The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens

"The Huntington Library is one of the coolest places in the world. I describe it to friends as the Versailles of Los Angeles. It is a stunning art collection and series of botanical gardens built by the railroad magnate Henry Huntington. To tour the gardens is to tour the gardens of the world. There is a Chinese garden, a Japanese garden, an Australian garden, a desert garden, a world-class rose garden and more. It is one of the amazing features of the California climate, that this place can cultivate plants native to so many different parts of the world. This is all to say nothing of the art. There is a top-notch permanent collection and a rotating exhibition sure to be fantastic. If you are hungering for culture, set aside two days for the Huntington." - OSSO

"Following a three-year closure and an 18-month, $11.2 million renovation, the Rose Garden Tea Room at the Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens is back in business. The tea room offers two menus: Traditional Tea ($62) and Huntington Tea ($75). The latter menu includes everything on the Traditional Tea menu along with a glass of sparkling wine and a lobster roll. Admission to the Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens is required for entry." - Cathy Chaplin

"Millions of manuscripts, hundreds of thousands of books, tens of thousands of plant species, and thousands of art objects add up to a lot to see here. The Huntington is more than your run of the mill institution—in fact, there are few places in the world quite like it. The area tends draw a crowd of older couples (think: symphony attendees), but the Huntington has an area that that can be calibrated to suit every group and mood. The Desert Garden, the Rose Garden, and the Japanese Garden are all spectacular enough that if a visitor wanted to just go to one of them it would be enough. The Library or Gallery could be zoomed through, adding on a quick pop over to the Conservatory, where the Carnivorous Plant Bog and the Rain Forest offer educational opportunities for the whole family." - Maxwell Williams

"The Huntington is a museum that does not feel like a museum. It offers a variety of gardens like the Australian Garden, Japanese Garden, Jungle Garden, and Shakespeare Garden. Notable artworks include Thomas Gainsborough’s 'The Blue Boy' and the Gutenberg Bible. The adjoining library has an archive of writer Octavia Butler." - Travel + Leisure Editors

"Following a three-year closure and an 18-month, $11.2 million renovation, the Rose Garden Tea Room at the Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens is finally reopened. The tea room offers two menus: Traditional Tea ($62) and Huntington Tea ($75). The latter menu includes everything on the Traditional Tea menu along with a glass of sparkling wine and a lobster salad with shaved black truffles. Admission to the Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens is required for entry." - Cathy Chaplin