The Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens

This complex of villas surrounded by a dozen idyllic gardens was founded in 1919 by Arabella Huntington and her husband, Baron Henry Edwards Huntington - a businessman who built a financial empire. In total, the cultural center includes a library, an art gallery and themed gardens, all of which are open to visitors.

The library contains over 600,000 books and 3 million manuscripts, including a Gutenberg Bible dated 1455, as well as rare works on British and American history.

The art gallery displays extensive collections of European and American paintings and sculptures from the 17th to the 20th century. The collection continues to grow with the purchase of new pieces each year. Turner, Constable, Gainsborough, Houdon, Greuze and Watteau are some of the great names among the European masters represented. Mary Cassatt, Andy Warhol and Edward Hopper are among the Huntington's American favorites.

The themedbotanical gardens are a veritable Eden. Populated by free-roaming peacocks, they are filled with a thousand scents. Don't miss the Japanese Garden, the Garden of Flowing Fragrance - inspired by traditional Chinese gardens - or the Desert Garden and its huge collection of cacti and succulents.

Allow half a day to explore all of them. Reservations are strongly recommended during the week, but are necessary on weekends.