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Orange County Art

Artists’ Village: The fun and funky Artists’ Village in downtown Santa Ana displays artwork by local artists in several galleries. On the first Saturday of every month, join Orange County locals in the Santa Ana Artwalk and visit larger galleries such as the Grand Central Art Center, as well as smaller up-and-coming galleries. The Artwalk is free and is a four-block-long walk. In the Village, art extends to restaurant kitchens, where you’ll find everything from squash soup to spaghetti. Try the Gypsy Den Café for natural, fresh food, or Lola Gaspar for an eclectic mix of food, including blue cheese-stuffed dates.

Bowers Museum: Bowers Museum in Santa Ana is an internationally distinguished museum dedicated to the preservation of indigenous arts and cultures. The museum’s 100,000 objects and permanent exhibits focus on Pacific Rim, pre-Columbian, Asian, South Pacific, Native American, and African cultures as well as California plein-air painting. Bowers also houses temporary exhibits from world-famous museums like the Smithsonian, including terra cotta warriors from China and mummies from Egypt. Two blocks south of the main museum is Bowers Kidseum, an interactive children’s museum that allows young children to experience art and culture.

Orange County Performing Arts Center: The Orange County Performing Arts Center in Costa Mesa features touring Broadway shows, ballet, and jazz and classical music.

South Coast Repertory: Next door to the Orange County Performing Arts Center, South Coast Repertory is widely regarded as one of the country’s premier venues for new plays. The theater also offers a Theatre for Young Audiences series, classic plays, and holiday productions.

Fullerton Civic Light Opera: One of the largest musical theatre companies in Southern California, the Fullerton Civic Light Opera puts on several shows year-round.

Richard Nixon Library & Birthplace: The Nixon Library in Yorba Linda commemorates former US President Richard Nixon, who was born in Orange County, and seeks to educate the public about his life and US government and history. The library includes a museum displaying permanent exhibits detailing Nixon’s service in Congress, the Senate, the Vice-Presidency, and the Presidency; gifts presented to Mr. and Mrs. Nixon by world leaders; and a Watergate gallery. The Birthplace is a small, white farmhouse where Nixon was born in 1913. Visitors can tour the restored farmhouse and get a glimpse of what Nixon’s life was like growing up in Orange County in the 20th century.

Mission San Juan Capistrano: Considered “the jewel of the California missions”, Mission San Juan Capistrano was the seventh of twenty-one missions built along the California coast. Founded in 1776 by Spanish missionaries, the adobe mission stands partially restored today. Though the original, ornate church was destroyed in an 1812 earthquake, some original parts of the mission still remain. Every year around March 19, cliff swallows migrate back to the mission, where they have built their nests for centuries. During the week before March 19, the city of San Juan Capistrano hosts the Fiesta de las Golondrinas, a weeklong festival celebrating the swallows’ return to California and culminating in the Swallows Day Parade.