The Central Coast’s city of arts and flowers is an apropos destination for lovers of both varieties. The two categories found in Lompoc’s nickname often intertwine with one another, too, during long-standing traditions like the annual Flower Festival and Parade, for example.
Finding art in general—whether it depicts flowers, people, Vandenberg Space Force Base’s rockets, etc.—in Lompoc isn’t a struggle thanks to both indoor and outdoor opportunities. While Lompoc’s Cypress Gallery and public library host art exhibits regularly, the city’s also home to dozens of outdoor art murals, created by local artists and out-of-town talent alike.
A complete list and city map that outlines where to find these treasures is available at explorelompoc.com. Here are a few highlights:
Feeding Time (2015)
Artist: Jeff Raum (Moorpark, CA)
Location: 122 W. Ocean Ave
Save yourself a trip to Universal Studios and get your Jurassic Park fix on Ocean Avenue instead. Jeff Raum’s large-scale illustration will transport viewers to a typical day in the life during the late cretaceous period—about 75 million years ago, give or take. The scene includes a carnivorous albertosaurus (a distant relative of the T-rex) and two duck-billed lambeosauruses. Delicious!
The Boatmen (2014)
Artist: John Pugh (Truckee, CA)
Location: 112 South I St.
A boat within a boat within a boat. John Pugh’s The Boatmen is a Russian nesting doll of a mural. The biggest boat within his canvas is a naval vessel, not unlike the ships lost during the 1923 Honda Point disaster, according to the Lompoc Mural Society. A Chumash canoe and a Spanish galleon also encompass this striking piece that seems to pop out from the wall it’s on.
Last of the titans (2003)
Artist: Colleen Mitchell Veyna (Visalia, CA)
Location: 135 N. H St.
This fiery mural proves that you don’t need exclusive access to Vandenberg Space Force Base for a close-up look at a local rocket taking off. For anyone worried about the sonic booms frequently associated with the Lompoc area, no need to whip out the ear plugs or crate your dogs for this launch.
Flowers of the Valley (2003)
Artist: Vicki Andersen (Lompoc)
Location: 119 E. Cypress Ave.
Colorful depictions of petunias, daisies, and other flora local to the Lompoc Valley define Vicki Andersen’s multi-frame mural installation, which stretches across several doors and garage doors along an alley on Cypress Avenue.
50th Anniversary of Landsat (2003)
Artist: Ann Thompson (Lompoc)
Location: 201 W. Ocean Ave.
During the summer of 2021, local artist Ann Thompson embarked on creating this commemorative mural after a rigorous application process. According to a report from Vandenberg Space Force Base, Thompson was among 13 artists from across the U.S. who NASA considered to spearhead the project, ahead of the Landsat satellite program’s 50th anniversary in 2022.
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Get Outside – Summer/Fall 2025
This article appears in Get Outside – Summer/Fall 2025.