Orange County Structure: Anaheim Convention Center is a Major Center of Activity

The Anaheim Convention Center is a Major Hub in Anaheim's growing resort district. Opened in 1967, it has already undergone six major expansions, and currently has 1.6 million square feet of convention space.

Anaheim Convention Center -- 800 W. Katella

One of the most popular events at the Anaheim Convention Center is Wondercon. This is an annual comic book, science fiction, and motion picture convention. There were 46,000+ attendees in 2013.

Anaheim Convention Center

Other major conventions include Blizzcon, NAMM, Vidcon, the Vex World Robotics Competition, and Disney's D23 Expo.

View of the grand foyer.

Massive windows letting in plenty of natural light.

Huge halls for any kind of event, including the Orange County Auto Show

Classic auto show exhibit with model.

The Anaheim Convention Center also has its own Arena with a capacity of 9,100. The Doors and Jefferson Airplane both played in this venue in 1967. Led Zeppelin played there in 1969. Needless to say this place has some history.

This part of the convention center is representative of big-scale Googie architecture. This structure was listed in Frommer's 500 Places to See Before they Disappear (Hughes, Holly; 2011; Wiley & Sons pg. 442). Despite its listing in this book, I'm not sure the city has plans to demolish it.

Since the Anaheim Convention Center has been so busy, the city has just approved a $185 Million expansion to add about 200,000 square feet of space.

Expansion Rendering (Image Credit: Anaheim - Orange County Convention & Visitor's Bureau)

Pictured below is a possible layout of the expansion space.

Possible Expansion Layout (Image Credit: Anaheim - Orange County Convention & Visitor's Bureau)

Directly next door to the convention center is the Hilton Anaheim which is supposedly the largest hotel in Orange County with over 1,500 rooms. It was built just in time for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.

Hilton Anaheim -- 777 W. Convention Way

One more shot of the massive Hilton, which is one of the most recognizable hotels in Anaheim.

Hilton Anaheim

The Anaheim Marriott is directly adjacent to both the convention center and Anaheim Hilton. This hotel has over 1000 rooms.

Anaheim Marriott -- 700 W. Convention Way

The Sheraton Park Hotel is adjacent the Marriott but is about half the size at 490 rooms. According to their web site there have been some recent interior renovations. This hotel is in easy walking distance to the convention center.

Sheraton Park Hotel at the Anaheim Resort -- 1855 South Harbor Blvd.

Side shot of the Sheraton.

Sheraton Park Hotel at the Anaheim Resort -- 1855 South Harbor Blvd.

Needless to say this area is quite busy. If you come down to just look around, you will be confronted with a serious parking shortage. Be prepared to pay at least $12-15 for the entire day in one of the parking lots or structures close to the convention center. The Convention Center structures, like the one pictured below, are most easily accessed on West Street.