Increase your art skills with these hands-on, instructor-led workshops. Topics covered include painting, sketching, photography, and critique. To see the list of classes this season and to make a reservation visit our workshop page here.
For more information, please contact the Sunnylands Education Department at education@sunnylands.org.
This program is currently on hold. We are grateful for your patience and understanding.
Please check back to the Sunnylands website at a later date, or connect with the Education department at 760.202.2254 or education@sunnylands.org.
Would you like to learn to be more present for yourself and others? To live each and every moment to the fullest? Take a moment of your day to recharge and unwind with a guided meditation session. Mindfulness is being present, using breath to calm the mind. It has been scientifically shown to reduce stress, improve focus, increase memory and compassion, as it calms the body and mind.
Join us for a Mindful Meditation session and learn the skills necessary to incorporate mindfulness in your daily life.
For individual events connected to mindfulness, please search our online events calendar here. For more information, please contact the Education Department at education@sunnylands.org.
For virtual mindfulness activities look here.
Visitors have been enjoying the labyrinth at Sunnylands since the Center & Gardens opened in March 2012. Designed by the Office of James Burnett, the labyrinth at Sunnylands was a feature that Leonore Annenberg was delighted to have incorporated in the gardens. Leonore supported having reflective elements available throughout the gardens, including the labyrinth, as well as the twin reflecting pools and various walking trails. This is in the vein of designing our outdoor space as an aesthetic garden rather than a botanical garden with specimen labels placed all throughout the planters.
What’s the difference between a Labyrinth and Maze?
While they both offer a sense of intrigue, a maze is designed to create confusion whereas a labyrinth offers the chance for contemplation. Rather than featuring wayward paths and dead-ends, labyrinths are unicursal, meaning they have a single path that weaves to the center and subsequently meanders back to the entrance. Many people find labyrinths to be a meditative experience.
Various styles and materials are used to make these mindful walking paths. The Sunnylands labyrinth is a lithocrete walking surface lined with low-growing wedelia and surrounded by mesquite trees and leucophyllum that bloom violet in the spring.
All labyrinths are quiet, contemplative places. Taking turns entering the labyrinth and keeping a respectful distance are part of the courtesies. Yet, children use labyrinths differently as their mindful techniques are often playful and free formed and welcome.
For more information on labyrinths, check out this article by Smithsonian Magazine.
Visit Sunnylands on one of our seasonal themed days. Designed as a shared family experience, these days include hands-on activities, free play, self-guided exploration, and discussions around themes that include gardens and the natural world, culture, art and architecture, and current exhibitions.
Admission is free. Reservations are not required.
Information on this season’s Family Days can be found in our events calendar here.
For more information or questions, please contact the Education Department at education@sunnylands.org.
March is music month at Sunnylands. Join us for our annual Music in the Gardens concert series. Visitors are invited to stroll in the gardens or bring a lawn chair and have a picnic while enjoying a unique blend of musical performances.
This music series takes place every Sunday in March, 11 am to 1 pm.
While guests are invited to bring food and picnics, large coolers, ice chests, grills, alcohol and pets are not permitted.
Admission is free. Reservations are not required.
For individual events connected to Music in the Gardens, please search our online events calendar here. For more information, please contact the Education Department at education@sunnylands.org.
Join us on Friday evenings for Films in the Gardens when Sunnylands opens the gates after hours for a series of themed, outdoor movie nights.
This film series takes place on three consecutive Friday evenings in the fall and spring.
Admission is free. Reservations are not required.
Filmgoers are encouraged to bring lawn chairs, blankets, and small picnics. Carpooling is advised. Large coolers, alcohol, smoking, and pets are not permitted. Films may be canceled at any time due to weather conditions, including rain, lightning, or strong winds.
Films in the Gardens is presented with the Palm Springs International Film Festival.
For more information please contact the Education Department at education@sunnylands.org.
To see individual events connected to Films in the Gardens, search our online events calendar here.
Conducted by knowledgeable birders, this free 60-minute guided walk introduces guests to many local and migratory bird species in the Sunnylands gardens.
The free guided Bird Walk is offered on Thursdays at 8:45 am, November through May. No reservations required.
This program takes place outdoors. Water, sun protection, and comfortable closed-toed shoes are recommended. Binoculars also are recommended.
For events connected to free guided Bird Walks, please search our online events calendar here.
For more information, please contact the Education Department at education@sunnylands.org.
Access our birding list here.
Tai chi at Sunnylands Center & Gardens is an opportunity to experience a traditional teaching of the Yang Family 108 Long Form. Participants learn the beginning positions of the form rooted in tai chi philosophy and principles. No previous experience with tai chi is required.
Tai chi is offered every Saturday at 10 am from November through April. The 60-minute sessions, held outdoors in the gardens, are open to all ages and experience levels. Participants should dress comfortably. Sun protection and water are suggested.
Outdoor programs may be canceled at any time due to weather conditions, including rain, lightning, or strong winds.
Admission is free. Reservations are not required.
Information can be found in our events calendar here. For more information, contact the Sunnylands Education Department at education@sunnylands.org.
CV Days of Los Muertos is a local collaborative to celebrate the cultural significance of the Dia de los Muertos.
At Sunnylands we provide workshops in October, and a five-day celebration on the weekend of Dia de los Muertos. The dates of the celebration concur annually with the traditional dates of November 1-2. During this time, the garden is decorated with traditional papel picado, altars, and calaveras. Day and evening hours are scheduled for altar viewing and each year an evening of entertainment is included.
Join us in 2022 for our next celebration. Information can be found in our events calendar here.
For information on how to participate in CV Days of Los Muertos at Sunnylands, please contact education@sunnylands.org.