The best arts & culture spots in Orange County
76 arts & culture spots we’ve checked and stand behind — with the story on each one. Not a ranking; a record.
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THE VILLAGE OF PUTUIDEM
Arts & CultureA short hop from Mission Viejo, The Village of Putuidem in San Juan Capistrano is a 1.5 acre cultural park with kiichas, ramadas, an…
THE VILLAGE OF PUTUIDEM
Arts & CultureThe Cottage Gallery on Los Rios
Arts & CultureA quick creative fix close to home, The Cottage Gallery on Los Rios is a friendly, historic cottage filled with original art, handcrafted…
The Cottage Gallery on Los Rios
Arts & CultureChemers Gallery
Arts & CultureChemers Gallery has elevated OC walls since 1978 with fine art, children’s book illustrations and contemporary craft, plus on-site custom…
Chemers Gallery
Arts & CultureDiscovery Cube Orange County
Arts & CultureDiscovery Cube Orange County is the go-to spot for curious kids, with 100+ hands-on exhibits and rotating programs that actually make…
Discovery Cube Orange County
Arts & CultureMedieval Times Dinner & Tournament
Arts & CultureJousting, horsemanship & falconry plus a 4-course, utensil-free meal served in a castle-like space.
Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament
Arts & CultureHello Pottery
Arts & CultureSkip the endless scroll and go hands-on at Hello Pottery, where you can pick from pottery bisque, fluid art pours, Cream Glue decorating,…
Hello Pottery
Arts & CultureSoul on Fire Dance
Arts & CultureSoul on Fire Dance is an adult-only OC studio built for expression and community, with trauma-informed instructors and a proudly…
Soul on Fire Dance
Arts & CultureBlas Aguilar Adobe Museum
Arts & CultureBlas Aguilar Adobe Museum keeps San Juan Capistrano’s story alive inside a 1794 mission-era adobe, the surviving Casa de Esperanza or…
Blas Aguilar Adobe Museum
Arts & CultureBowers Museum
Arts & CultureSkip the doomscroll and wander Bowers Museum this week, where The American Quilt: Cloth and Commerce is in full stitch through August 30,…
Bowers Museum
Arts & CulturePublic Art "Santiago Park Mural"
Arts & CultureNeed a little visual pick-me-up between errands this week? Santiago Park Mural is a roughly 300-foot acrylic burst by Roberto Del Hoyo that…
Public Art "Santiago Park Mural"
Arts & CulturePublic Art "Pioneer Road Park Mural"
Arts & CultureNeed a low-effort mood boost between errands, soccer practice, or dog walks, the Public Art "Pioneer Road Park Mural" delivers a bright hit…
Public Art "Pioneer Road Park Mural"
Arts & CultureTom Ward Artist Mural Painter
Arts & CultureTom Ward Artist Mural Painter turns empty walls into stories, collaborating with you to design and paint one of a kind murals across SoCal…
Tom Ward Artist Mural Painter
Arts & CultureMUSEUM of WOMAN
Arts & CulturePart shrine, part classroom, Museum of Woman uplifts Goddesses, Queens and Wisewomen with immersive exhibits and embodied enactments, plus…
MUSEUM of WOMAN
Arts & CultureRichard Nixon Birthplace
Arts & CultureRichard Nixon Birthplace packs a surprising punch for a local afternoon, with the Nixon Library’s America 250: A More Perfect Union exhibit…
Richard Nixon Birthplace
Arts & CultureLaguna Mosaics | Custom Luxury Mosaic Art
Arts & CultureLaguna Mosaics | Custom Luxury Mosaic Art turns kitchens, bathrooms, floors, walls and even pools into custom mosaic masterpieces,…
Laguna Mosaics | Custom Luxury Mosaic Art
Arts & CultureThe Pour House - Surf Ghetto Resin
Arts & CultureSkip another crowded bar and turn date night or a friends’ hang into something actually memorable at The Pour House - Surf Ghetto Resin,…
The Pour House - Surf Ghetto Resin
Arts & CultureBolsa Chica Conservancy Interpretive Center
Arts & CultureWhether you’re chasing feathered sightings or just some salt-marsh serenity, Bolsa Chica Conservancy Interpretive Center packs exhibits on…
Bolsa Chica Conservancy Interpretive Center
Arts & CulturePublic Art "Chicano Gothic"
Arts & CulturePainted in 1987 by Emigdio Vasquez and Sidney Stone, Public Art "Chicano Gothic" is a straight shot of OC history in paint. It’s the kind…
Public Art "Chicano Gothic"
Arts & CulturePublic Art "Memorial Park Mural"
Arts & CultureNeed a five-minute culture boost close to home this week. Roberto Del Hoyo’s Memorial Park Mural wraps Santa Ana’s Memorial Park bandshell…
Public Art "Memorial Park Mural"
Arts & CultureTic Toc Murals
Arts & CultureIf your white walls are screaming for personality, Tic Toc Murals paints custom, hand-painted murals plus lime wash and faux finishes that…
Tic Toc Murals
Arts & CultureSand One Studio
Arts & CultureSand One Studio brings LA’s famed Sand Dolls to life with paint-and-sip nights, creative workshops, collector experiences, and exclusive…
Sand One Studio
Arts & CultureCasa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens
Arts & CultureCasa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens packs San Clemente history into a restored 1927 Spanish Colonial Revival gem, then layers on…
Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens
Arts & CultureDexter Music
Arts & CultureLet Dexter Music bring the teacher to you, matching Costa Mesa families with patient, qualified instructors for piano, guitar, ukulele,…
Dexter Music
Arts & CultureATOMIC Ballroom
Arts & CultureATOMIC Ballroom in Irvine is a beginner-friendly, no-partner-needed studio where you can jump into salsa, swing, tango, ballroom, even…
ATOMIC Ballroom
Arts & CultureSusanna Bixby Bryant Museum and Botanic Garden
Arts & CultureSusanna Bixby Bryant Museum and Botanic Garden keeps Yorba Linda’s story alive, preserving artifacts and anecdotes from the community’s…
Susanna Bixby Bryant Museum and Botanic Garden
Arts & CulturePublic Art "Chicano Mural"
Arts & CulturePublic Art "Chicano Mural" channels Placentia’s layered history into bold, everyday storytelling you can actually walk past on your coffee…
Public Art "Chicano Mural"
Arts & CultureLaguna Art Museum
Arts & CultureContemporary art museum with a permanent collection of over 3,500 works & a waterfront setting.
Laguna Art Museum
Arts & CultureWestminster Museum
Arts & CultureWestminster Museum keeps our city’s story alive with exhibits of local artifacts, historic spots like the McCoy-Hare House and Warne Family…
Westminster Museum
Arts & CultureLittle Da Vinci Art Studio
Arts & CultureLittle Da Vinci Art Studio helps kids grades 3 through 12 and adults build real art chops with fine art classes plus tailored portfolio…
Little Da Vinci Art Studio
Arts & CulturePretend City Children's Museum
Arts & CultureAt Pretend City Children's Museum in Irvine, kids clock into a child-size world with a post office, cafe, farm and more, trying on…
Pretend City Children's Museum
Arts & CultureElite Dance Academy
Arts & CultureNearby in Orange, Elite Dance Academy blends a warm, family feel with legit technique, from tap and hip hop to ballet, pointe, and…
Elite Dance Academy
Arts & CultureBalboa Island Museum
Arts & CultureBalboa Island Museum keeps Newport nostalgia alive with exhibits on the Balboa Island Ferry, Collins Island, the Fun Zone, John Wayne, and…
Balboa Island Museum
Arts & CultureHistoric George Key Ranch
Arts & CultureHistoric George Key Ranch is a lovingly preserved farmhouse and citrus grove where OC’s agricultural roots come alive. Wander the gardens,…
Historic George Key Ranch
Arts & CultureNewport Beach Historical Society Museum
Arts & CultureTucked inside the Balboa Fun Zone, Newport Beach Historical Society Museum serves up bite-size exhibits and stories spanning Balboa, Corona…
Newport Beach Historical Society Museum
Arts & CultureBetween Raymond Saunders: Flowers from a Black Garden, Jon Serl: As One, As Many, and Staging California in Early Hollywood, UC Irvine…
Marvel Painters
Arts & CultureWhether your stucco needs a sun-fade reset or your kitchen cabinets deserve a glow-up, Marvel Painters brings over a decade of interior and…
Marvel Painters
Arts & CultureNewland House Museum
Arts & CultureNewland House Museum is Huntington Beach’s oldest home, built in 1898, now a local-history museum with guided tours through lovingly…
Newland House Museum
Arts & CultureOcean Institute
Arts & CultureSkip doomscrolling and hop into the hands-on world at Ocean Institute, where admission unlocks interactive exhibits plus on-the-water…
Ocean Institute
Arts & CultureBrophy Art Gallery & Design Studio
Arts & CultureWhether you want a print that shouts Trestles pride, an original wave painting, or a fine art surfboard that doubles as wall candy, Brophy…
Brophy Art Gallery & Design Studio
Arts & CulturePublic Art "Life Force"
Arts & CulturePublic Art "Life Force" is a 7-foot by 40-foot wall-mounted porcelain relief mural by Dora De Larios at Treasure Island Park in Laguna…
Public Art "Life Force"
Arts & CultureDana Point Historical Society
Arts & CultureSkip the same-old weekend loop and let Dana Point Historical Society send you on a self-guided stroll through lantern-named streets, harbor…
Dana Point Historical Society
Arts & CultureMother Colony House
Arts & CultureMother Colony House is a tiny redwood time capsule in Anaheim, an American Territorial cottage built for George Hansen, the 'Father of…
Mother Colony House
Arts & CultureJoy's Window Painting and Murals
Arts & CultureJoy's Window Painting and Murals turns blank glass into custom, hand-painted scenes tailored to your shop or event, from holiday cheer to…
Joy's Window Painting and Murals
Arts & CultureIrvine Historical Society & Museum
Arts & CultureIrvine Historical Society & Museum keeps the Irvine Ranch story alive inside the ranch’s oldest remaining structure, tracing everything…
Irvine Historical Society & Museum
Arts & CultureSan Clemente Art Association
Arts & CultureWhether you're into coastal plein air vibes or just want to discover new local talent, San Clemente Art Association rotates gallery shows,…
San Clemente Art Association
Arts & CultureAnaheim Founders' Park
Arts & CultureFor a low-key history fix, Anaheim Founders' Park lines up the Mother Colony House and the Woelke-Stoffel Victorian, plus a barn and a very…
Anaheim Founders' Park
Arts & CultureSan Clemente Village Art Faire
Arts & CultureSan Clemente Village Art Faire is that first-Saturday juried lineup of SoCal makers with all handcrafted finds across photography, fine…
San Clemente Village Art Faire
Arts & CultureThe Dance Centre
Arts & CultureWhether your kid turns the living room into a stage or you miss that rush this week, The Dance Centre serves up tap, jazz, ballet, hip hop,…
The Dance Centre
Arts & CultureOlinda Oil Museum & Trail
Arts & CultureSkip the same-old loop and get a side of local history. At Olinda Oil Museum & Trail, peek at the original Olinda Oil Well Number One,…
Olinda Oil Museum & Trail
Arts & CultureFullerton Museum Center
Arts & CultureFullerton Museum Center brings exhibitions and programs in history, science, art and humanities, plus the Leo Fender Gallery. It’s…
Fullerton Museum Center
Arts & CultureHuntington Beach Art Center
Arts & CultureHuntington Beach Art Center is currently showing California Fibers: The Languages of Fiber throughout the galleries, a tactile, idea packed…
Huntington Beach Art Center
Arts & CultureMarconi Automotive Museum
Arts & CultureTrade the usual weekend errands for a stroll through Marconi Automotive Museum, a nonprofit in Tustin with over 100 Ferraris, Lamborghinis,…
Marconi Automotive Museum
Arts & CultureKush Fine Art
Arts & CultureStep into Kush Fine Art for Vladimir Kush's mind-bending oil paintings, sculptures, jewelry, and wearable art that turns metaphors into…
Kush Fine Art
Arts & CultureMuckenthaler Cultural Center
Arts & CultureMuckenthaler Cultural Center turns a historic mansion into your weeknight culture fix, with gallery exhibitions, a sculpture garden, and…
Muckenthaler Cultural Center
Arts & CulturePublic Art "The Whaling Wall"
Arts & CulturePublic Art "The Whaling Wall" is Wyland’s iconic gray whale and calf mural over in Laguna Beach, a big, blue breath of calm that’s perfect…
Public Art "The Whaling Wall"
Arts & CultureMuseum of Teaching & Learning
Arts & CultureMuseum of Teaching & Learning explores how we learn through engaging exhibits and artifacts, including Your Baby's Amazing Brain, a 48-foot…
Museum of Teaching & Learning
Arts & CultureFullerton Train Museum
Arts & CultureFullerton Train Museum lets you step inside SoCal rail history, from three historically significant cabooses to two 1940s lounge cars in…
Fullerton Train Museum
Arts & CultureLaguna Gallery of Contemporary Art
Arts & CultureContemporary gallery showing a variety of art styles.
Laguna Gallery of Contemporary Art
Arts & CultureIrvine Barclay Theatre
Arts & CultureIrvine Barclay Theatre is a 750-seat jewel box with superb acoustics that lands internationally recognized artists for dance, music, and…
Irvine Barclay Theatre
Arts & CultureDance Arts Of Orange County
Arts & CultureFrom brand-new beginners to seasoned pros, Dance Arts Of Orange County is an adult and teen studio in Irvine with welcoming, experienced…
Dance Arts Of Orange County
Arts & CultureThe Dr. Willella Howe-Waffle House and Medical Museum
Arts & CultureMonthly tours are offered at this historic home of a woman doctor with displays & artifacts.
The Dr. Willella Howe-Waffle House and Medical Museum
Arts & CultureHilbert Museum of California Art
Arts & CultureSwap the algorithm for actual storytelling at Hilbert Museum of California Art, a home for California narrative art where California Scene…
Hilbert Museum of California Art
Arts & CultureLandmarks on Del Mar
Arts & CultureLandmarks on Del Mar strings together 14 tile murals along the pedestrian rest area on Del Mar, each one spotlighting San Clemente’s most…
Landmarks on Del Mar
Arts & CultureOC Music & Dance
Arts & CultureWhether you're dusting off a long-ignored violin or raising a tiny tap-dancer, OC Music & Dance covers it all with music and dance programs…
OC Music & Dance
Arts & CulturePacific Dance
Arts & CultureReady to trade chair swivels for real moves? Pacific Dance has ten state-of-the-art studios, pro instructors with TV and stage creds, and…
Pacific Dance
Arts & CultureArt Smart Studio
Arts & CultureArt Smart Studio features paintings by Kris Cho, offering a low-key place to soak up color and thoughtful brushwork right here in…
Art Smart Studio
Arts & CultureRock & Rollers Painting
Arts & CultureThis week, Rock & Rollers Painting handles interior and exterior makeovers, stucco fixes, wood restoration, power washing, and even condo…
Rock & Rollers Painting
Arts & CultureRamon Peralta Adobe
Arts & CultureRun by OC Parks, Ramon Peralta Adobe is a quiet slice of California past where the word “adobe” is more than a vocab word. Low fuss, nicely…
Ramon Peralta Adobe
Arts & CultureBradford House
Arts & CultureJust over the line in Placentia, step into Bradford House, a beautifully preserved 1902 Queen Anne Victorian turned living museum. This…
Bradford House
Arts & CultureKitsch Studios
Arts & CultureKitsch Studios is a P.Y.O. ceramics spot where you pick a piece, splash on glazes, then they kiln-fire it to perfection for pickup next…
Kitsch Studios
Arts & CultureWoelke-Stoffel House
Arts & CultureWoelke-Stoffel House is a late-1800s Queen Anne stunner with a story to match, from its turret and stained glass to the citrus-era touches…
Woelke-Stoffel House
Arts & CultureHBP Dance Extreme
Arts & CultureJust down the road in Tustin, HBP Dance Extreme has classes for every age and stage, from tiny minis to teens to adults, covering jazz, hip…
HBP Dance Extreme
Arts & CultureCharade Dance Academy
Arts & CultureCharade Dance Academy keeps OC locals moving with welcoming classes for ages 4.5 and up across Ballet, Hip Hop, Jazz, Lyrical, K-Pop, and…
Charade Dance Academy
Arts & CultureDanceLova Dance Academy (Irvine Studios)
Arts & CultureFrom tiny twirlers to adults starting fresh, DanceLova Dance Academy (Irvine Studios) offers patient ballet training plus hip hop, jazz,…
DanceLova Dance Academy (Irvine Studios)
Arts & CultureMuseum of Make Believe
Arts & CultureIf your week needs a little wonder, Museum of Make Believe turns storytelling into an art adventure with magical creatures, enchanted…
Museum of Make Believe
Arts & CultureArt Center Gallery
Arts & CultureWhether you’re running errands at The Shops at Mission Viejo or craving a fresh wall upgrade, Art Center Gallery curates originals, limited…
Art Center Gallery
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