If culture and natural beauty are what you’re craving while you’re visiting the Los Angeles area, then you can find it all at the Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens. It is located in San Marino, California, near Pasadena. This enchanting and vast complex of buildings and gardens sits at the end of a residential neighborhood distinguished by its early 20th-century mansions.
Watch my short walking tour of the gardens on YouTube
Find the best museums in Los Angeles, here
You must order advance tickets online to visit the Huntington Library and parking is free. I find it’s better to go early when it opens or later in the afternoon if it’s a warm day as it can get hot.
Be prepared to do a lot of walking, wear comfy shoes, a hat, and slather on your sunscreen because I guarantee you will do some serious steps when you visit.
If walking is a challenge for you, a special assistance vehicle and a limited number of wheelchairs are available to take you where you want to go. Call ahead to reserve one. The Huntington does its best to make its collections and outdoor areas accessible for seniors and those who are disabled.
Arriving at the library and gardens
The grounds are spread out with themed gardens, exhibit halls, and other buildings. It is best to grab a map to navigate your route.
The Rose Garden
The gorgeous Rose Garden on the grounds was created by Henry and Arabella Huntington in 1908. Roses were Arabella’s favorite flower and there are now more than 3,000 individual rose bushes on the property in 1200 varieties. They bloom from March through Thanksgiving.
These are Delores Hope roses in the photo below.
In the center of the rose garden is a French stone tempietto with a statue of Cupid and a young maiden who captured him called Love, the Captive of Youth.
The Huntington Rose Garden Tea Room serves a classy English high tea with finger sandwiches and pastries. It’s a lovely venue to enjoy the afternoon with other tea lovers. (The Tea Room is set to reopen on May 23, 2023, newly renovated)
One of my favorite tea companies, “Art of Tea,” based in Los Angeles, has created two blends for the Huntington Library called “Huntington Blend” and “Huntington Rose.” The company provides many of the teas served in the gardens and you can purchase it in the gift shop.
The Japanese Garden
I always gravitate toward the Japanese Garden. Its serene environment imbues a sense of tranquility and peace for visitors.
At the top of the Japanese Garden are several buildings. One of them is an authentic five-room house that was shipped to Pasadena from Japan in 1904 and was purchased by Henry Huntington in 1911. The ceremonial teahouse was also transported from Japan in the 1960s. It’s for display only and doesn’t host tea ceremonies.
The Japanese Garden opened to the public in 1928 and is one of the most popular sections to visit at the Huntington.
The Chinese Garden
Not far from the Japanese Garden is one of the largest Chinese-style gardens outside of China. It’s called The Garden of Flowing Fragrance and is also an exquisite place to while away the hours.
Enjoy appetizers or lunch at the Freshwater Pavilion Noodle House. I ordered shrimp and pork wontons and ate them overlooking the pond. It was spicy but delightful.
Chinese-style pavilions are scattered along the paths surrounding the garden to offer shade and respite for visitors while they enjoy works of art, a waterfall, sculptures, and carvings.
Lily ponds
This whimsical statue of a boy looking for frogs is located in the lily ponds on the East side of the gardens.
The desert garden
A stunning collection of cacti and succulents are arranged in the desert garden that was first planted almost 100 years ago. It’s a gorgeous section of the botanical gardens with over 2,000 species of desert plants in 60 meticulously landscaped beds.
You never know what you will find
This ethereal bronze sculpture of a water nymph standing in a pond was created by Georg Kolbe, who was the leading German sculptor of his day.
About Henry Huntington
Henry Edwards Huntington (1850 – 1927) was a successful railroad magnate and collector who built a huge financial empire in Southern California. His name is memorialized at schools, hospitals, and the popular Huntington Beach.
Huntington amassed an enormous collection of art and rare books that are housed in the Library and galleries. His entire collection has over 36,000 individual works of art that also include European and American art, maps, furniture, musical instruments, and other objects of interest.
Dibner Hall of the History of Science
The Huntington is so vast that it takes several visits to experience there are always interesting collections at the Dibner Hall of the History of Science.
When I was there, I browsed through an exhibition called Beautiful Science: Ideas that Changed the World. It features the evolution of astronomy, natural history, medicine, and light. You can even gaze through a replica of Galileo’s telescope to give you an idea of how people viewed the sky back then.
European Art
Huntington Library’s European Art Gallery is the home of the original Blue Boy by Thomas Gainsborough. One time I visited, the famous painting was being restored and was temporarily installed as the Blue Boy Project at the west end of the Thornton Portrait Gallery. It was fascinating to see the progress of the restoration.
After a brief loan-out to Europe, it is now back as part of the permanent collection.
The European Art Gallery also displays masterpieces by 15th – 20th-century artists as well as decorative art, furniture, and sculptures. Notable paintings are Mary Cassatt’s Breakfast in Bed, Edward Hopper’s The Long Leg, The Gutenberg Bible, and Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales.
A treasure trove of art, history, and the beauty of nature
As I mentioned before, you can’t see everything at the Huntington in one day and I can only give you some of the highlights in this post. As the seasons change so does do the gardens so it’s interesting to walk through them at different times during the year.
Because The Huntington is in California, you can visit and enjoy the gardens year-round as a welcome escape from busy city life. Make sure to put this dazzling jewel on your things-to-do list. It will be the highlight of your trip.
For more information, visit their website
The Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens
1151 Oxford Rd, San Marino, CA 91108
(626) 405-2100
Such a beautiful and serene looking place. Add in some exercise and great food and it sounds like a perfect day.
It was all that and more, Karen. I can’t wait to go back.
Oh, it sounds divine! I’ve now put it on my list of places to see. It would be right up Husby’s alley as well! Perfect!
I hope you get a chance to visit, Diane. You would love it.
Looks lovely. Have never heard of it! Your posts always make me want to go back to Los Angeles… like now.
Thanks, Laurie. Anytime you come to LA, let me know and we can do lunch!
What a wonderful park. I love all the sculptures that you found along the way. The boy looking at the frogs is my favorite.
I loved that one too, Jennifer. It’s so cute and a great place to sit and relax. It’s popular with the kids.