The public television series featured Orange County during the series’ award-winning first season.

Samantha Brown’s PBS travel series “Places to Love”  is quite a hit. The diverse travel show received two daytime Emmy awards celebrating its first season, which included an Orange County episode featuring iconic sites and attractions. In 2017, OCVA partnered with Brown to showcase Orange County during the production of her new travel show. The OC episode, which aired in March 2018, highlighted coastal and inland hot-spots within Newport Beach, Anaheim, Costa Mesa, Laguna Beach and Huntington Beach. 

The Orange County Visitors Association (OCVA) spearheaded the effort and worked with the visitor bureaus of each featured city to coordinate the project. Much of the popularity of Brown’s new series stems from the fact that it features hidden gems, lesser-known spots and dives deep into food, art and the culture of diverse destinations, both domestic and international. 

The show effortlessly captured authentic moments that showcase why Orange County is “the heart of southern California.” Brown personally won an award for “Outstanding Host for a Lifestyle, Children’s or Special Class Program” and “Places to Love” won for “Outstanding Travel and Adventure Program”. The show’s average viewership for season one (2018) was just over two-million views per episode. Even though season two preparations have been successful, the series is still garnering significant numbers for its season one episodes. Amidst the myriad of awards that for both Brown and her show have won, Orange County is proud to have played a prominent role in the series’ early development.