8 gardens to explore in Los Angeles County

As America’s second-largest metropolis, Los Angeles boasts all the typical urban delights—diverse dining, exciting entertainment, magnificent museums, soaring skyscrapers. But tucked among the city’s concrete edifices and snaking freeways, you’ll also find lovely gardens that offer noise-cancelling natural beauty. Many are on the grounds of historic homes or museums that are also worth exploring.

Celebrate Earth Day this month and beyond at these 8 serene green spaces in Los Angeles County where you can slow down and, yes, smell the roses.

Bloom highlights in April include California poppies in the California Garden, crab apple blossoms in the Rose Garden, and azaleas in the Japanese Garden. For a sprinkle of extra delight, Monarch butterflies are often spotted fluttering throughout all the gardens. Adults, $15; admission is free on the third Tuesday of each month (advance tickets required).

Publisher E. Manchester Boddy purchased the land in 1937 and commissioned L.A. architect James E. Dolena to build a home for his family on the property’s southeast corner. You can stroll through this 22-room mansion and enjoy panoramic views of the San Gabriel Mountains.

The Sturt Haaga Gallery—which was once a 6-car garage housing Boddy’s car collection—encourages visitors to contemplate the intersection of contemporary art and garden science.

While the exceptional art collection at the Getty Center could keep you inside the museum for hours, be sure to wander outside. The Central Garden, designed by California artist Robert Irwin, is a work of art itself with 4 distinct seasonal displays. More than 800 varieties of plants dot the meticulously landscaped garden.

In the spring, take in 3,000 tulips as well as abundant anemone, ranunculus, and Dutch irises. In the summer, delight in 300 dahlias. A walkway leads through the garden over a stream surrounded by blooms.

Stroll through the Cactus Garden and the Fran and Ray Stark Sculpture Garden for sweeping views of the city skyline. The photo ops are endless. Closed Mondays. Admission is free (reserved entry required); parking is $25 per vehicle.

Set on a Sepulveda Pass hillside, the prestigious Getty Center art collection includes Renaissance paintings, photography, illuminated manuscripts, decorative arts, sculptures, and Impressionist works by the likes of Monet and Renoir.

The gardens surrounding Greystone Mansion make up a city park that’s open to the public. At a small pond surrounded by willow trees, turtles sunbathe and koi fish burble. Stairs connect various areas of the terraced gardens, and stone carvings decorate the formal garden.

Look to the sky every now and then; you might spot the red-tailed hawks that nest in one of the property’s cedar trees. End your visit at the Reflection Pond, where you can absorb the sounds of nature before rejoining the noisy world. Admission is free.

Built in 1928 for oil magnate Edward Doheny, the English Revival–style mansion gets its name from the gray limestone used in its exterior. Opulent by any standards, the home has a movie theater (originally built in 1928), a bowling alley, and even a hidden bar (due to Prohibition). Reserve a self-guided tour ($8) of the first floor and theater on the first Saturday or Sunday of the month.

The Huntington also houses one of the world’s great research libraries and an art museum with more than 45,000 pieces of European, American, and Asian art. Break for afternoon tea at the Rose Garden Tea Room (reservations are recommended), where you can enjoy scones, finger sandwiches, and decadent desserts. Pinkies up!

There are 5 botanical sections, a prehistoric cycad (seed plant) collection, a tropical greenhouse, and gardens. Historic structures on the grounds include the Santa Anita Depot (moved here from its original location about a quarter mile north), a coach barn done in extravagant Victorian style, and an ornate Queen Anne cottage. Keep your eyes peeled for brightly colored peacocks roaming the property. Adults, $15.

Sign up for the Forest Bathing: Full Moon class (check website for dates and times) to experience an outdoor meditative practice that supports wellness. Tickets, $25 for members, $35 for nonmembers; garden admission is included with class registration.

A path circling the placid lake leads past a lotus-topped archway, a waterfall, and blooming flowers. Modest dress requested. Free; reservations required. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays; choose from 10 a.m. or 1 p.m. arrival times.

The Lake Shrine Temple is open every Sunday for morning services, which include a group meditation and an inspirational lecture. Attendees can stay and enjoy the gardens without a reservation until 4:30 p.m.

The Rose Garden is one of the 4 original tenants of Exposition Park, which was created in 1872 as an agricultural park. On any given weekend, you’ll find friends and families gathered at picnic tables, yogis spread out on the lawn, and couples taking photos among the pink, red, and yellow blooms.

Initially named the Sunken Garden (its name changed in 1928), the 7-acre floral spread showcases more than 20,000 rosebushes. Admission is free.

Exposition Park also contains the California Science Center (free admission), the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (adults, $18), and the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

Slated to debut at the park in 2025, the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art—cofounded by George Lucas of Star Wars fame—will focus on how visual storytelling influences our view of the world. The collection includes all types of art, from sculptures and murals to photography and paintings, including pieces by Frida Kahlo and Norman Rockwell.

People come to the Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens mainly for the animals. It’s a zoo, after all, with more than 2,200 mammals, birds, reptiles, and fish. But as its name suggests, the landscape here is more than a backdrop.

The botanical gardens feature ancient, rare, and native blooms, including an abundance of California poppies in late spring. Plants from all over the globe, like orchid trees from Hong Kong and fan palms from Mexico, add to the collection.

In addition to serving as decoration, the plants also provide food, shade, and even entertainment. For example, in the South America Bird Garden, the resident phoebes congregate around the dense red powder puff trees for both food and shelter. Adults, $22.

Zoo exhibits include the Campo Gorilla Reserve, Rainforest of the Americas, Elephants of Asia, and the LAIR (Living Amphibians, Invertebrates, and Reptiles). At the children’s zoo, young visitors can get up close with animals and even interact with some of them.

Allison Belda is the regional editor for AAA Explorer: New Mexico and a research editor for Westways.