Of course you all know who Huell Howser is! Before travel shows, before Yelp there were Huell…read moreHowser shows - "California Gold" among them that took us to unknown places of this beautiful state.
Huell liked to dig deeper and look for off the beaten paths places and talk to locals like no one else could.
Huell liked Orange and decided to leave his legacy (archive from his shows), library, art collection, personal objects to Chapman University.
The University arranged a wonderful permanent exhibit dedicated to Howser's legacy and life. The exhibit is located on the lower level (follow signs) of Leatherby Libaries on the beautiful campus of Chapman. Take Glassell Street toward N from Orange Circle, a quick 2 minute walk, then take a right to University Dr. and you'll see the big library building (there are maps on the campus, too).
The exhibit is fun to visit especially if you like California and want to learn more about it, about Howser's interesting life and career and get behind the scenes of "California Gold". It's a lot of fun memorabilia on display, videos, photos, notebooks, cameras, book, cool dessert art (created from found objects) that Huell collected, way ahead of his time. A Tennessee transplant, Huell fell in love with California and the desert where he bought some cool properties.
There's more to Huell than you think, he was a fascinating person that left a wonderful legacy behind. The best way to learn about it all is to visit this nice exhibit, very well put together.
Free to visit, closed on Mondays and Sundays. Tues- Friday - 9-5, Saturdays 10 am - 6 pm. So, plan wisely.
Nice restrooms, water fountains, great staff. They offer free California maps, a Huell special.
It'll take you around an hour to see everything? It could be a fun activity while you visit Orange.
Great exhibit, it makes you keep discovering places and people. Great example to follow, Huell is inspiring and so is his legacy.
Next time I'll stop by Stan's Donuts in Westwood, I'll have to grab a "Huell" donut, great excuse, right?