"San Marino, A VT Outing" San Marino by Goner

San Marino is an upscale neighborhood bordering on Pasadena. Beware, San Marinos do not liked to be considered part of Pasadena. This little hamlet is filled with expensive Italian Villas, English Tudor, and sprawling ranch houses with large rolling lawns. Besides having lovely expensive homes they have the Huntington Library with a spectacular gardens.

If you saw the movie "INDECENT PROPOSAL," the grand estate where tycoon Robert Redford lived was actually the Huntington Library, Art Gallery and Gardens .

Cactus Garden

Five VTR's met for the day and toured the Huntington Gardens. The most colorful this time of the year were the Cactus Gardens. When spring comes the Rose Gardens will dazzle you.

Map to the Huntington Library

San Marino has Henry E. Huntington to thank for the building and grounds that were the beginning of their neighborhood. Huntington lived in semi-retirement for a few years at his San Marino estate where he operated the ranch established by his predecessors. When he sold off more than half of the land, it was soon parceled into residential and commercial properties. Immaculate estates and fine homes surrounded the Huntington estate as growth continued and the region prospered. Henry kept the remaining acreage for himself and wife, Arabella. The couple both shared an interest and worked side by side to build a mansion, increase their collections of manuscripts and art and create one of the finest estates any where.

In 1919, the couple signed an indenture which transferred their San Marino estate with its collections of art and books, to a non-profit educational trust. The library was built in 1920 to house the rare manuscripts Henry collected. The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens opened to the public in 1928, a year after Mr. Huntington's death. The private, nonprofit institution is supported by gifts from individuals, corporations, foundations, and government agencies, and by a private endowment that provides about 50% of the institution's annual budget.

• Pros:A truly amazing museum with beautiful gardens
• Cons:In winter only the cactus garden is colorful
• In a nutshell:A must see if you are in the LA area