A non-profit museum located in the historic heart of Orange County in Santa Ana, CA, Bowers Museum showcases art and artifacts from cultures around the world in 9 permanent collection exhibitions and rotating featured exhibitions. As the largest and one of the oldest museums in Orange County, Bowers has been voted ‘Best Museum’ in Orange County for the past 30 years by OC Register Readers (2023). Partnering with world-class institutions, Bowers Museum’s featured exhibitions include blockbusters such as Terracotta Warriors; Mummies: Death and the Afterlife in Ancient Egypt, Treasures of the British Museum; and Guo Pei: Art of Couture.

The Charles W. Bowers Memorial Museum first opened its doors in 1936 as a city-run museum devoted primarily to the history of Orange County. In 1987, the City of Santa Ana closed the museum with the understanding that after careful study and a great deal of input from the community, the museum would be reopened as a totally transformed museum, ready to meet the challenges of the 21st century.