Huntington Library

On our list of the best activities in Los Angeles.

The Huntington spans about 120 acres of themed gardens, including the Japanese, Desert and Chinese gardens, around a research library and two art galleries. The library holds one of eleven known vellum copies of the Gutenberg Bible, Chaucer's 15th-century Ellesmere manuscript of The Canterbury Tales, and the only surviving first two quartos of Hamlet anywhere. The galleries show Gainsborough's Blue Boy and Lawrence's Pinkie alongside a broader run of 18th- and 19th-century British painting. The grounds are closed Tuesdays, Friday-through-Sunday visits need a reservation, and the Rose Garden Tea Room serves an English-style tea.