Nestled near the junction of the 405, 5 and 22 freeways is a sweet little oasis of calm and beauty called the Bowers Museum.

The Mission Revival-style building in Santa Ana sits in an unlikely looking neighborhood of commercial businesses and industrial buildings, but it’s surrounded by greenery and inviting courtyards at both entrances.

Built in 1932 and opened as a city museum in 1936, the Bowers became an independent institution in 1986 when it underwent extensive renovations. It hosts several permanent exhibits on California and Orange County history; Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Africa and the Pacific Rim; and artifacts from ancient China.

Special exhibits are mounted on a regular basis and are always of interest. Recent ones have featured the World of Fantasy, Asian Comics

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