Disclaimer.... I have not been inside the exhibits at Bowers Museum for many years, so I barely remember that part. This review is for the wonderful events offered!! My mother and I have been to Timeless Melodies, actually 3 of them so far! They are very well done and keep us smiling the entire way through. We learned a little, reminisced a little and even sang along a little. The speaker, Larry Maurer, is incredibly knowledgeable and keeps the event moving at a pace that keeps us all entertained and awake! Parking was a breeze, the seats in the theater were comfy with great views too. Prior to going into the theater, we strolled around the hallway exhibits and the wonderful gift shop. The gift shop has high quality and unique gifts of all kinds; jewelry, kids books, art, collectibles, and so much more! Worth taking a look around. Thank you Bowers for offering these wonderful series of events!! Looking at the calendar online, there are so many and all of them very intriguing. Thank you again! read more

Bowers Museum - Date with my mom. - Museums Near Me - Santa Ana, California

Within this Spanish Revival home, we find the legacy of Charles and Ada Bower. Though the terracotta soldiers are no longer here, the historic wing houses telling articles from a time when California was called Mexico. The fountain is significant because...A painting may be found in an inconspicuous place showing the first home in Laguna Beach--before development. In the large room in the place where most look up... Artifacts from the Sepulveda, Yorba/Grijalva families are housed in this museum. Whispers of a place called "El Refugio" escaped the lips of patrons on this day. Questions heard were what would those structures look like today?--both "El Refugio" and the Yorba family are represented by historical photos and artifacts. These structures were created by the founding families of LA and Orange County. read more

Bowers Museum - #YelpElite #Yelp #art - Museums Near Me - Santa Ana, California

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WOW! What a great museum! Took my Father-in-Law here on Father's Day and he really enjoyed it! The day we came was actually during the world cup and in the main lobby they actually set up a projector and chairs in AC to watch the game! I don't think I've ever been to such a lively museum! LOL And we didn't know this but on Father's Day you can go in for free if you're a dad! Dang we lost our chance but the pricing here isn't to bad actually! About $18/person and if you want to park in the parking lot it's $6. Not to bad! Plenty of parking and clean :) I like that the museum is big, clean, and well thought up when each room is themed! And they also host monthly family culture days! Where they gave free snacks and other local businesses in the community were there to promote their services! If you're still thinking about coming here, just come! You won't regret it :D read more

Visit every museum you can at least once. Bowers is a nice visit. This is a smaller museum but they still cover a lot of ground. Art appreciation is the focus of your tour. Easy parking on the side. Eat in house halfway through your visit if you like. Or leave and return. I like how the art is arranged throughout the repurposed property. Plenty of descriptions for your reading pleasure on your walk-through. Small museum but taking your time you can easily spend a full day here. read more

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Haven't been back here for over 2 decades, but still a very nice small and imitative museum to be at. Very organized, spacious and well set up with plenty old and new exhibits crossing different cultures. The structure & architecture is very beautifully builded. Staff are very friendly and entrance cost is not bad at all. read more

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What an awesome museum! I was so impressed with how culturally diverse and historical the pieces were. We journeyed through Ancient China and the Polynesian Islands. There was also an art installation on the first floor called The American Quilt. What beautiful quilts on display there! You must see them. There were a few interactive activities for the kids to interact with the art. You can make your own quilt using blocks. There is a restaurant on the premises called Ada's Table. I wrote a separate review on the restaurant. So I paid $18 for entrance fees and $7 to park. There are discounts for seniors/students. It's free for Santa Ana residents on certain Sundays. I would call the museum to verify. You could easily spend 4 hours there. I believe there is a second floor. I didn't go there. Oh and there are plenty of garden like sitting areas outside the museum. read more

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This museum is excellent for families and young kids. They have an older part of the museum that houses some art pieces and paintings, as well as missionary artifacts. Then they have a whole room dedicated to the featured exhibit (usually at a separate charge from admission). Then there's the newer part of the museum and a small outdoor space that can be rented out for private events! Our toddlers had a great time here, learning from the museum, and they even participated in a scavenger hunt where they had to find and identify seashells throughout the museum. The staff that we engaged with were friendly and kind. The museum is well-lit and well-ventilated. Bonus points for being stroller-friendly! The parking lot is just across the street, $6 all day. read more

Bowers Museum - Museums Near Me - Santa Ana, California

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This review is well overdue! I visited the Bowers Museum back in Sept 2025, specifically to see the special China Terracotta warriors exhibit :D ! I didn't want to miss it this time around because the last time the Bowers had a similar special Terracottas exhibit was back in 2008, which my friends from the Bay Area had come to see :) ! I was really captivated and extremely amazed by the extraordinary detail of each Terracotta figure, whether it was a human or an animal :) ! It's phenomenal and mind-blowing that all of the Terracottas are slightly different from eachother. In addition to the amazing displays, there were interesting artifacts and weapons that were showcased so you could have a better feel of how the soldiers protected the emperor in the afterlife. There was a partial room that you could enter that was a simulation of the warriors marching :) ! It felt like I was stepping right into history :D ! I wasn't able to coordinate my visit with the special talk that was going to take place on the Sunday afternoon with the museum curator, who I learned was really passionate about bringing the Terracottas exhibit back to the Bowers :) ! But for any special exhibit there, if you're able to attend a special talk by the museum curator, or by any special guests, I would highly encourage attending :) ! You would certainly learn a lot more than simply visiting the exhibit itself :) ! Some people might feel that this museum is relatively small, and is very "no frills" compared to larger museums, like the Getty Center in West Los Angeles, or the Norton Simon in Pasadena. Although the Bowers is smaller in size compared to those other big name museums, Bowers is a big name in itself within Orange County. I have to admit that I like the fact that it's a lot easier to get to and park at the Bowers compared to other museums. And because of that, it makes for a much less stressful experience so you can really enjoy the artwork and the artifacts :) ! I happened to be visiting from out of town because I was visiting family in Orange County. But I was really grateful that the Bowers offered this during my visit to SoCal so I could catch this amazing traveling exhibit :D ! I know that, depending where it stops, it might not always be feasible to get to certain locations to view and experience something like this :) ! read more

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Lovely little museum. Lots of great artifacts and paintings. I've been here twice and enjoyed both times. read more

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Bowers Museum is a jewel in Santa Ana, our county seat. It was built with money and land donated in the late 1920s from the Bowers who were citrus growers to display local art. The history of Orange County is still told through art in the original edifice. They have permanent and visiting exhibits. My favorite exhibit, so far, is the California plein-air paintings. Many are of undeveloped Laguna Beach; a bit of a throwback to a simpler time before it became a tourist destination. Bowers has a collaboration of some sort with ARCE (American Research Center in Egypt). The museum provides financial support and benefits from monthly lectures on a range of ancient Egyptian history and culture by visiting Egyptologists, archaeologists and scholars. The monthly lectures are included in membership. As is parking. Membership is $70 for one person or $80 for two. read more

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I did not know but this museum used to be a church. They have beautiful ceiling paintings and the wood that helps the acoustics. They have beautiful Asian art pieces as well as Hispanic art pieces. Lovely building and very clean. read more

Bowers Museum - Museums Near Me - Santa Ana, California

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The exhibits are incredibly well-curated, offering a thoughtful, up-close look at diverse cultures and historical artifacts from all over the world. Taking a quiet break out in the beautiful courtyard was definitely a highlight, as it's the perfect spot to just sit back and appreciate the historic architecture. I also made sure to spend some time browsing the museum store, which is a fantastic place to pick up unique, artful gifts to bring back home. It's a beautifully maintained, welcoming space that makes for a perfect, laid-back afternoon of exploring. read more

I was really hoping to see the Terracotta Warriors, but unfortunately I missed that exhibit by a few weeks. The museum itself is still pretty cool, though I wouldn't say it's fully worth the price. It's much smaller than I expected--I was able to go through everything in under an hour. That said, they do have some really interesting exhibits from Asia, which were super impressive. For me, it's definitely a one-and-done visit unless a really special exhibit comes up. Parking: They have plenty of spots, but it's $6.99 for all-day parking. read more

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I have been to this museum several times now and am always surprised by the wonderful experience. I am not a museum person, but the exhibits they have are always interesting. The China Terracotta Warriors was an incredible experience. You see it on TV but to stand in front of one of the warriors was truly incredible. There was a Video experience room which was interesting as well. There were also tools, decor, irrigation, and weapon exhibits which give you so much insight into these ancient yet advanced civilizations. There was also an interactive 'design your warrior' area where you could assign paint colors to parts of the uniform. This is just one example of an exhibit. But the museum always does a great job of blending thoughtful placards and interactive experiences. Great job! read more

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Really underwhelming experience during my visit to see the terracotta warriors at Bowers Museum. Parking spaces are tight and limited. It's also not free or close to the entrance. The inside the museum is not well air conditioned and overran by screaming children and absent minded parents. I found it inescapable and they were insufferable. Imagine a kid running right into your leg and shrieking at you while reading the descriptions of an artifact. Not just once, but several times in different rooms I have entered to view the exhibition just to get away. And the exhibit itself for the actual terracotta warriors were pathetic. There were maybe about a half a dozen of them on cased display and that was it! And once you exited the warrior area exhibit, you can't re-enter! For a $60 entrance fee plus paid parking, I expected much more and better viewing experience than this. So totally not worth the money spent or effort made to visit. I really wish I had visited during the weekday or something when it wasn't perhaps going to be so crowded. You have been warned! read more

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I came here as a chaperone for my son's 5th grade field trip to see the terracotta warriors exhibit. I was very impressed by our docent Kelly who was very patient with crazy 10 yo kids and she was very thorough explaining the history of these terra-cotta warriors. Our students also got to make their own clay terracotta warriors as part of the field trip. This museum is very neat and definitely worth a visit! read more

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As soon as I saw that the Terracotta Warriors were on exhibit at the Bowers Museum, I had to come that same day and wow, it did not disappoint. Seeing these incredible figures in person is truly unbelievable. Of course, I still hope to visit Xi'an someday to see the full excavation site, but having a handful of warriors here in Santa Ana is such a rare and special opportunity. My brain can hardly wrap around the fact that these were created by human hands over two thousand years ago..jaw dropping artistry and history. Like what am I even doing with my life? I can barely walk without tripping over my own two feet over here. The exhibit itself is beautifully curated, and the experience doesn't stop there. The colorful Nepalese art lining the entrance hall is stunning, and I also loved exploring the Polynesia exhibit, which is filled with fascinating artifacts. It's such a treat to see so many cultures and histories under one roof. Highly recommend catching the Terracotta Warriors exhibit before it ends! And don't miss the AI photo booth on your way out, it's a fun way to snap some "Terracotta-style" photos of yourself. read more

Bowers Museum - Even more beautiful in person - Museums Near Me - Santa Ana, California

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We were members for many years. The exhibits have been interesting, some seasons better than others, but overall, the experiences we had were worth the 45-mile drive. One experience will always be a stand out for us. My daughter and I were in the main exhibit viewing rooms and we noticed that it was nearing closing time. When we went to exit we realized that they had locked us in! It took 15 minutes of pounding on doors and yelling for help to get security to open the door and the employees standing around as they opened the door looked at us like we were thieves, it was so weird. We decided that was it for renewing our membership. It sounds funny now, but a real Night at the Museum experience was not so fun that day. read more

My family and I went here for the Terracotta Warrior exhibit. It was my first time at this beautiful museum. It's small but we spent about 2 hours exploring it. The Terracotta Warrior exhibit was excellent. We spent a lot of time there reading and talking to a very knowledgeable docent. After that we checked out the other exhibits in the museum. They were all great. I really like the Chinese and South Pacific artifacts as well. The exhibits on Pico were also very interesting. read more

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The American Quilt in Bowers is an exhibition of the highest quality and deep learning The tour led by Debbie Brittenham was so educative and inspiring! Debbie is a volunteer with a great personal attitude to the subject and dedication to the art. Victor Samarov read more

Bowers Museum - My family with Debbie Brittenham, the Docent at Bowers - Museums Near Me - Santa Ana, California

Fantastic day there, lunch in well placed dining room good too! Wonderful artworks of the Pacific Islands and other areas we're not used to seeing here in Orange County. Lots of friendly volunteers too! Beautiful old building ,90 yrs old, and classes Id like to go to. Jan Buck read more

Absolutely love Bowers Museum. They always have relevant, cool, cultural experiences and pieces for patrons to check out! The recent exhibition of the Terra Cotta Warriors is excellent. The docents are so knowledgeable, I appreciate them so much and always pick their brains with my questions! The Bowers permanent exhibit is good too and great source of local history, so don't skip out on that during your next visit! My parents used to have annual passes, that's how I was introduced to the museum. Now, I come on my own to enjoy all that this wonderful museum has to offer! read more

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It was a good day for us to visit the museum. Got there in time for a short lecture of European history and a visit to the China history exhibition of 2300 BCE - 2000BCE . Much of the artifacts displayed this time were discovered from 2009 thru 2023. Fairly recent in historical time - lol. We gained a bit more knowledge of ancient history. We had toured China & visited the X'ian site in 2002 & 2005. This exhibition allows a closer view of very interesting items read more

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Came here for the lunar year family festival and loved it! There were complimentary egg rolls, craft stations and lion dances. Keep an eye on their website for their family festivals. It's usually the first Sunday of the month. Go early and get a parking spot. read more

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Stopped by on a random weekday to check it out and it was a cool museum! Really pretty outdoor and courtyard area. Parking is close by across the street to entrance with a flat fee. I paid for an admission ticket online prior to coming. When I came, there was an extra exhibition of the terracotta warriors that was nice to see. The museum is two stories and took me approximately 2 hours to get through all of it. I liked the wing that talked about the history of California and art pieces surrounding the history. There's a lot of cool cultural things here including both art and history across different regions and cultures. read more

Bowers Museum - Museums Near Me - Santa Ana, California

The Bowers Museum has been a lovely new gem that I've discovered from the annual Free Museum day. It has a well curated set of permanent exhibits that are worth checking out - the China exhibit is also quite interesting, but the exhibit on the South Pacific islands is especially unique and thoughtfully put together. They have special exhibits in addition to the permanent ones, as well as some rotating smaller single-room collections (this time was taking us through how exhibits are acquired and added). The museum is very doable in a couple of hours, and it's nice space - there's a lovely courtyard in front of the main entrance. The museum has two large parking lots on either side. Worth checking out at least once! read more

This was our first time here and it was a lovely experience. The entire museum is nice and clean. It was well laid out and the parking for the whole time was only $6.99. The staff were nice and friendly. The entry was free but a few exhibits are a fee. The children enjoyed the scavenger hunt. It wasn't too challenging and even my 4 year old loved finding the artifacts. read more

Bowers Museum - Museums Near Me - Santa Ana, California

This is a beautiful museum with a very solid permanent collection and rotating exhibits. The permanent exhibits include artifacts from ancient China to Polynesia/Micronesia cultures to relatively modern California missions. The current rotating collection is the terracotta warriors, which were shipped from Xi'an. The area is clean, the staff are kind. The actual museum itself is also beautiful, with weddings and quinceañeras frequently being held here. A gem of Orange County -- would recommend! read more

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Came here to see the terracotta warriors since I don't know that I would ever make it to China to see it in person. It was amazing to see a small part of this collection and learn about how this was uncovered. Seeing this exhibit only makes me want to see more! There were other interesting exhibits available to walk through here as well and we enjoyed exploring the museum for a few hours. A great local museum in Orange County. If you were ever interested in seeing the terracotta warriors I highly recommend seeing this exhibit before it leaves town. I only wish there was more of it as it is somewhat of a tease! Makes you want to book a trip to China to see the entire grand collection. It's amazing to learn about what and how they uncovered this amazing find. I'm glad I was able to see it! read more

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Bowers Museum puts on some of the best family events in OC! We went for their Pacific Islander-themed festival and were blown away by the energy -- the live performances were incredible and the creative activities were super fun for all ages. It's such a thoughtful way to celebrate culture and community. A great way to spend a weekend afternoon with the fam. read more

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We just visited Bowers Museum this past weekend as they have the world of Terra cotta warriors exhibition until October. Amazing artifacts of Chinese culture and artifacts dated back to 10,000 BEC. Great features of a small collection of local artist of oils painting as well as a gallery of Polynesian art and cultures. Worth visiting if you are in the area. read more

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My BF loves museums, so I got online and saw Bowers had good reviews. They have artifacts from all over the world, from California, China and south Pacific, with mostly an Asian focus. Currently they have the terracotta warriors, which is rarely shown in CA and definitely worth the premium admission price. They do have a museum restaurant, if you get hungry, though I cannot rate because I didnt try it. Finding a parking spot was not a problem, but you have to scan a QR code, which was a pain, like why can't you just get a parking permit from th parking attendant. read more

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目之所及，皆是回憶，心之所想，才是未來，曾經的都是故事，往後的才是人生～ 第一次參加花展，好開心呀，學長學姊們， 花也插的太漂亮了吧， 在Bowers Museum 展出， 寺裡也在這浴佛， 小孩子的表演， 超級成功的一次活動 read more

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Great local museum. Nice variety of displays that change out. There is a lot of local heritage on display. Staff is very knowledgeable and friendly. Worth the time to look around and spend some time. read more

Beautiful museum! I loved all the artifacts and how well taken care of the grounds are. Definitely a must see. read more

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The courtyard does function as a nice space for a wedding reception. Having two parking lots is also a convenient asset, just like the QR code that needs to be scanned in order to pay for parking. Most of the museum was closed during the wedding reception but I did like the terracotta warriors display and the netsuke dolls. The restrooms are clean and easily accessible. read more

I'm SoCal born and raised and I had never heard of Bowers Museum but glad I finally went! After a last minute decision to go, I was super excited to see the World of the Terracotta Warriors exhibit. Never in a million years did I think I would be able to see Terracotta anything outside of a book or a documentary but this Orange County gem is currently hosting these Chinese master pieces. Outside of this temporary exhibit, I did enjoy the permanent featured work as well, especially the early California art. The museum itself is spacious and has beautiful architecture. I found employees to be nice and helpful but there was one supervisor who seemed to be a little rude and dismissive to her employees and she was a little too assertive with me as well. When I received my sticker that granted me access to the Terracotta exhibit, which did cost extra, I was only a few steps away from where I paid and in the process of putting the admission sticker on my shirt and she was very quick to tell me to put it on. "Mam, take a breath, it's definitely going on." But one mean supervisor didn't deter me from having a very positive experience, definitely recommend visiting while the Terracotta exhibit is still there! read more

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I haven't been to this museum since elementary field trip and I came back here (last min plan) and it was really cool. The staff is really nice too read more

Bowers Museum - Museums Near Me - Santa Ana, California

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Spent a fun afternoon at Bowers Museum with the family to see the Asian Comics exhibit. Lots of interesting comics from different Asian countries and timeframes. I recognized some from my youth. We also checked out their permanent exhibits, Miao (masters of silver) and Pacific islands exhibits, as well as the China exhibit. The museum was very clean and spacious. Everything was very organized. The staff was friendly. read more

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Bowers Museum is an art museum located in the historic heart of Orange County. Their 8 permanent galleries includes more than 100,000 objects, and features notable strengths in the areas of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, Native American art, the art of Asia, and Oceania, and California plein-air painting. Currently they have 2 new featured exhibitions: The Power of Photography and Beyond the Great Wave. Both runs till January 2024. It's our first time in this museum and we're impressed by their galleries and the massive more than 100,000-square-feet space. Furthermore, the museum has a large garden and restaurant. Staff were amiable and professional. General Admission $18 fee was reasonable as well as their parking $6 fee. Moreover, any featured exhibits is an additional $10 fee. It took me almost 2 hr 30 min to see all galleries including the gift store shop. Overall, I really enjoyed their galleries. I highly recommend this art museum. read more

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