pizza, pho), and a vegan cafe (Mitasie) 1 mile down the road. read more

This is a hidden gem. The drive alone is worth it. The guides are well informed and share a great story with the visitors. We found out they even hold Shakespearean plays sometimes. Definitely worth a visit. read more

This Park is very nice and beautiful! I even took pictures here after our wedding ceremony! read more

Heritage Hill Historical Park - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Lake Forest, California

A very cute and easy to navigate historic park. Guided tours are available, but it's also easy to just walk around and enjoy it on your own. There are old buildings, artifacts, and landscaping with informative signs. There's even a cross section of a giant oak tree. Educational and fun for adults and children! Pictures speak louder than words, so take a look at the images here to get an idea of what this park has to offer! Closed Mon/Tue read more

What a nice event to tour the historic park and see the beautiful hyper lighted family photo opportunities. Lots of families taking pics around the pumpkins and the lovely, absolutely gorgeous historic church. Would be much better with food or minimally water, offered to visitors. I can hardly wait to see the Christmas decorations in a few weeks. read more

This place was the home of the greatest actress we never heard of... it could be that mainly due to the actress quit before the development of films... either way... You must make reservation - Wednesdays & Saturdays only Other than that, our group started from 20min video and then the tour guild lead us in to 60 min tour inside the house and outside... it's amazing how history can be right in your backyard and never notice it... read more

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Cute small park in OC, great for kids! They have a lot of special events going on, so definitely check out their calendar. They are also looking for volunteers, so if you're feeling generous, reach out and see what kind of help they need. read more

Heritage Hill Historical Park - We finished decorating the church! Beautiful! - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Lake Forest, California

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I adore Heritage Hill Historical Park. Throughout the years that my family has lived in Lake Forest we have all experienced different aspects of the park (from field trips to weddings!) and each has its own special meaning. There are 5 buildings: a school house, a chapel, two ranch homes and a barn. My brother was married in the Chapel a few years ago... such a sweet, intimate setting for a wedding! I would highly recommend it if your guest list is 50 or less and you are going for a vintage, intimate feel. My aunt was married under the gazebo in the grassy area a few years after that... another beautiful and intimate location for an out door wedding. Also, it was very affordable and they let you use the ranch home to get ready in! The 10 year old me loved it as a field trip in 4th grade filled with old fashioned costumes, lessons and games in the quaint school house. We got to play dress up, sit in the old school desks, practice our cursive with chalk and pretend we were living in Orange County 100 years ago. It was one of my favorite field trips in elementary school. Finally, for the past 10 years or so we have made the candle lit Christmas weekend a Christmas tradition and it is such a fabulous asset to the Christmas celebrations in our family. Over the course of two days, Heritage Hill decorates all the buildings in Christmas lights, boughs of holly, green garlands and even mistletoe! Admission is $6 and proceeds go to the restoration of the park - a very worthy cause! There is so much to see and do: look at the lights, listen to stories in the school house, enjoy the musical talents of carolers, guitarists, harpist and even a brass quartet throughout the park. There are cookies, cider, hot cocoa and pizza from the local pizzeria for sale AND they have started serving FREE roasted chestnuts roasted right there in front of you in the historical clay oven! How cool is that?! And the coup de gras? SANTA SHOWS UP! He sits in either the barn house or the gazebo and will take as many toy requests and photos as you'd like! Obviously, I love this place for many reasons but my favorite is by far the Candle-lit Christmas celebration. Its timeless, humbling and definitely worth a visit! read more

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I have come to Bagels and Brew a few times and wondered about the park in its parking lot. I recently came for a marriage celebration where the couple used the chapel and the covered picnic tables and left pleasantly surprised. The parking is a breeze as it's attached to a shopping plaza. There are some tables and chairs to eat at and then a ton of historical buildings. We witnessed the ceremony in St. George's chapel which looked like it was still in the early 1900s. Very rustic and homey. For the reception, we walked past some shady trellises, stone pathways, gazebos and tractors before finding the covered picnic tables. This was a hot day so it felt like an oven. The shade didn't help much. Near the tables was a historical home and an exhibit on the schoolmarms that worked there fairly recently. We were also able to get an OC park pass for our continued adventures while there, which came in handy later that day. It's definitely a cute place to check out and a great spot for a rustic wedding. read more

Heritage Hill Historical Park - View from picnic area - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Lake Forest, California

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A California native and I had not heard of this beautiful National Historical Landmark until a few years ago. Finally focused on making a reservation and enjoyed every minute of this beautiful canyon area, the interesting story of Helena Modjeska and this beautifully authentically decorated home. Our docent Janet, a local in the canyon, was very knowledgeable about the homes history and also the history of the canyon area. We thoroughly enjoyed the presentation, the grounds and the home. I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in historical homes. You must call for a reservation and the home is only open on Wednesday and Friday. Group size is limited. There was no fee to visit which makes it available to anyone interested. A hidden treasure of Orange County history. read more

We love history, so this was up our alley. Not as robust as most other historical places.

Its interesting when you first go there. When you go more often , like me for projects and stuff, it starts to get really boring. Their events like "Haunt at Heritage Hill" and "Victorian Christmas" are really fun to go to and bring your friends. They have music and games and food and its just really fun. Recomend for everyone. read more

This park is located in the same parking lot as the Ralphs on Lake Forest Drive. At first the only reason I wanted to go in was because there was a Pokémon GO gym inside but there were some historical things inside that were interesting, so I wandered around a bit to accumulate egg mileage while looking at everything. They were all for display only. After walking around, though, there were a lot of flies, probably because there was a horse ranch nearby. You could hear all the horses from the back of the park. The flies were annoying. The park was more or less unoccupied other than some staff members and someone that fell asleep on a park bench. They didn't talk to me and I tried to avoid them to avoid having to speak. read more

Heritage Hills Fall 0 Ween was not what I imagined. I thought it was a neighborhood where people would walk up and down the streets/sidewalks and view historical decorated homes. According to the OC Park Ranger there at Heritage Hill the homes at one time were lived in but were moved to this park and have been there ever since. Again Historical. It was a warm October afternoon and I normally run cold and OC is usually colder than San Gabriel Valley so according to Heritage they said to bring a sweater. I say no you dont especially if the day was hot. Some people, kids, and pets were either dressed up with heels/nice clothes, or in costumes or just regular jeans and flip flops. I think maybe around 10 photo stations are set up to take pictures. When I say stations either a home, or halloween prop about 10 or so. You will wait in line to take a picture in front of these small porches or halloween props. You are not allowed in these small homes only during the Christmas season. Get there at 4:30 yes its still daylight and you dont get to see the night lights but as we were leaving they were not letting people in anymore because the small park was I guess to crowded. So I think the line outside was for crowd control. Its free to go in and free parking. Parking is in a strip mall, Ralphs/Cvs parking lot. No tow away signs anywhere so that was a plus! Glad I got to see this. I have always been curious, but I would not say you need to come and do it. I was surprised how small it was. Again I saw houses on social media so I thought it was a big neighborhood. Picture small little homes on a hill dirt lot. The OC park personnel will take your pictures using your phone or camera so that too was a plus! read more

After our first wedding photos venue dropped out on us last second, we moved everything here. We absolutely loved it. My wife and I love the rustic feel of the park. It also gave a lot of different backdrops from a ranch house to a small pioneer church and everything in between. I definitely want to go back and actually enjoy the park's offerings...especially when it's not 95 degrees like it was this day. read more

A small, 4-acre historic park preserving the early history of El Toro and the Saddleback Valley dating from the Mexican Rancho era... and a quaint park to stroll around while enjoying your morning bagel & brew... Or, in my case, a nifty little place to throw a wedding using a blank slate. Decent option for those looking to pull off either a vintage feel or the rustic chic trend. The historical buildings add a lot of character, especially if you were to use the church for your wedding ceremony. The venue is mostly dirt, with grass only at the arbor ceremony site and the lawn of the Bennett House Ranch. It's a great and very affordable venue for a wedding with less than 100 guests. Marketing materials say that they can support up to 150 guests, but having just hosted a wedding for 86 guests and arranging my tables in a space efficient manner, I really wouldn't recommend it for over about 100. They presumably arrive at the 150 headcount because the canopy in the back houses 15 picnic tables in three rows, end-to-end, which presumably can seat a crowded 10 people each). The church, if used for a ceremony site, supposedly has a capacity of 75. The arbor ceremony site should house at least 100... and happily, the venue provides and sets up these chairs. My favorite part was that the rangers were so easy-going and nice, without any overly restrictive rules... While the Newland Barn told me that I couldn't have my tacos or BBQ because grilling constituted an open flame, Heritage Hill told me no problem, they do it all the time. The ranger said I could roll up a food truck in the back of the park, or park an In N Out truck right in front of the park entrance if I wanted. Very easy to work with. The worst part of this park as a venue is actually having to register for a permit through the OC Parks permitting office... but that's not part of this review, so on that point I digress. Beware also that on some days, depending on the wind, you may get a bit of the smell from the horses in the back... I guess it adds to the whole Mexican rancho atmosphere. People who have weddings here typically throw more casual, backyard-wedding type weddings... one of the weddings that I peeped in at, however, had a DJ and lamps and string lighting over the reception tables, and it seemed to stress out the park rangers a bit because it was just about the fanciest wedding to be held here. Many weddings opt to use the picnic tables and canopy already on-site for a reception with a more casual feel. For a slightly more sophisticated feel, you can rent tables and chairs and set up on the lawn of the Harvey Bennett House instead. A big selling point for us was that you can request that the ranger open up the schoolhouse for you for photos on the day of your wedding... I love the schoolhouse, and so we were very happy to have this opportunity! I grew up here and so this park has a bit of a nostalgia factor for me. I've been told that my older brothers' boy scout troop helped build the oven things next to the Serrano Adobe... that had to have been a long time ago. I also have fond memories taking a field trip here in elementary school and visiting the historic one-room schoolhouse, wearing bonnets and equipped with slates and chalk -- the park still continues to run the same program for local schoolchildren today, as well as a few other year-round activity days for the locals. read more

Before Lake Forest turned into a typical suburb, it was a proto OC cow town. No bull! Ranchers used to raise cattle here and drive it toward the ocean to sell hides. Four historic buildings in this park give a glimpse of this old world: Jose Serrano's original adobe house; the one-room El Toro Grammar School; St. George's Episcopal Church; and the Bennett Ranch House, all built between 1863 and 1908. It even smells kinda farmy here, thanks to the horse boarding facilities downhill. You won't go wow just looking at the small and humble buildings, but you can learn a lot if you take one of the free docent-led tours offered on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at 2 p.m., and on Saturday and Sunday at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. The tour I was on lasted about 1 hr 40 min. Heritage Hill's entrance is not easy to find from the main street. From Lake Forest Drive, turn into the shopping center with Bagels & Brew near Trabuco Road. The park entrance is at one corner of the shopping center's parking lot. read more

Modjeska House was the home of Helena Modjeska and her husband, "The Count". Helena was a Polish Shakespearean actress whose career peaked in the 1880s and 1890s. I first heard about this place due to Huell Howser and I went to check it out with my parents. The canyon itself is beautiful. Our docent was knowledgeable about the history of the house as well as some fun facts about the land itself. Reservations are required, but as of July 2018, tours are free. It was a fun way to spend a few hours. read more

My fiance (now husband) originally found this place when we were looking at outdoor venues for our wedding/reception. It was one of our first places we looked, and after much searching, we were drawn back to this one. It is so adorable and extremely affordable. The staff is extremely helpful with any questions you might have and is fairly flexible. However, there are certain guidelines since it is a historical park, but nothing that really held us back from having our dream wedding. We originally were going to have our ceremony outdoors in the arbor, but as it came closer to our wedding day, the weather kept climbing higher. We were given the option of switching to the church, which had a/c, as long as we were under a certain number of guests. We decided it was definitely a better option to go to the church instead. The reception area is a fairly sized area in the corner of the park. It already is supplied with picnic tables, which is covered by a large green canopy. Despite it being hot that day, once under the canopy, it was a nice temperature, and our guests enjoyed it. Overall, an extremely cute and cozy location for a wedding. Our guests could not stop commenting on how perfect it was. I definitely recommend this place! read more

I havent been here in a while but I remember it being a great little place to walk around, and lots of fun. A lot more than I expected before I started walking around. We went with a few toddlers, and had a lot of fun - lots of fun photo opps too :) read more

Great place to learn about south OC! I didn't know much about the people who the cities are named after!

Interesting buildings and informative if you listen to the audio guide, but the woman who showed us around (and you only get to go into the buildings on the tour) didn't know much, was incorrect about so many things that were obvious, and spoke to the small group of adults as though we were seven or eight years old. They really need to get a different tour guide. read more

I went here last week after meaning to come and check out the area. Let me start off by saying our docent was AWESOME! Full of information and tidbits that really made the trip worthwhile. I love the authenticity of everything here from the ranch house, to the episcopal church, to the old school. These things were not originally on the land, they were moved from other areas but they did some touch-ups on the inside so you could see what it would be like if you were a student going to school (up to 8th grade), a mom at home cooking (the stove was a mere $3.....when you're making .13 cents an hour though.....it's a lot of money back then). My favorite part was the adobe house because the inside was SOOO much cooler inside than the hot sun blaring down at us. It's located at the back of the Ralph's shopping plaza, which is a pretty odd location, but it's easy to find. Just look for the sign on the right hand side and park! This place is closed Mon/Tue read more

I had no idea this house was here until I accidentally found it listed under O.C. Parks. What a treasure. I never heard of Helena Modjeska but the tour guide filled us in about her life. She was quite an accomplished person. The house is quite charming and reflects the period when she lived there. The grounds are unique as different plant specimens were brought in and planted, some without much success. Unfortunately, California's drought has impacted the area. The tour price of $5.00 was well worth it. I would go back just to walk around the grounds, as it's very peaceful and birds continuously sing. read more

Had no idea this park existed and was so happy to have found it. It's a very nice little park that I would recommend all ages to go to. I went without getting a tour guide and I think that getting a tour guide would have been the better way to go vs exploring alone, but still a great time and a neat park. read more