Perhaps the best of Southern California's public gardens, the Huntington features a wide range of flora and fauna from around the world growing in fourteen themed gardens. From the traditional English rose garden (complete with functioning tea house) to a Japanese garden and a fantastic desert garden, there is something for everyone's taste. And if the sun begins to tire you, you can always duck into one of the several museums or the famous library where selections of the vast collection of precious books are always on display.

The Chinese garden, Liu Fang Yuan or "the Garden of Flowing Fragrance," is Huntington's newest addition. Built with careful research and attention to traditional Chinese gardens, phase one opened last year and brings with it a whole new area of exploration and cultural intrigue to the already ample Huntington offerings. It is well worth a special visit, for the tranquil strolling path around the lake which is surrounded by pavilions, decorative rocks and bridges, very much mirroring the Chinese landscape paintings they were meant to evoke.

Tip: Give yourself several hours to explore the Huntington, each garden deserves your full attention and rushing through at the end of the afternoon is hardly worth the trip.