My boys and I took a trip to The Huntington Botanical Gardens a few weeks ago.
It was an impromptu excursion, with very little planning involved. It was one of the last days of summer and I needed to come up with an inexpensive day trip that would keep us occupied for several hours. So, I told the boys we were going on a "Garden Adventure Trip" and they jumped at the idea.
Now, my boys are 7 and 9 years old and they love to garden. They love to visit gardens/nurseries and being boys…they love adventures. Put the words GARDEN and ADVENTURE together and they were IN! They had never been to the Huntington before, so it was perfect! (I didn’t even tell them about the letterbox hidden at the garden until we got there!)
In case you don’t know, The Huntington Library, Art Collection and Botanical Garden is a collections-based educational and research institution in San Marino, CA. It was established by Henry E. Huntington (a railroad tycoon) in 1903. The library portion is one of the worlds greatest independent research libraries with rare books, manuscripts and photographs. The Art collection is housed in three different buildings and consists of works from the 18th through 20th centuries. Many famous works are there including The Blue Boy by Thomas Gainsborough.
But we were there for the 120 plus acres of gorgeous gardens! There are over 12 different themed gardens including the Desert Garden, Rose Garden, Herb Garden, a Botanical Conservatory, Camellia Garden, Japanese Garden and the new Chinese Garden. And our most favorite garden? It was the Children’s Garden, of course!
Here is the entrance to the garden…
Through that door, a child enters a garden of sensory and science exploration. The garden taps into their sense of wonder with hands-on investigation. There are water fountains, a fog grotto with mist blowers (great on hot days), and a sonic pool where vibrations make ripples in the water.
The kids are encouraged to touch, feel and experience the garden. Here is the prism tunnel where the kids can see sunlight turned into colored halos…
What a wonderland garden for children…So rich for the senses! Here is the playhouse/greenhouse covered in climbing fig…
For detailed information about the children’s garden go here.
My boys also enjoyed the Japanese Garden, especially when I explained how it is designed to relax the mind and that every vista is meant to be a beautiful picture. They ran around to different points in the garden to see if they could "see the beautiful picture" and were amazed to find there was not a bad vista in the bunch. It was hoot to see them "get it".
I got many comments like, "This botanical garden is the coolest garden adventure EVER!!!" and "Why didn’t you ever take us here before, Mom?" So, I was happy!
Their second favorite garden was the new Chinese Garden.
I told them how this garden was supposed to enrich their spirit. Again, they quickly discovered that every spot created a picture, especially through the openings in the walkways. My youngest commented that the view through the windows looked like paintings. EXACTLY THE POINT!
The garden was created as a work of art and the boys noticed the "art" in everything from the mosaic stone walkways to the intricate decorations on the walls. I was surprised when my youngest said that this was his favorite garden at The Huntington. They did not want to leave.
We spent almost four hours wondering the gardens and we did not see it all. Perhaps next time, we will also visit the museums. They do not allow picnics on the grounds, but there is a cafeteria style restaurant as well as a very nice Tea House that serves tea sandwiches, fruit and scones in a buffet style. You set at tables and are served tea (or lemonade for the kids), but can choose what you want to eat from the buffet. Perfect for a fancy meal with the kids.
The Letterbox we found!
We ended our garden adventure by searching for a letterbox I knew was hidden outside the main botanical grounds. Letterboxing is something we took up about a year and half ago. You use your navigational skills to follow clues to a small box hidden on public property. (The Letterboxing.org website lists the clues for boxes in North America.)
Inside the box is a small journal and a rubber stamp (usually hand carved). You bring your own notebook, a stamp pad and your own rubber stamp. When you find the box, you stamp your notebook with the stamp to document your find. Then you stamp the letterbox journal with your own stamp. It is fun to see stamps from people who visited from all over the world. For more information, visit Letterboxing 101.
We found the box and stamped our notebooks without anyone seeing us. (That is part of the fun. It is like a spy mission.) After returning the box to its hiding place, we left for home, tired and full of garden memories!
About the Author
Theresa Loe blogs here about taking the garden full circle while striving for a more local, fresh-from-the-garden lifestyle. She is a TV producer, video host, freelance garden writer and a wrangler of chickens and children. (Not necessarily in that order.) For more information on these topics, you can subscribe to her free monthly newsletter.
Theresa Loe is the award- winning Co-Executive Producer & Canning Expert on Growing A Greener World TV. She blogs here about Living Homegrown®, local and fresh-from-the-garden. 
{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
Wow! What a neat place and what a great time you guys had!! There was (is probably…but we hadn’t been in years, so don’t know for sure) a Children’s Garden section at Longwood Gardens in PA that was pretty neat, but not as neat as this one’s. The Chinese Garden reminds me of the Dr. Sun Yat Sen Chinese Classical Garden in Vancouver, B.C., where I used to work. Very beautiful.
I’d never heard of Letterboxing before; will have to check it out.
The letterboxing thing is really fun. I just always check the letterboxing site before we take a trip somewhere to see if any are nearby. We have found boxes at state parks, botanic gardens, on public hiking trails and at various historic landmarks.
Sometimes the boxes are discovered by people and they don’t know what it is and they keep the stamp, etc. So that is why it is important to be very careful not to be spotted returning the box!
Hi Theresa, what a great post! Your adventures and the way you write about them make it sound so magical~ and for me, you turned a B-I-G institution into an intimate place for gardeners, thx, Debra
Yes, it is BIG! But it is funny how different a place looks when seen through a child’s eye. That is why it ended up being such a great trip for me.
I have been there many times, but this was the most fun I ever had. It truly was an adventure!
Came to visit after seeing you on Twitter, and I was so surprised to see a mention of Letterboxing! I’m a big fan. Nice to e-meet you!
~Angela
I have always been suspicious of public children’s gardens being cutesy and condescending. The one you visited, at least, sounds like an outdoor science museum.
Kathy-
Yes, it was exactly like an outdoor science museum. I liked that the children were encouraged to touch and experience it — Something most city kids never get to do.
My kids garden all the time, so they enjoyed the Children’s Garden. But they liked the Chinese, Japanese and Tropical gardens the best. True gardeners!
~Theresa
Hey – we go letterboxing often too! We’ve found them anywhere from the middle of old growth forests near Niagara Falls to bars in Europe. I’ve only gotten the point where my daughter rolls her eyes when I suggest another botanical garden. At some point she may look forward to them. Or not.
Jim-
Oh it is so nice to meet another letterbox fan! Most people look at us weird when we mention letterboxes. It is not very common in the US. But I hear the letterboxes are more popular in Europe. How exciting that you have actually found one on a trip there!
Jim – you have an awesome blog too. Thanks for visiting.
~Theresa
Letterboxing started in England, i believe. We’ve found them in Brussels, the Van Gogh Museum Store in Amsterdam and in Monet’s garden in Giverny.
And of course pretty much anywhere we travel in the U.S. My wife and daughter have also planted many on our trips. Here in Buffalo they’ve got around ten out there. The busiest one we planted was one planted on a haunted covered bridge in Vermont.
You are correct. I too read that letterboxing stared in England.
One time, my boys and I found one in a graveyard. Had to find a certain headstone and then look behind a tree/under a rock. My boys were so nervous we would dig up somebody! It ended up being their favorite find…probably because it was so scary!
If I am ever in Vermont, I will look for that bridge! How fun.
~Theresa
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