Los Angeles Arboretum

A slice of calm in a busy city

When one lives in a highly urban area such as Los Angeles, having access to a lovely 127-acre oasis housing an immense variety of plants and trees (and a lake and other interesting sites) is a welcome break.  Even when you live in a pleasant coastal community outside the city, as I do, taking time to visit such a place can soothe your soul as you see the beauty that surrounds you, relieve stress as you hear the trills and songs of a variety of birds – including the many vocal peacocks that parade around the grounds – and improve your step count as you explore little pathways while catching up on life with one of your favorite friends.

New York City has Central Park.  San Francisco has Golden Gate Park.   Los Angeles has various parklands and nearby mountains where you can find a slice of nature.  Today I want to introduce the Los Angeles Arboretum, recognized for its extensive collection of fauna, its history and some very enjoyable events such as concerts, classes and other events to engage its many annual visitors.  Founded in 1948 by collaboration of the County and the California Arboretum Foundation, it has fostered awareness and appreciation of plants in nature and the contribution of flora to our well-being. 

I took a day off recently to meet my friend there.  We don’t see each other often, as she lives in Redlands, but we talk most weeks as accountability buddies.   But sometimes you just have to get off the phone and go and play outside.  

The arboretum is a great place to spend the day.  Very reasonable pricing and free parking – always a plus in L.A.    The gardens are divided into several regions, such as tropical, California native, Africa, Australia, rose gardens, and a Zen garden of tranquility.   Grab your map (although it’s awfully small when you download it on your phone) and head off in any direction.   Fortunately, legible maps are located throughout the gardens and are quite easy to read and tell you that You Are Here!

Locals get the annual membership and visit often for power walks to start their day. Members have access to the Arboretum 90 minutes before general admission, and by the time I arrived at 9:30, people were already leaving the parking lot.  

Don’t feel like walking for the entire time?  If you don’t want to stroll too far on your own, or join one of the scheduled walking tours, there is a docent-led tram tour at various times throughout the day for an additional charge.  Unfortunately, the day we were there, lots of school kids were there as well and the trams were reserved for them.  Plan ahead and reserve before you show up if you want a tour. Note:  the Arboretum is like other “educational” venues – going on a weekday doesn’t mean you get the place to yourself.  It means you are spending the day with lots of enthusiastic children, many of whom were tethered to their classmates on a very long leash, while supervised by patient chaperones.  It’s a big place though, with plenty of room to spread out if you want a quieter experience.   

So, Pam and I decided that since we couldn’t get on a tram tour (although we were tempted at times to sneak onto a half-empty school tram tour stopped along our path) we filled up our water bottles and set out to explore this beautiful spot on foot.

Explore we did!   I think we tackled the entire acreage, and sometimes we circled back to find an overlooked side trail that we walked past the first time.  The grounds are pretty much flat with a few staircases here and there.

Kudos to the docents!   Docents at any venue are delightful and committed to the guests who visit their domain.  Pam and I were lingering at a lovely koi pond, taking photos, and one such docent stopped by, offered to take our photo, then shared about some not-to-miss pathways that we wouldn’t have found on our own.  Friendly, cheerful, and knowledgeable, she improved our visit in 5 brief minutes.

As a history nerd, once I got home, I had to research everything about the Arborteum.  My findings below are pulled from various websites, and links are included below if you are interested in learning a bit more about this neighborhood gem.

Queen Anne’s Cottage

This intriguing home was built in the late 1880s by a land baron named Elias Jackson “Lucky” Baldwin.  It reminded me of an oversized Hansel/Gretel house, although we found no bread crumbs or witches.   We walked along the oversized wrap-around porch and peered into the many windows to see what it would have been like to live in a house like this at the turn of a long-ago century.   Many stained-glass windows lit up the various rooms, which were decorated with period furniture, and I could imagine guests settling in to the Victorian couches to watch a card or checkers game or gossip over afternoon tea. 

For more Queen Anne Cottage history and Lucky Baldwin’s background (it’s quite entertaining!), visit https://www.pbssocal.org/history-society/baldwins-belvedere-the-queen-anne-cottage-at-the-l-a-arboretum

Lake Baldwin and Rose Garden

The Rose Garden is a lovely spot for romantic photos. Lake Baldwin has a long history, and is currently going through a renovation project.

https://arboretum.org/save-baldwin-lake/baldwin-lake-its-origins-and-history/

History – including the Entertainment Industry

I am not going to bore you here with all of the film credits at the Arboretum.  If you are interested, the link below is a comprehensive compilation of the Arboretum’s contribution to L.A. entertainment industry as well as its general history.  It’s fascinating!   Tarzan movies from the 1930s and 1940s were filmed here and well as sundry other films between 1936 and 1979.  TV shows such as Sea Hunt, Daniel Boone, Mission Impossible, Six-Million Dollar Man, Fantasy Island, Dallas and Remington Steele filmed scenes at this iconic garden.

https://www.moviesites.org/arboretum.htm

Conclusion

Peacocks – Love them?  Hate them?  In a local community near me, there is a love/hate relationship with peacocks.  They are gorgeous, flamboyant and oh so unique…and they are loud (think cats in a very vocal heat) and messy and can be an over large pest.  This community has to disclose their presence if you are buying a home in peacock territory.  But at the Arboretum?  They are a perfect accessory and it’s no wonder the restaurant is called the Peacock Café.  I like them.

During the past few years I have explored a lot of neighborhood gems that I either didn’t know existed or hadn’t gotten around to visiting.  My invitation to you – find a local gem and go check it out and share your experience.   Sometimes we forget to appreciate our own local venues, while we travel to far-away places.

Where have you been lately?  Tell me about it!  I might want to go.

History

Visit the L.A. Arboretum at https://arboretum.org/