Day Trip to the Huntington Botanical Gardens

With Labor Day approaching, I wanted a quick trip that Andrew and I could take that would allow us to adventure, get away from home, and enjoy the long weekend. Less than 130 miles away from San Diego and just outside of LA, the Huntington Library, Art Museums, and Botanical Gardens seemed like a great little day trip and getaway.

The ideation of the Huntington Library, Art Museums, and Botanical Gardens began in 1903 with railroad and real estate businessman, Henry Edwards Huntington. After purchasing the San Marino Ranch, Huntington and his wife, Arabella, started compiling their extensive library, art, and botanical collections. In 1919, their private estate transitioned to a public institution. Opening to visitors in 1928, the grounds and collections have grown and become a nonprofit institution. The Huntington Library contains 8 million manuscripts, 450,000 rare books, and works spanning the 11th to 21st century. The Art Museum features paintings, sculptures, and prints, while the Botanical Gardens stretches across 130 acres and contains over a dozen themed gardens. I know, pretty impressive.

Early Saturday morning, we started the drive north towards the Pasadena area. We arrived around 10:30am, shortly after it opened. Armed with a full water bottle, sunscreen, and a readiness to explore, we started our journey around the gardens.

Hoping to avoid the afternoon heat, we started at the Desert Garden. But, joke was on us because there was no escaping the weekend LA heat. I’m always a fan of cactuses and succulents (desert garden mainstays) so I especially enjoyed this part of the grounds. We quickly stopped by the lily ponds, then continued through the Australian Garden. With sweat dripping down our backs, we then walked through the Japanese Garden, full of tall bamboo and a ceremonial tea house. Afterwards, we continued on our path to the impressive Chinese Garden. With beautiful structures, a vast pavilion, and well-manicured greenery, this garden was one of my favorites.

From the gardens, we moved onto the Virginia Steele Scott Galleries of American Art. We relished the AC, as it was a much needed reprieve from the excessive heat. Then, we checked out the Brody Botanical Center and Library Exhibition Hall. It was a good ending to a full day. We managed to see a good majority of what the Huntington had to offer, but we still missed a couple spots. We didn’t get to the Rose, Shakespeare, or Herb Garden, so we know what to hit if we make it back.

With the sun beating down on us, our skin glistening with sweat, and our feet absolutely tired, we decided to call it a day. Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed the Huntington and everything we saw. It was a great LA destination that’s enough out of the city that it almost feels like a hidden gem. If you find yourself in Southern California, I can’t recommend checking out the Huntington enough.