Spring at the Huntington

 

Spring has officially arrived at the Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens and I could easily take hundreds of pictures when I visit so fair warning that I have lots of pictures to share with you today!  

A brief overview: The Huntington is comprised of an impressive 130 acres featuring 16 themed gardens including a Rose garden, Jungle, Japanese and Chinese (which are some of my favorites and I've included some photos below).  The Library is well known internationally, boasting in excess of 11 million items covering the 11th to 21st centuries; visitors can view in the Library Exhibition Hall a small percentage of their collection on display with temporary exhibitions rotating regularly.   Various galleries are also located on the grounds, such as the Huntington Art Gallery which famously houses Thomas Gainsborough's Blue Boy and Thomas Lawrence's "Pinkie".  

Rose Garden

Japanese Garden

Chinese Garden

Jungle Garden

I have always enjoyed visiting gardens, museums as well, which makes the Huntington a wonderful place to visit.  The Huntington is a place you can easily spend all day at and would want to return to frequently.  As something on my to-do list and having a lot of free time right now, last month I purchased a membership for the Huntington and have already made multiple repeat visits!  I was excited to observe the gardens change, even a few week difference easily showed the Rose garden awakening from its Winter slumber, the wisteria decorating the path to the Japanese garden blooming and the Cactus garden becoming a prismatic landscape. 

The Huntington recently expanded the Chinese Garden and though some areas are still under construction, I'm really impressed with the new areas and the great view high up from the "Stargazing Tower" which is one of the newest pavilions in the expansion.  

Residents of the gardens are always a delight to see, from the beautiful koi fish and sunbathing turtles, to even the sight of baby geese on my recent visit! 

I was really happy to hear that a few of the galleries were reopening to the public and I was able to stop by the galleries without having to queue up due to temporary capacity limits.  Though the reopened galleries had some areas closed, it was great to be able to view the works of art that were on display.  The Blue Boy just went through major conservation and looks amazing - the colors more vibrant than ever!  "Made in L.A. 2020: a version" is currently on exhibition and is a partnership with the Hammer Museum which features 30 Los Angeles-based artists between the two institutions.  

I'm already looking forward to my next visit because I know there will be new changes in the gardens to see and perhaps more of the galleries will become viewable, but overall it will be time well spent enjoying everything the Huntington has to offer.  Bonus: Below is a compilation of just some of the blooming flowers - enjoy! 

- Steph.