HUNTINGTON LIBRARY, ART COLLECTIONS AND BOTANICAL GARDENS
(626) 405-2141; (626) 405-2100 / www.huntington.org	$$$$
1151 Oxford Road, San Marino

(Exit Foothill Fwy [210] S. on Sierra Madre Blvd., R. on California, L. on Allen Ave., straight ahead into museum. [TG: 566 D7])
       The Library houses one of the world’s greatest collections of rare books, manuscripts, and documentsincluding a Gutenberg Bible; Ellesmere Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales; Benjamin Franklin’s autobiography, in his own handwriting; original works by Whitman and Dickens; and letters written by George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Abraham Lincoln.
       The Huntington Gallery is the epitome of opulence. Currently undergoing renovation, this mansion usually contains sculptures, rare tapestries, miniatures, period furniture, and famous paintings, including Gainsborough’s Blue Boy. All of these pieces and more are now in the nearby Erburu and Scott Galleries. Get kids involved with observing the paintings by pointing out the ones with children and ones with different styles of dress. Read to them the accompanying information (stories) about the subjects. For instance, sweet-faced Pinkie, by Sir Thomas Lawrence, died soon after her portrait was finished, and the boy in Lavina, Countess Spencer and her son Viscount Althorp was one of Princess Diana’s great great (great, etc.,) grandparents. This is a gentle way to introduce children to some truly great works of art. Pick up a free Family Guide at the entrance that encourages kids to participate in certain artworks by striking similar poses, drawing a particular element, or listing objects in a painting.
       The botanical gardens are composed of twelve separate, amazing gardens that cover 150 acres of the 200-acre estate. As Lisa Blackburn, a museum associate says, “The gardens . . . have wide-open spaces and vast rolling lawns; great for running, somersaulting, cartwheeling, shrieking, and releasing all that boundless energy that is sometimes stifled in traditional museum settings.” There are waterfalls, lily ponds, koi, ducks, turtles, and frogs to capture kids’ attention - almost more than can be seen in one day. The Desert Garden has, again to quote Lisa, “twelve acres of some of the most bizarre, colorful, creepy-crawly plants that a child could imagine.” The Shakespeare Garden features plants mentioned in the bards’ plays, accompanied by placards of pertinent poetry phrases. Another favorite garden is the Japanese garden, which is a quarter-mile west of the main entrance. This has a traditionally furnished Japanese house, stone ornaments, an old temple bell, a moon bridge, and a bonsai court. My little Tarzans said the best part of coming to the Huntington, though, is hiding in the bamboo groves in the Jungle Garden.
       On Saturdays, Discovery Carts can be found at three locations. The carts contain a variety of small projects for children. For example, water samples collected from the pond can be examined under a microscope.
       A one-acre Children’s Garden, aimed toward younger children, is an absolute delight. Each of the four ancient elements - air, earth, fire, and water - has a section. In Air, a grotto surrounded by plants fills with fog every few minutes, then dissipates. Kids run around, temporarily “lost” in the mist. At Earth, create shapes with magnetic sand and, near the globe, drop pebbles through a maze of metal posts to compose a cacophony of sound. Crawl through a prism tunnel with rainbow arches in the front. See a topiary volcano. Watch for rainbows as you walk through the mist surrounding the rainbow room in Fire. In Water, this liquid reacts to sound vibrations and dances in response, so you can “feel” the sound waves. Jets make water jump from one pot of water to another, and just a touch changes the shape of small, dome-shaped waterfalls at the vortex and water bells exhibit. Interspersed throughout this magical garden are fragrant and colorful plants, tunnels, bridges, stepping stones, and a little playhouse formed mostly by vines and other plants. An adjacent Teaching Greenhouse offers youngsters an opportunity to get their hands dirty at the potting benches and provides a place for horticultural and botany programs for young people and adults.
       The Conservancy, which looks like a huge greenhouse, has four different environments (most are somewhat hot and humid), each incorporating fascinating hands-on experiments and learning stations of some sort that appeal equally to kids and adults. The Tropical Forest, in the central rotunda, showcases giant palms fronds and huge water lilies. The Cloud Forest is lush with orchids, bromeliads, and pitcher plants. The Bog has carnivorous plants, such as the Venus flytraps. The large Plant Lab holds the widest variety of plant exhibits. Look through microscopes, use a refractometer to measure the amount of sugar in nectar samples, and smell fragrances to match them with a photo of their pollinator.
        Think Ming Dynasty and you’ll get the picture for the largest classical Chinese Garden, outside China, that is currently under construction. The twelve-acre site will have a one-acre lake, an ornate tea house serving refreshments, a pavilion, and a zigzag bridge, plus hundreds of plants native to China.
       Picnicking is not allowed on the grounds at the Huntington. However, a special treat for you and your daughter, as it’s not really a boy’s cup of tea, is to dress up and sip English tea in the Rose Garden Tea Room, (626) 683-8131, which overlooks three acres of roses. The all-you-can-eat buffet includes a variety of finger sandwiches, tea, scones, cheese and crackers, seasonal fruit, and delightful English desserts and miniature pastries. The cost is $15 for adults, $7.50 for children 6 years and under. Reservations are required. A café serving hamburgers, hot dogs, salads, sandwiches, and quesadillas ($8 to $11 for an average meal), and offering a children’s menu is on the grounds, too. Ask about the numerous special classes and programs, including the Kid’s Crafts, which is offered the first Saturday of every month.

Hours:	Open in the summer, Tues. - Sun., 10:30am - 4:30pm. Open the rest of the year, Tues. - Fri., noon - 4:30pm; Sat. - Sun., 10:30am - 4:30pm. Open extended hours the week between Christmas and New Year’s. Closed Mon. and major holidays, except Easter Sunday. The tea buffet is served Tues. - Fri., noon - 3:30pm (last seating); Sat. - Sun., 10:45am - 3:30pm (last seating).
Admission:	$15 for adults; $12 for seniors; $10 for ages 12 - 18; $6 for ages 5 - 11; children 4 years and under are free. Admission is free the first Thurs. of every month.
Ages:	4 years and up.