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The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens is a massive property that encompasses one of the world’s great independent research libraries, art collections, and 120 acres of exquisite botanical gardens. We spent an entire day exploring the library, art museums, themed gardens and even had lunch at their 1919 Cafe. The library has more than eleven million items spanning the 11th to 21st centuries.

ADMISSION

Prices vary depending on the day of the week. We paid $29 each since we went on a weekend. The weekdays are a little bit cheaper at $25 and children under four get free admission. Admissions for seniors, groups, members, and students vary so it will be best to check their hours and admissions page for prices and discounts.

*** The Huntington is beginning a phased reopening with the gardens opening first on July 1, (June 17 for Members). All visitors, including Members, must reserve tickets online in advance. ***

PARKING

Parking is completely free! But if you want to snag a good spot or afraid that you won’t be able to find parking, definitely arrive before or shortly after opening on a weekend or holiday.

TOURS

We opted to tour the grounds ourselves, but there is an array of tour options available. You can purchase specialty tours or go on a free docent-led walking tour.

Free tours of the gardens are available with general admission or membership. Tours are offered Wednesday–Monday between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Times vary depending on docent availability; please check-in at the admission windows for the day's schedule of garden tours. Free tours may not be reserved in advance. Tours are not available on Tuesdays and Free Days.

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WHAT TO SEE

There is a lot to see here and it may be a little overwhelming at first when you glance at the ground’s map. We wanted to explore the Library Exhibition Hall, the Art Galleries, and the Botanical Gardens. Although it was mid-October when we visited, the temperature was quite high and in the 80s so we decided to walk around the indoor exhibits first and then save the gardens for later in the afternoon when the weather cooled down. Plus, photo-ops in the afternoon have better lighting.

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DINING

There are a handful of dining options on the property including Red Car Coffee Shop, Rose Garden Tea Room, Freshwater Dumpling and Noodle House, Patio Grill and 1919 Cafe. Candy visiting the Rose Garden Tea Room on another occasion and although afternoon tea with friends is a great time, the food was average. On this visit, we had our meals at two cafes and they were both wonderful.

Breakfast at Red Car Coffee Shop

We initially had plans to have breakfast at a restaurant nearby but decided to have breakfast at The Huntington instead to save some time. The Huntington has a handful of dining options and the Red Car is located near the admissions ticketing booth. The coffee shop actually opens a couple of hours before the park opens so it was perfect that we arrived early to grab some breakfast and snagged a great parking spot.

We both purchased some pastries and a hot drink and since the weather was so lovely (70°F / 21°C), we sat outside. We were enjoying the food and weather and before we knew it was already 10AM.

Delicious pastries from Red Car Coffee Shop

1919 Cafe

1919 Cafe is a modern style food court with various options for every diet. So if you have food allergies or are gung-ho on wellness entrees, they have something for you. There are a variety of booths from brick-oven pizzas, sandwiches, sushi, and even a full-service bar. We both decided to order a plate of fried chicken because it looked and smelled so darn good.

Our fried chicken entree came with two sides. Crystal got chips and Brussels sprouts and Candy got the same thing except with sweet potato instead of the chips. We were both satisfied by the quality and quantity of our dishes. The dishes were simple, yet the flavors were so rich and packed with flavor. We couldn’t have asked for a better meal and would even come back just to dine here (admission is not required to dine at 1919 Cafe).

Organic Fried Chicken & Sweet Potato Fries

Organic Fried Chicken & Roasted Brussel Sprouts

THE HUNTINGTON LIBRARY

Exhibition Hall

The Huntington Library houses more than 430,000 rare books and millions of manuscripts. It is one of the premiere research facilities in the U.S. Only a small portion of the vast collection is on display at any one time.

Some of the highlights included William Shakespeare’s first folio, Newton’s Principia, and Ellesmere Chaucer. We were especially impressed with the Ellesmere Manuscript of the Canterbury Tales, an early 15th-century illuminated manuscript of Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales.

Ellesmere Manuscript of the Canterbury Tales

The amount of detail was incredible and we also learned that one of the reasons the pages hold up so well was due to the high-quality vellum or parchment paper. We literally stared at this book for at least fifteen minutes and a docent noticed our interest. She shared with us more details about the vellum paper and that the durable material was made from animal hide. It was most often produced from calf, sheep or goat skins.

There were also various historic documents specific to California and handwritten documents by notable figures like Abraham Lincoln and Susan B. Anthony.

Beautiful Science

This was another relatively small exhibition, but quite interesting as the various rooms elaborated on Astronomy, Natural History, Medicine, and Light. We looked through replicas of early microscopes in the Natural History section and in Medicine, we saw some disturbing illustrations in medical textbooks.

Bold vivid red colors in the Natural History exhibit

When we entered the Light Room, we saw a display of the different light bulbs throughout the years and were surprised to learn that the Huntington Library has a collection of nearly 400 light bulbs starting from the 1890s.

ART MUSEUM

Huntington Art Gallery (European Art)

The Huntington Art Gallery used to be the Huntington’s winter home. There were numerous European paintings from the Huntington collection, but we were more interested in the luxurious lifestyle they used to live.

Arabella Huntington, Henry’s second wife

Upon entering the building, there were two huge portraits of Henry Huntington and his wife, Arabella. Arabella’s portrait was particularly interesting because it was so dark. We’re used to seeing historic portraits of women in colorful attire draped in gold jewelry, but she was dressed in all black from head to toe.

She was once known as the richest woman in America and you can definitely feel the lavish lifestyle she and her husband had as everything in the building was the opposite of modest. The space is 55,000 square feet and you can sense their likeness for French architecture.

Virginia Steele Scott Galleries (American Art)

We toured the “Becoming America” exhibition which featured Jonathan and Karin Fielding’s collection of American art. Their exhibition features more than 200 works of 18th and early 19th-century American paintings, furniture, and related decorative art.

Becoming America by Jonathan and Karin Fielding Wing

Their collection showcased furniture, quilts, dinnerware, and various other artifacts from the middle-class citizens of America. This included farmers, merchants, ministers and magistrates throughout the northeastern hemisphere of the United States.

We're so accustomed to galleries and exhibitions revealing paintings and artifacts from the affluent that it was refreshing to see the focus shift to the people that vastly make up this nation and get a glimpse into what their lives were like.

BOTANICAL GARDENS

The gardens are what drew us to visit The Huntington and they are exquisite. Despite spending the entire day here, we still didn’t have enough time to visit all the gardens. The grounds are massive and there are a total of 16 gardens. We did manage to visit 4 of the gardens.

Japanese Garden

The Japanese Garden is the most popular garden on the premises and has been a favorite of The Huntington for over a century. The entrance overlooks the entire garden and our eyes were immediately drawn to the elegant moon bridge.

The entire garden from any angle is picture perfect and there are so many layers to it. In the garden, you will see a Japanese House and depending on the season, you can witness the beautiful pink colors of the ‘Pink Cloud' cherry tree or the Japanese 'Momo' peach tree. There is also a bamboo forest, zen court, and a bonsai collection. There is so much to see and soak in here that you could easily spend an hour or two just in this garden alone.

Chinese Garden

We were looking forward to the Chinese Garden; however, at the time of our visit, it appeared a little neglected. We’re not sure if they were in the middle of renovating, but we left the grounds feeling a little underwhelmed, which was a little disappointing since The Garden of Flowing Fragrance is one of the largest Chinese-style gardens outside China.

Desert Garden

I never really truly appreciated succulents until I moved to Southern California and now I absolutely love them. This garden is surprisingly colorful and the shapes and sizes of the different succulents are simply stunning. If you are a fan of succulents, The Huntington Desert Garden is a must-see as it is one of the oldest and largest cacti and succulent collections in the world.

Rose Garden

We just did a quick stroll through the rose garden as it wasn’t in full bloom. Roses were Arabella Huntington’s favorite flower, so this garden was designed primarily for her so that she could have her own roses to cut and display in the home.

You can also find here the Rose Garden Tea Room. You will need to make reservations; however, I personally found the tea room to be a bit underwhelming. The food was decent but the tea room itself was small, a little stuffy, and the interior was somewhat outdated and needed an upgrade. I kept on wanting to go back outside instead of being in that room.

Afternoon Tea in the Rose Garden Tea Room with my friend, Yulia

FINAL THOUGHTS

We thoroughly enjoyed our time at The Huntington. We definitely would like to return as we only covered a portion of the gardens. We also wouldn’t mind browsing through Huntington’s book collection again too because it was really that impressive. You can easily spend two days here and if you have the time, we highly recommend it.

TIPS

Go before opening to snag a parking spot. Parking is free so the lot fills up pretty fast especially on holidays and the weekends.
Utilize the free lockers near the entrance if you need to store items and don’t want to walk back to your car.
Bring mosquito repellent if you are visiting during the summer as there have been heavy mosquito activity recently.
Wear comfy shoes. Candy wore boots with a very low heel, but by the end of the day, her feet were in pain. It’s best to wear flats.
We didn’t see any noticeable signs, but do not feed the Koi fish.
You can score free tickets if you plan in advance. Tickets are available on the first day of each month at 9 a.m. preceding the month you want to visit. They sell out fast (within 1-2 minutes), so definitely set up a reminder on your calendar.

HUNTINGTON LIBRARY, ART MUSEUM, AND BOTANICAL GARDENS
1151 OXFORD RD., SAN MARINO, CA 91108
MON-SUN 10AM - 5PM | CLOSED TUESDAYS
FREE PARKING
ADMISSIONS VARY: CHECK HERE FOR PRICES