2 Best Sights in Orange County and Catalina Island, California

This museum displays work by California artists from all time periods, representing scenery in Laguna, and life and history of the Golden State in general. Special exhibits change quarterly.

Founded by 13 visionary women in 1962 and one of the earliest contemporary art museums in California, the OCMA opened in late 2022 in its new $94 million home at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa. Designed by Pritzker Prize--winning architect Thom Mayne, OCMA's striking 53,000-square-foot building has 25,000 square feet of free-flowing gallery space to house its extensive collection of more than 4,500 works produced in the 20th and 21st centuries by artists with ties to California. Outside, a grand staircase provides amphitheater seating and serves as a community gathering point, inspired by the steps at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. There is a bar, café, and sculpture terrace on Level 2. Programs include Art + Play for little ones and Art Happy Hour & Pop-Up Talks for adults.