I wanted to take my mom to the Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Garden before Mother’s Day. The Huntington is definitely a must-visit if you’re ever in Los Angeles. In this blog, you’ll learn more about the Huntington and get tips for visiting. The video below shows you what it’s like to visit.
About The Huntington
It’s located in the San Marino area and is the former estate of railroad magnate Henry Huntington who owned the Pacific Electric Railway Company.
After seeing incredible success in the railroad business, Henry became a major collector and buyer in the elite antiquarian book market. Him and his wife, Arabella Huntington, co-signed a deed of trust to make the San Marino property a research and educational institution made available to the public at the time of their death. Both are buried on the property.
Henry bought the property in 1903 and it was first opened to the public in 1927, shortly after the couple’s death.
Today, over 700,000 visitors explore the Huntington annually.
The Huntington is about 207 acres big and the gardens are about 130 of those acres.
The gardens feature 16 themed gardens with more than 83,000 living plants including rare and endangered species.
There’s even a laboratory on the premises for botanical conservation and research.
Chinese Garden
One of the first gardens we explored was the Chinese Garden–a garden Inspired by the gardens of Suzhou, China.
When you walk through, you can feel the intentionality behind the garden features and immediately feel a sense of calmness.
I love how there are always events and demonstrations held at the gardens. Every Wednesday, you can find solo musicians offering recitals and monthly lectures that provide background on the garden and East Asian culture.
Walking around the garden, you’ll find many places to sit and take in your surroundings. I even saw a few folks drawing, reading, and some with their laptops out working remotely.
Seeing all the unique and rare plants thriving all over the gardens was amazing.
Japanese Garden
After the Chinese Garden, we strolled over to the Japanese Garden.
I was amazed how quickly you could feel the shift in aesthetic and vibe.
The Japanese Garden is a picturesque garden with a distinctive moon bridge, koi-filled ponds, a historic Japanese house and more.
The garden was tranquil and peaceful.
For a moment I really felt like I was back in Japan.
The Rose Garden
When at the Huntington, you must visit the Rose Garden. The first roses in this 3-acre rose garden were planted n 1908.
This garden is stunning! With a large variety of big, beautiful bloomed roses all around you.
This was a highlight for me and next time, I plan to make a reservation at the Rose Garden Tea Room now that it’s reopened!
Tips for Visiting:
- You could easily spend a good chunk of the day at the Huntington. The grounds are huge! I definitely recommend comfortable shoes because you will be walking a lot.
- The Huntington is open from 10am -5pm every day but Tuesday, and some holidays.
- Reservations are required on specific days so I recommend visiting their website to confirm.
- There is an admission fee to enter, but parking is free!
- Here’s a link to the Huntington website if you’d like more information: https://huntington.org/
1919 Cafe
By this time, we were starving, so decided to eat food on the property.
We went to the 1919 cafe which serves food cafe style. There’s also a bar with a wide selection of wine, beer, and cocktails!
The Library
Our last stop of the day was the actual library. The Huntington Library is one of the world’s great independent research libraries, with about 11 million items spanning the 11th to 21st century.
Scholars and researchers use the library and examine the art regularly. The information and discoveries made have been used for award-winning documentaries, best-selling novels, school textbooks, and more.
With good food and drink options, stunning gardens, an incredible art selection, and impressive literary works on display, I highly recommend visiting the Huntington at least once.
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ABOUT ME
Hi! I’m Remi. A Japanese-American millennial navigating adulthood in Los Angeles. I was born in Fukuoka, Japan but was adopted and raised in Los Angeles, CA.
I love playing tourist in my own city and discovering new places to visit (& eat)!
My mission is to encourage people to be tourists in their own cities by sharing my experiences with the world. You’ll discover places to visit in Los Angeles/Southern California and get an understanding of what it’s like to live in LA. I’ll also take you with me as I continue to learn more about Japan and my Japanese heritage.
Thanks so much for watching!
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