Visit Center & Gardens

Admission and parking are free and tickets/reservations are not required. No pets. No smoking.

Sunnylands Center & Gardens first opened to the public in March 2012. Upon entering the 15-acre site, a winding driveway takes visitors through a desert art garden to the glass facade of Sunnylands Center. The spacious, contemporary building houses a rotating art exhibition, café, gift shop, and multimedia offerings that detail the history of Sunnylands and its founders, Walter and Leonore Annenberg.

Things to do

• View this season’s exhibition, Variations to a Theme: William Haines at Sunnylands.
• Watch the 20-minute film, A Place Called Sunnylands
• Explore our history through multi-media informational kiosks
• Take a self-guided Audio Gardens Walk.
• Enjoy a light lunch or beverage indoors or on the café patio
• Purchase unique items in the gift shop
• Participate in a public event or wellness activity
• Groups of 20 or more are asked to complete a free registration form before visiting
• Tour the historic Sunnylands estate.

A Painting Comes to Life

The landscape at Sunnylands Center & Gardens was designed by The Office of James Burnett, with horticultural consultant Mary Irish. Inspired by the Annenberg collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings, the gardens were designed to reflect the importance of these paintings to the Annenbergs, who bequeathed the collection to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1991.

Burnett’s signature designs are habitable and sensitive, with shade, quiet, and natural elements that appeal to the senses. Twin reflecting pools filled with river stones flank the rear windows of the Center and its patios. To the west, a labyrinth winds through rows of Wedelia (Sphagneticola trilobata), creating a contemplative and quiet space.

Gardens Guide

Explore our new Gardens Guide for information on the more than 70 species of arid-adapted plants in the Sunnylands gardens.

More info hereGardens Guide

Self-Guided Audio Gardens Walks

Take a self-guided audio walk through the gardens using your mobile phone. Stroll at your own pace and learn about the design of the Sunnylands gardens, inspired by an Impressionist painting.

More info hereSelf-Guided Audio Gardens Walks

Plein Air in the Gardens

Artists may paint, photograph, and sketch the beauty of the desert landscape and surrounding mountain range. No reservations or tickets required.

More info herePlein Air in the Gardens

Plant Diversity

Over 70 species of native and arid-adapted plants from North and South America, Africa, and the Mediterranean are displayed in the nine-acre gardens.

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