Walking in the South Bay’s botanical gardens
Keran and Rhys Brandon investigate the South Coast Botanical Garden. Photo by Alyssa Morin
Walking through rows of rose bushes, junipers, succulents and a koi pond at the South Coast Botanical Garden, it is hard to believe that you are just blocks away from the Pacific Coast Highway. But, tucked away on Crenshaw Blvd on the Palos Verdes Peninsula is an oasis of flowering trees, gardens, and plants that transport you from the hubbub of beach life to a natural haven.
The South Coast Botanical Garden has been a jewel of the South Bay since 1959, when the County of Los Angeles Board of Supervisors transformed a sanitary landfill to a horticultural paradise.
The gardens are open daily for guided or self-guided tours, as well as casual meandering. They offer an Audubon Bird Walk and Kid’s Club every first Sunday of the month and tram tours every Saturday at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Craft and drawing workshops as well as flower shows and sales occur throughout the year, as well.
Daily admission fees are $8 for adults, $6 for students and seniors, and $3 for children ages 5-12. Admission fees are waived every third Tuesday. A full listing of events is available at southcoastbotanicgarden.org.
South Coast Botanical Garden, 26300 Crenshaw Blvd, Palos Verdes Peninsula.
The Manhattan Beach Botanical Garden offers composting, gardening, and bird-watching workshops throughout the summer at 1236 N. Peck Ave. in Manhattan. Other garden events in the South Bay include an open house for new and old members of the Hermosa Beach Garden Club in August.