The best California experiences, according to Californians
Virginia Robinson Gardens, Beverly Hills
Los Angeles County
The Robinson mansion went up in 1911 — among the first in Beverly Hills. (If you remember Robinsons department stores, then you know where the family fortune came from.) When Virginia Robinson died in 1977, she left the 6-acre property to Los Angeles County. Nancey Kredell of Seal Beach writes that the gardens “have great docents with loving stories to tell about Virginia. One side of the property has ferns and palms and is 15 degrees cooler than the west side.” It is open for docent-led tours ($15 for adults, $11 for seniors 62 and up).
