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Best Museum Gift Shops In Orange County

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(credit: shutterstock)

Visiting a museum can be both a fun and educational experience, but it's the museum gift shop that helps preserve the memories for years to come. Orange County is the home to various museums and their gift shops sell everything from art-related material, educational pieces and much more for both adults and children. Here are the top five gift shops to visit in the Orange County area.

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(credit: La Habra Children's Museum)

Children's Museum at La Habra
301 S. Euclid St.
La Habra, CA 90631
(562) 905-9793
www.lhcm.org

The range of items at the Museum in La Habra is geared to entertain the younger shoppers with its array of games, toys and educational materials. The Imagination Station gift shop carries items that range from 10 cents to $20. The very affordable items are aimed to get children enthusiastic about educational materials and hoping that it catches on with all of the younger shoppers. More than 95,000 children visit the museum every year and the world of art, culture and science come together at the Imagination Station of La Habra.

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(credit: Bowers Museum)

Bowers Museum
2002 North Main Street
Santa Ana, CA 92706
(714) 567-3600
www.bowers.org

Going to the gift store at Bowers is easily more than just a shopping adventure, it is a cultural experience. Although there is only a select amount of products available on the online store, proceeds from the purchases will go towards the support to its exhibitions, educational programs and artistic preservation. The gift store has items that range from household items, figurines and sculptures, jewelry, prints, art, stationary, wearables and accesories, to name a few.

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(credit: Pretend City)

Pretend City
29 Hubble
Irvine, CA 92618
(949) 428-3900
www.pretendcity.org

This location is mostly aimed at entertaining a younger demographic of children ranging from preschool to third grade. The focus on family has the museum teaching the children about the Four R's of recycling, reducing, reusing and rebuilding. The facility not only has a healthy food cafe, but it also has a mini mall that has great gifts and items for both adults and children that help gear children in the right direction when it comes to learning and education. Although there is no online gift store, Pretend City is a great, friendly place to stop by for people of all ages to not only enjoy the facility, but to also see what great gifts and items are available in the gift store.

Related: Best Museum Gift Shops In Orange County

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(credit: International Surfing Museum)

International Surfing Museum
411 Olive Ave.
Huntington Beach, CA 92648
(714) 960-3483
www.surfingmuseum.org

Huntington Beach is home to many of the greatest surfers of our time and it is only fitting that it is also the home to the iconic historical museum. It provides friendly service and sensational gift shop surf items for those visiting the city and looking to connect with the surfing world. There are numerous items that are best-selling and the Christopher Medals bring nostalgia for the surfers, who is considered a patron saint of travelers. If you happen to have a membership to the museum, you will receive discounts on items in the gift shop. A fun fact about this location is that it includes the camera used to film the classic "Endless Summer" surf film. The Museum is also a local treasure and is dedicated to the legendary Duke Kahanamoku.

Orange County Museum of Art
(credit: Orange County Museum of Art/Facebook)

Orange County Museum of Art
850 San Clemente Dr.
Newport Beach, CA 92660
(949) 759-1122
www.ocma.net

Every year the OCMA has more than 40,000 visitors to its Orange County museum and entertains roughly 15,000 children and adults annually during its educational endeavors that are award winning. The gift shop provides the customers with products that are both local and international to buy. There are limited edition pieces, beautiful vases, stationary, jewelry, playful toys made of art, art books and much more. Local craftspeople and international artists have helped grow and create the gift shop. For operating hours, visit the online shop here.

Related: Best Museum Tours In OC

Elle Toussi is a freelance writer covering all things Orange County. Her work can be found on Examiner.com.
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