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A few days ago on a very hot day we took the opportunity to escape Los Angeles and head to Pasadena/San Marino to visit The Huntington Library and Gardens. It is definitely on my list of great places to visit for anyone vacationing in Southern California.
I'm a big fan of doing more than just amusement parks in Southern California. There are so many gorgeous and amazing museums and gardens in the area and you're really missing out on seeing other sides of the Los Angeles metro area if you only see Anaheim and the beach.
The Huntington is a great place to go and wander and get away from noisy city life. The vast amount of green space guarantees you can wander for a day in peace and quite with plenty of beautiful things to look at.
We went as a family and spent time in the children's garden where our little one got good and wet - glad we brought her swimsuit and it was so easy to just dry her off and do a quick change into dry clothes afterwards. The Japanese and Chinese gardens had both been enlarged or updated since we were there last year.
I have yet to ever enter the art galleries at The Huntington. I'll get there some day but it's hard for me to go indoors when the outside is so beautiful. The hours of operation are pretty short even in the summer so it's great to get there right when they open and have the full day to see everything.
We always wish we had a little more time when they announce that The Huntington is now closed. I think a lot of other people feel that way too since there is always quite a large crowd exiting at closing time.
My very favorite way to end the day is sitting under the big trees just below the Rose Garden until closing time. There is a lovely ocean breeze and it is so peaceful and relaxing. By this time feet are usually a little tired, cheeks are sunned and thirsts need to be quenched. A nice cool drink and some shade are highly appreciated at this point. It is warm in Pasadena!
You can read more about The Huntington Library & Gardens in this post I wrote last year on our first visit. There are lots more details and photos there. It was a lovely day and boy were we tired by the time we headed home. We stopped for a nice quick dinner at a favorite spot and then went for a walk in our neighborhood.
It made for a great day and I am so happy that we have such amazing places as The Huntington Library & Gardens near where we live. We certainly are blessed with beautiful museums and gardens all around us! It's been a great summer so far and we've been so good about sneaking in family time whenever we can. It's only been a few weeks since school got out and we've already done a lot of things together to make the most of the summer. I'm glad we still have weeks left to really enjoy before school starts.
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