Southern California is known for its enduring growing season and warm weather. What better way to enjoy them both than with a visit to the lush gardens along the Arroyo Seco Historic Parkway? Follow this byway from the Huntington Botanical Gardens to the Audubon Center at Debs Park and from the Lummis Home and Gardens to the Los Angeles State Historic Park, where you will find the abundant flora of Earth’s vitality delightfully displayed.
Options abound at the Huntington Botanical Gardens at the north end of the byway. You may want to decide ahead of time just which of its many gardens you most want to see. In addition to a mysterious Chinese garden, an educational children’s garden, and a romantic rose garden, you can also linger in desert, tropical, Shakespearean, herb, Japanese, Australian, and palm gardens, to name a few. Find something blooming during every month of the year with silk trees and bamboo maintaining the beauty of the Chinese gardens even during winter, yucca and eucalyptus flourishing in the summer, and fragrance from Pink Princess, Colette, and Molineux roses (among others) filling the spring or autumn air. If you would like to learn more about the 15,000 botanical wonders at the Gardens, join a walking tour, take a class, or listen in on a lecture offered at this incredible 120-acre site.
If you want to convey the joy of nature to children, look no further than the Audubon Center at Debs Park. Bring the little ones to this nature center at the approximate midpoint of the byway for a stroll in the park’s 300 acres. Enjoy the family-oriented hiking trails, diverse bird species, and native plants such as blue fiesta flower, California walnut, and purple needlegrass.
Across the byway from Debs Park, the Lummis Home and Gardens, a California Historic Landmark, provides a quiet setting for relishing the seasonal blooms, sycamore trees, and water-wise gardens. Stroll the grounds of the Charles F. Lummis Home, which he built “to last a thousand years” along the bank of the Arroyo Seco.
Come with the pleasant spring weather to Los Angeles State Historic Park across the byway from Dodger Stadium to see nature’s beauty expressed through native wildflowers, like the California poppy. Watch local wildlife from amidst the vivid blooms, and get a unique perspective on the flora and fauna from the park’s telescope. Take advantage of free guided and interpretive programs offered through the park to get the most from your outdoor experience.
Stop and savor nature, from native wildflowers to cultivated gardens, in the many green spaces along the Arroyo Seco Historic Parkway.
Arroyo Seco Parkway Scenic Byway Overview
Arroyo Seco Hikes: Escaping the Urban Landscape
All Natural: The Arts and Crafts Movement