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Visit Center & Gardens
Sunnylands is on summer hiatus | Reopening September 13, 2023
Admission and parking are free and tickets/reservations are not required. Sunnylands is a smoke-free environment. Pets are not allowed.
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 art exhibitions
- Watch the 20-minute film, A Place Called Sunnylands
- Explore our history through multi-media informational kiosks
- Take a self-guided Garden Audio Walk through nine acres of desert gardens
- Enjoy a light lunch or beverage indoors or out at the café
- Purchase unique gift items in the shop
- Participate in a public event or wellness activity
- Groups of 20 or more are asked to complete a free registration form before visiting
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 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 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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“We like desert plants for their beauty, sculptural habits, and color.”
James Burnett
