EVENTS & CLASSES
Robinson Gardens plays host to various fabulous events all year round. Most famous for our annual Garden Tour, the Friends of Robinson Gardens hosts lectures, art classes, book clubs, and many diverse events guaranteed to pique your interest. In addition, the Los Angeles County Parks & Recreation Department offers courses that invite you to explore the garden and discover the beauty within this magical 6.2-acre estate. Please check back as we update our schedule regularly.
We look forward to seeing you in the garden!
EVENTS
Summer Sunset Lecture Series:
Hollywood's Trains & Trolleys
Author Marc Wanamaker will take us along the trolley routes that connected the Hollywood studios from Boyle Heights to the Pacific Palisades. We’ll look at the trains and trolley movies produced within a 30-mile radius of Hollywood. We’ll explore the history of the trains and trolley movies with many never seen before photographs showing every aspect of production and location from the Squaw Man (1913) to Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988). Roughly 75 years of movie making in Hollywood.
The tale ends on the rail passenger car's observation platform. Experience how Hollywood exploited the end of the train, staging action scenes and personality publicity on the platform. We hope you’ll join us!
$40 Members | $45 Non-Members
Wednesday, July 22 - 5:00 - 7:00 pm
Includes lecture and wine & cheese reception
Register
From Zurich to Ojai:
A Lesson in Art History through the Taste of Artisan Chocolate
Beatrice ‘Beato’ Wood, known as the “Mama of Dada”, lived until 105 and credited chocolate (and young men!) for her longevity. One of the few women to pioneer an avant-garde movement, Beato showed alongside her friend and colleague Marcel Duchamp, helping to define Dada, an avant-garde movement known for rule-breaking and irreverence. Ever idiosyncratic and passionate, she created works of wonder throughout her long life that continue to inspire.
Lisa Casoni, Co-Owner and Co-Founder of Beato Chocolates will lead us through Beato’s engaging life story while sampling chocolate. Tastings include the Titanic bar, named after the artist’s connection to the iconic film and flavored with rose petals and sea salt, and the Happy Valley bar with dehydrated Ojai pixie tangerines.
$50 Members | $60 Non-Members
Saturday, August 15 - 12:00 - 2:00 pm
Includes light lunch and chocolate tasting
Register
Summer Sunset Lecture Series:
DEAR LOS ANGELES: The City in Diaries & Letters, 1542 to 2018
How do you capture the Spirit of Los Angeles? Cultural Historian & UCLA Writing Professor David Kipen has amassed a compendium of voices – the famous, the critical, the observers – to help tell the impressions of our fascinating City. Dear Los Angeles: The City in Diaries and Letters is a rich mosaic of diary entries and letters from Marilyn Monroe, John Lennon, Albert Einstein, Winston Churchill and many more. Over 365 days and across four centuries, Kipen weaves a tapestry of words that attempts to describe this place, from the mountains to the sea.
Come join him in conversation with FRG Board Member Maralee Beck.
$40 Members | $45 Non-Members
Wednesday, August 19 - 5:00 - 7:00 pm
Includes lecture and wine & cheese reception
Register
Tea, Scones, & Garden Book Club
Girls in the Picture
This historical fiction novel delves into the real-life, empowering friendship between silent-film actress Mary Pickford and pioneering screenwriter Frances Marion as they take early Hollywood by storm. The captivating story explores the power of female friendship during a glittering, male-dominated era. With cameos by the era’s titans like Charlie Chaplin and Douglas Fairbanks, this novel is an unforgettable tribute to two women who shaped the movies. We hope you'll join us!
$20 Members | $25 Non-Members
Saturday, September 26 - 10:30 am - 12:00 pm
Register
GARDENING CLASSES
Cooking with Herbs
Join K-12 garden educator Gill Terry for an exploration of fresh and dried herbs. Take home your own custom herb blend and learn about methods of cooking with herbs that will upgrade your recipes. You will also receive helpful tips for preserving an abundance of herbs, a guide to flavor pairings, and tricks for herb-growing success! This class is open to all levels of cooks, and is a great experience for the gardener and home-chef alike.
$20 Members | $25 Non-Members
Saturday, September 12 - 10:00 - 11:30 am
Register
Mystical and Magical Herbs
The VRG garden is host to many plants and ancient medicinal herbs. In times past, these plants held mystical and magical properties that enchanted people across the world. VRG docent and medicinal herb cultivator, Laurelle Johnson, will guide you through the gardens to each herb, retelling their myths, legends and traditional uses. And what lovely myths they are: Yarrow was once used for love divination, Rosemary for protection against plagues. What was verbena known for? Join Laurelle as she shines a spotlight on numerous herbs to learn about how identify them and their myths. (Note: workshop includes a walk through the garden and will include stairs.)
$20 Members | $25 Non-Members
Friday, September 25 - 10:00 - 11:30 am
Register
ART CLASSES
Watercolor Workshop
Join artist Jennifer Cunningham for this creative experience with watercolors. In this workshop, she will tailor the step-by-step instructions to your needs and have you laughing while mixing colors. Paint watercolor washes and experience joy as your stress slips away.
$55 Members | $60 Non-Members
Friday, July 10 - 1:00 - 3:30pm
Friday, July 24 - 1:00 - 3:30pm
Friday, August 7 - 1:00 - 3:30pm
Friday, September 25 - 1:00 - 3:30pm
Register 7/10 Register 7/24 Register 8/7 Register 9/25
Waitlist available, please email [email protected] to join
Plein Air Painting Class
Join painter and educator Liz Grandsaert for a plein air painting workshop amidst the historic beauty of The Virginia Robinson Gardens. This outdoor class invites participants of all experience levels to explore classical and expressive painting techniques while working directly from life. Students will learn about color mixing, Impressionist theory, and composition using viewfinders, with all necessary materials provided. Liz offers personalized guidance to deepen your creative connection to the landscape. Enjoy a relaxing, skill-building experience surrounded by the living heritage of the gardens.
$70 Members | $75 Non-Members
Saturday, September 26 - 1:00 - 4:00pm
Register
WELLNESS CLASSES
Happiness Workshop
Join us for an interactive wellness program that will include activities in the garden. This mental health workshop explores the idea of “Happiness” using the teachings of Harvard Professor Dr. Tal Ben-Shahar. Class leader Karen Sisman, a practitioner certified in the psychological and philosophical principles of Dr. Tal Ben-Shahar’s “Happiness” study, will speak about mental well-being as we learn to deal with the stresses of daily life. Our level of happiness strengthens our mental state of mind, ultimately allowing us to live better, work better and learn better.
$35 per Person
Friday, July 10 - 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Friday, August 14 - 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Register
Transform Your Posture
This dynamic class combines Yoga, Pilates, and functional training to help improve posture, tone and strengthen your body, while increasing flexibility, balance, and overall mobility. Guided by modern fitness science and inspired by traditional Eastern wellness practices, each session is designed to help you move better, stand taller, and feel stronger. Whether you’re looking to improve your posture, build a leaner and stronger body, enhance your overall fitness, or simply enjoy a healthier lifestyle, this class offers a safe, supportive, and effective workout for all fitness levels.Leave each class feeling stronger, more energized, more confident, and standing taller with better posture. Please bring your own yoga mat and wear comfortable workout clothes.
Free
Friday, July 10 - 9:30 - 11:30 am
Register
Sound Bowl Healing Meditation
Please join Devon Cunningham as we embark on a meditative journey that consists of pure relaxation through a sound bowl healing meditation. The sound bowls activate and energize chakras within your body and work with your individual needs and intentions to align and create a deeper connection internally. Sound bowl healing meditation benefits include relieving stress, anxiety, insomnia, and will also enhance your state.
$35 per Person
Saturday, July 11 - 11:00 am - 1:00 pm
Saturday, July 25 - 11:00 am - 1:00 pm
Register
Mindfulness Workshop
Join us for a mindful walk through the gardens. We will begin by setting our intentions, learning about the importance of mindfulness, and doing a short breathing meditation. Then we will do a walking meditation, mindfully engage four of our five senses, learn about reactive and non-reactive approaches to life through flower observation, and finish with a relational mindfulness practice. This workshop will be taught by Karen Sisman, who is a graduate of the Meditation and Mindfulness Teacher Training from the School of Positive Transformation and a graduate of Dr. Tal ben Shahar's Happiness Studies Academy.
$35 per Person
Tuesday, July 21 - 10:00 - 11:30 am
Friday, August 28 - 10:00 - 11:30 am
Register
TOURS
Docent Led Tours
Explore the sights and sounds of The Virginia Robinson Gardens guided by one of our master storytellers, a.k.a. docents! We offer several different tours: Historical Tours, Behind The Scenes Tours, and Garden Tours. All tours are offered by registration only.
For more information please see our 'Visit' page.