The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens

About

The Huntington sits in the quiet residential city of San Marino, next to Pasadena and about 12 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It was the estate of railroad and real estate magnate Henry E. Huntington, and it is now a research library, an art museum and 130 acres of botanical gardens in one place.

Most people come for the gardens. The Desert Garden is one of the largest collections of cacti and succulents anywhere, the Chinese Garden wraps pavilions and bridges around a lake, and the Japanese Garden has a traditional house, a moon bridge and a bonsai court. There are rose, camellia, jungle and Australian gardens, a conservatory, and lawns lined with sculpture. The art collections, in the former Huntington mansion and newer galleries, include British portraits such as Thomas Gainsborough's Blue Boy and a large collection of American art. The Library shows rare books and manuscripts in its exhibition hall. A full day goes fast.

In 2026 The Huntington is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Monday and closed Tuesday, and check-in closes at 4:15 p.m. Adult tickets cost $29 Monday through Thursday and $34 on Friday through Sunday, holidays and peak seasons. Seniors, students and military pay $24 or $28, youth 4 to 11 pay $13 or $15, and children under 4 are free. Reservations are required Friday through Sunday, on holidays and in peak seasons. Free Day tickets are released on the last Thursday of each month.

Parking is free, with lot entrances on Oxford Road and Allen Avenue, but it can fill on weekends and holidays, so The Huntington encourages carpooling or rideshare. Drop-off and pick-up are near the admission entry. Old Pasadena's restaurants and the Norton Simon Museum are a short drive away.

Accessibility

The Huntington is wheelchair accessible, with some steep areas. All buildings and most gardens are accessible, and The Huntington publishes a color-coded map, online and in the visitor guide you get on arrival, that marks the steep sections of the grounds.

Parking is free. Passenger drop-off and pick-up are near the admission entry, which helps on busy days when the lot fills.

The grounds are large, so the visitor shuttle is worth using. It runs a counter-clockwise loop with eight stops, marked on the map and by signs, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the vehicles are accessible and take wheelchairs. Wheelchairs are loaned first come, first served. You can also bring your own motorized scooter, wheelchair or Segway.

Service animals are welcome under the ADA. Pets, emotional support animals and therapy dogs are not allowed. A private nursing room with a changing table and a sink is in the Banta Education Center, part of the Koblik Education and Visitor Center; ask Visitor Services or Security for the door code.

For visitors who are deaf or hard of hearing, assistive listening devices, sign language interpretation and real-time captioning are available for all public events if you fill out the request form at least 10 days ahead. A social narrative with photos helps visitors on the autism spectrum know what to expect. Call (626) 405-2100 with other questions.

Checked by Accessible America, September 2026. Report a change

More accessible places in California

• Griffith Observatory (Los Angeles)
• Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) (Los Angeles)
• San Diego Zoo (San Diego)
• Yosemite National Park (Yosemite)
• Exploratorium (San Francisco)
• Aquarium of the Pacific (Long Beach)

Photo credits

• A long green lawn lined with white marble statues and tall trees at The Huntington.: Daderot, Public domain (source)
• Tall ocotillo and cirio plants against a blue sky in The Huntington's Desert Garden.: AragonChristopherR17Z, CC BY-SA 4.0 (source)
• A period room at The Huntington with gilded chairs, a patterned carpet and a carved fireplace.: Daderot, Public domain (source)