The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens

1151 Oxford Rd, San Marino, CA 91108, USA

Address:	1151 Oxford Rd, San Marino, CA 91108, USA
Phone:	+1 626-405-2100
Site:	huntington.org
Rating:	4.7
Working:	10AM–5PM Closed 10AM–5PM 10AM–5PM 10AM–5PM 10AM–5PM 10AM–5PM

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 4

Stephanie Han

What an amazing place. A couple of my friends wanted to do the tea thing there so we made reservations for the tea room and decided to make a day of it. It was a rather overcast and cool day, so it wasnt as crowded as it could get, which was nice. We started out in the Desert gardens area, where you see some really funky plants, including the tallest asparagus spear EVER. Then we headed to the Japanese garden, which was simply exquisite, rivaling some of the famed gardens I saw in Kyoto and Tokyo. Then we checked out the new much-ballyhooed Chinese garden, which was indeed great but couldve done without so many snack area seating, which kind of interfered with the garden, in my opinion. The snacks offered looked good--some dim sum items, tea, and fruit. I think once the garden gets more weathered and some of the plants grow in itll look better. From there we meandered over to the rose garden tea room, where wed made reservations for 1:30. We were a little early but were seated right away, and I learned that it was actually an all you can eat and drink buffet! We had a choice of two different kinds of teas: English breakfast and Orange Pekot with rose, and a basket of assorted warm scones (chocolate chip, ginger, raisin) came to the table. Everything else was self-serve, and I must say, for $25 its a deal--they had a variety of tea sandwiches (egg salad, chicken salad with walnuts, cream cheese and basil, and another one which I wasnt sure what it was, but it was good), some open-faced sandwiches like prosciutto with pear, and smoked salmon w/cream cheese and cucumber, a variety of cheese with crackers and pita bread slices, and some caviar (!), and fruit and pastries and tarts... It was quite the bounty and it was kind of a feeding frenzy in there since we came at the tail end of lunch time and it was a bit noisy and crowded, but the food was so good I didnt mind all that much. After stuffing ourselves to the gills, we finished going around to the rest of the gardens, like the conservatory with all the jungle tropical plants, the camelia garden, and the australian forest or something like that. It was a good way to walk off our lunch and we ended our day with some time in the gift shop. I didnt visit the art collection on this particular visit, but I will be sure to in the near future.

Alice Wang

Library, art collections, and botanical gardens are exactly my idea of fun. Ive always wanted to visit this huge research institution and I was thankfully able to during a visit to L.A. It exceeded my expectations and I would happily go back. Open every day except Tuesdays. Admission is $23/weekdays and $25/weekends for adults. Admission is free on the first Thursday of the month with advance tickets. The Library: Huge collection of rare books and manuscripts, specifically focused on British and American history and literature. Popular items include the Gutenberg Bible, letters from George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and Abe Lincoln, first two quartos of Hamlet, some drafts of Walden, and other manuscripts. The library is also used for scholarly research. The Art: Again, enormous collection of artwork, focused mainly on 18th-19th century British art and American art in the 1950s-60s. 650 paintings, 440 sculptures. The Gardens: More than a dozen themes, including Australian Garden, Desert Garden, Herb Garden, Japanese Garden, Chinese Garden, Shakespeare Garden, and much more. We only got through the Desert, Lily Ponds, Japanese, Chinese, Rose, and Herb Gardens on our visit. My favorite gardens were the Japanese, Chinese, and Rose Gardens. The Japanese Garden features koi ponds, ceremonial teahouse, large bell, bridge, and bonsai collections. Very tranquil. The Chinese Garden has a huge manmade lake with pavilions thats reminiscent of the Summer Palace in Beijing. Theres also a teahouse here. Theyre in the process of expanding the Chinese Garden to include more pavilions, structures, and a penjing collection. Again, very peaceful and serene in the Chinese Garden. The three-acre Rose Garden has more than a thousand different cultivars. Its a sensory sensation here due to the beautiful colors and fragrant smells. I loved walking through the rows of rose beds and noting the various names of the roses, like Hotel California, Audrey Hepburn, and other well-known names. Open M-F except Tuesday 12-4:30pm and Saturday and Sunday from 10:30-4:30. During summer, its open every day except Tuesday from 10:30-4:30. Highly recommend!

Matthew Shelbourn

My wife and I recently visited the Huntington Library and Botanical gardens just to spend a quality afternoon together. After witnessing all of its splendor, I simply cannot understand how I have lived in Southern California all my life and never visited the Huntington before. It’s safe to say that it has something for everyone, whether you’re an artwork aficionado or a science geek (like myself). We only allocated enough time to spend about 3 hours there and it was nowhere near long enough. We will definitely be going back, and soon! The Huntington is set atop a picturesque plateau in the affluent city of San Marino which is nestled comfortably in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. The grounds are expansive and sprawling, which caught me off guard because when you’re driving up to the front gate it seems to just appear all of a sudden in the middle of a residential neighborhood. Parking is free and ample so even on a busy day you shouldn’t have any trouble finding a good spot. The fee for visiting is nominal and helps to fund the facility, which is definitely a noble and worthwhile cause. The Huntington is divided into a plethora of different areas, each with their own designated theme. Most of the original buildings are dedicated to art galleries, museums, libraries, and etc, while the open air areas are dedicated to different types of gardens. I appreciate art, but I found the gardens to be much more appealing (personally speaking). The gardens range from desert, to subtropical, to forest, to jungle, and almost everything else in between. I was especially fascinated with the conservatory, which features interactive exhibits and hands-on science experiments. I could go on about the Huntington, but it’s one of those places you just have to see to appreciate. I will probably add more to this review after my next visit. If you’re in the Southern California area then definitely take a day to visit this incredible venue. It will do nothing but fascinate, captivate, and mesmerize. I love this place!

Tess Palma

We drove three hours - so far so good until we got to the Dumpling house. We are aware the Rose garden tea room is closed but the Other two places to eat is supposed to be open. We got here and there is a sign on the door saying its temporarily closed. Not closed for the day just temporarily closed. From the outside Looking in we could see a few uncooked dumplings on the counter. The lights are on inside, the kitchen not unkempt; heating lamps are on. It looked as if the place was abandoned mid service. Around the corner we saw the restaurant staffers eating and chatting away without a care in the world. Leaving us the impression that theyve decided to take their meal break together. One guy with an apron on passed by in front of us. I grabbed his attention asked if the restaurant is closed for the day. He replied yes and quickly left before we could ask another question. We watched him enter the restaurant via the side door, and then came out with a bowlful of Food. Without missing a beat he joined his co workers and all is well in their world. It took me a while to write this review for I did not want to sound like some angry fool Right now people are passing by looking at the sign and peeking into the restaurant. The staffers are now back inside the restaurant. I counted 6 people busily working in the kitchen making dumplings.