Making the Connection

This is the month when Orange County tourism peaks. About 4.6 million visitors came here last August, according to the O.C. Tourism Council. The same is expected this month. Most travelers arrive with these questions:

* “Where do I shop?”

* “How do I get to the beach?”

* “Where should we eat?”

The Orange County Connection, a convoy of trolleys and motor coaches, tries to point visitors in the right direction. The countywide bus line, launched in September, links popular destinations, from the big malls to the long beaches, in one winding route.

“There was no science to it,” said Jerry O’Connell of Pacific Coast Sightseeing/Gray Line of Anaheim, when asked how these points of interest were chosen. “We just picked what we felt were the most popular destinations in Orange County.”

It’s a mixture of spots--the Disneyland area, the airport and the mission in San Juan Capistrano--and the list is growing.

“We added Triangle Square in Costa Mesa because we heard from Japanese visitors that they wanted to see Nike Town,” O’Connell said.

It costs $12 for adults to ride the Orange County Connection, with a 50% discount for county residents through Labor Day. It’s $8 for children younger than 12 and $6 for seniors.

The Orange County Transportation Authority charges about $1 for a bus trip from Costa Mesa to Corona del Mar.

Call (714) 636-RIDE.