Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens

Henry Huntington's role in expanding the railway system in Los Angeles led to a population explosion here between 1900 and 1910 -- and helped the Huntingtons amass a formidable collection of priceless art and rare books. This collection is now part of a nonprofit educational trust, and is on view at the Huntington Library and galleries

The library includes the Ellesmere manuscript of Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales," Shakespeare's plays, Audubon bird drawings, Benjamin Franklin's autobiography in manuscript form, and a Gutenberg Bible on vellum.

The galleries are inside what was once the Huntington's palatial residence, and feature one of the most celebrated collections of British and French art of the 18th and 19th centuries. Renaissance paintings, 18th-century French sculpture, tapestries, porcelain, furniture, and 200 years of American paintings also are on display.

Outside the magnificent galleries is a dazzling array of botanical gardens (15 in all on 150 acres) that feature 14,000 species of plants from around the world. The Rose Garden shows the history of the rose over 2,000 years. The Japanese Garden features a furnished Japanese house and Zen garden. Both gardens are breathtaking. You'll want to spend an entire day visiting this delightful estate. A restaurant offers light snacks like pastries and sandwiches, or you may like to sit down to English tea in the Rose Garden Room.