Exhibits

Cottage #46 — The Rotating Exhibit Gallery

Located in Cottage #46, our rotating exhibit gallery features original work by local artists and mission-aligned makers whose creativity is rooted in nature and the coastal heritage of Southern California. Each collection brings together paintings, pottery, jewelry, textiles, books, and handcrafted goods — all with their own unique stories to tell.

The exhibits change throughout the year, which means there’s always something new to discover. Come see what’s on display!

Current Exhibit

Step into a sun-drenched journey along the Southern California coast with Coastal Heritage & Vintage Nostalgia, a curated summer exhibition running June through August.

This vibrant collection celebrates the enduring legacy of plein air painting alongside the golden-age allure of seaside travel, where art and memory meet under an endless blue sky. It’s a celebration of place, movement, and the timeless pull of the shoreline; where every brushstroke carries the warmth of the sun and the spirit of the Pacific. Read more…

Hours

Currently open 10AM – 6PM daily.

Cottage #34 — The Japanese School House

In the 1920s and 30s, Japanese American farming families lived and worked on the land at Crystal Cove — sharecroppers who had come to tend fields that stretched along the coastal bluffs of what was then the Irvine Ranch. On Saturdays, their children gathered in a small schoolhouse to learn the cultural traditions of their parents, like kendo, Buddhist practice, and community celebration.

Then, in 1942, Executive Order 9066 incarcerated Japanese American families across Southern California from their homes. The families of Crystal Cove were sent to internment camps and never returned. The schoolhouse sat empty for years before the Kuechel family relocated it to the bluffs of the Historic District in 1947, where it passed between families until the land was sold to the State of California in 1979.

Today, Cottage #34 stands as the Cultural Center; a space dedicated to the full, complicated story of this coastline and the people who shaped it. Historic panels throughout the cottage trace the lives of the Japanese farming families who called this place home, and honor this chapter of California history. Read more…

Hours

Currently open 9AM – 5PM daily.

Periodically closed for staff and board meetings.

Cottage #13 — The ‘Beaches’ Cottage

Cottage #13 sits at the southernmost point of Crystal Cove’s Historic District, and it has been many things over the years: a campsite, a shared home, a survivor of storms, and — perhaps most famously — a movie set. In 1988, its weathered beachside facade appeared on screen in Beaches, the film starring Bette Midler that introduced millions of people to this stretch of the Southern California coast.

But the Hollywood chapter came later. Before that, the cottage was built in the 1920s by six couples who first visited Crystal Cove as campers and then made it their home. A major storm in the 1930s forced four of the six families out, leaving the Parkers and Lees to rebuild what had been damaged. The cottage remained in those two families for generations, with Phyllis Parker-Loewe and her daughter Nancy among its last tenants.

Today, Cottage #13 is home to the Beaches Film & Media Center, a tribute to the unexpected role Crystal Cove has played in California’s cinematic history. Read more…

Hours

Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday | 11am-3pm

Times and days subject to change depending on volunteer availability and weather. Volunteer State Park docents will be onsite to lead tours.