Things to do in Orange County, Orange County: The Best Museums

Surf Museum: includes a timeline of the evolution of the surfboard as well as our Gallery which has four different exhibits up throughout the year. We present a comprehensive overview on the history and culture of surfing. There's no charge for regular admission but donations are welcome and appreciated!

The Hilbert Museum of California Art at Chapman University, which opened in 2016, was established thanks to the generosity of Mark and Janet Hilbert, whose superlative collection focuses on the “California Scene” painting movement of roughly the 1920s through the 1970s and beyond. The Hilbert Collection – which includes oils, watercolors, sketches and lithographs of rural and urban scenes, coastal views, farms, ranches, freeways and landscapes of everyday life in the Golden State – is a significant repository of 20th-century representational art by California artists. The Collection also includes animation and movie art (many California fine artists were drawn to the state by work in the movie industry, including as animators, background painters, set and backdrop designers and poster artists) and works by noted American illustrators.

Checkout our new showroom located right in the downtown of laguna beach! Thomas Studios is a coastal inspired experiential home showroom containing unique handmade items including coastal wood art, decor, furniture and lighting. We have created a unique coastal style balancing the perfect amount of contemporary and modern but with a much warmer look and feel. We are brand new to the area and would love for you to stop by and say hi.

The Ralph B. Clark Interpretive Center provides an educational view of prehistoric Orange County through exhibits, programs and guided tours. Among the fossils on display is a 9 million year old baleen whale skeleton --it is reputed to be one of the only complete ice age whale fossils in existence. Visitors can also watch scientists and volunteers excavate and prepare fossil specimens for study an

With a visit to the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, guests can tour the most modern presidential museum in the country to learn about Richard Nixon the man, his life, and his presidency. The twenty-eight-year-old presidential museum went through a complete renovation less than two years ago. The all-new museum features nearly 70 new major exhibits, 30 unique multi-media experiences, 11 original films, 12 custom digital interactives, 10 curated archival film sequences, more than 600 photographs, 8,000 square feet of wall murals and more than 300 artifacts. There is so much history in itself at the Nixon Library. Enjoy tours of Richard Nixon's original birthplace and boyhood home, walk through the presidential helicopter that flew four Presidents, take in the splendor of the White House East Room and pay respects at the final resting places of President and Mrs. Nixon.

Take a trip around the globe at the Bowers Museum! Opened in 1936, the Bowers prides itself on showcasing world-class arts and cultures in a warm, inviting space located in the heart of Orange County. Bowers has been voted "Best Museum in Orange County" by OC Register for 26 years and has organized more than 50 special exhibitions in just the past 15 years in partnership with some of the greatest museums in the world. Recent highlights include blockbusters such as Terra Cotta Warriors, Mummies: Treasures from the British Museum, Guo Pei: Couture Beyond, and Inside the Walt Disney Archives. Over 100,000 square feet and surrounded by lush gardens, the Bowers campus includes a 296 seat auditorium, 12,000 square feet of event space, a Patina-owned Tangata Restaurant, a robust Gallery Store, 8 permanent exhibitions, and spectacular featured exhibits on rotation, to ensure a full day of engaging fun with every visit. Bowers Museum, bringing the world to you.

Famous for the Annual Return of the Swallows, Mission San Juan Capistrano, historic landmark and museum, welcomes over 300,000 visitors each year. Enhance your visit with our multi-language Audio Tour available in English, Spanish, French, German and Italian and now offered free with admission. Enjoy permanent exhibits featuring historic and religious artifacts, precious and rare paintings, and more. Experience the tradition of bell ringing daily honoring the legacy of Saint Junipero Serra, who founded the Mission in 1776. Visit the newly conserved Serra Chapel, California’s only chapel still standing where Saint Serra celebrated Mass and where the Eucharist has been celebrated daily.

Longest established art museum in California.

With the acquisition of The Irvine Museum Collection in 2016 and the addition of The Buck Collection in 2017, the University of California, Irvine has become home to a significant collection of California art ranging from 19th-century California Impressionism and plein air to Post-War Contemporary. To take full advantage of these assets and bridge the campus and regional community, the university founded the UCI Institute and Museum of California Art (IMCA) in 2018, with plans to construct a new museum on campus within the next few years.