Sunnylands Center & Gardens — Attraction in Rancho Mirage

While in Palm Springs, we visited Sunnylands Center & Gardens on the recommendation of our concierge. Sunnylands, a 200-acre estate completed in 1966, was the winter home of Ambassadors Walter and Leonore Annenberg. The estate includes their 25,000 square foot mid-century modern home (with an iconic pink pyramid roof!), guest cottages, a 9-hole golf course, and 13 man-made lakes. The Annenbergs had a great appreciation of art and architecture, and the estate, as well as the more recent Sunnylands Center and gardens, were designed to reflect this.

Over more than 40 years, they hosted 8 US Presidents, other political, business and entertainment leaders and numerous famous entertainers. It was sometimes referred to as the "Camp David" of the west, and was declared a historic site in 1990. In 2001, the Annenbergs established a foundation trust to preserve the estate as a place where world leaders could meet to discuss national and international issues. They also specified that the Trust provide the public with opportunities to learn about Sunnylands unique place in history. Prior to her death in 2009, Leonore identified 15 acres adjacent to Sunnylands as the location for a visitor center.

Unfortunately, we didn't plan (way) ahead and were unable to get tickets for the house tour which I was really hoping for! You really need to plan ahead if you want to tour the home; only 7 people per tour and they sell out immediately. Tickets go on sale online only (no phone, email or in person sales) on the 15th of the month (9AM Pacific time!) for the following month's tours. They also offer an "Open Air Experience" for $30 (7 people per tour), a guided 45-minute shuttle ride throughout the 200 acre estate; "Birding on the Estate", $42 (7 people per tour Nov-Apr) for a 90-min shuttle tour, and an "Historic Walk", $28 (12 people per walk Nov-Apr) for a guided 60-min walking tour of the estate. Note that none of these last three tours includes any access to the house interior. Also, Sunnylands is closed to the public from early June through mid-September.

Parking and admission to the Center and gardens is free. So, coming at the last minute, we were able to walk around the 15,000 sq ft Center, watch a 20-minute film about the history of Sunnylands, stroll through the beautiful botanical gardens (53,000 desert plants!), walk the labyrinth, and stop at the outdoor cafe for a drink. The gardens were inspired by the Annenberg's collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings and designed to be like a painting come to life.

After our visit, I dug more into the website and discovered that they also offer free self-guided audio garden walks, which we weren't made aware of when coming into the visitor center. The person directing people at the visitor center was not particularly helpful and didn't offer this. Granted, I should have done more research ahead of time...and will next time because we will be back!

We enjoyed Sunnylands and definitely plan on returning. I rated this 4-star (really 4.5 star) only because the person we encountered wasn't helpful at all and we didn't get a full experience. I'm confident an updated review after another (planned) visit...

I want to love this truly unique place, but there are some concerns. It's currently free to attend, but do not confuse it with the adjacent mansion turned museum which does charge admission. I visited on a weekday and yet parking was challenging as was any attempt to enjoy the crowded gardens. Similarly, the cafe was overwhelmed as was the undersized gift shop. Maybe the crowd was unusual, but the offering of overflow parking tells me it's a common occurrence. It might be time to charge an entrance fee.

The gardens were at best a modern interpretation of strolling gardens with a pleasing focus on drought tolerance. There is an online plant list to the gardens; I only know this because of a posted QR code I forgot to peruse. Some trees set in a formal ring with benches and pathways provide some shade, otherwise the gardens may be inhospitable during excessive heat. Some additional shade structures would be beneficial for visitors.

Much of the cacti and succulent gardens over relied upon laying out large masses of single species planted in a formal grid pattern. This might be appropriate for a modern aesthetic, but as a strolling garden, over use of row after row of barrel cacti can be both tedious and predictable for the casual stroller. Venturing off primary paths does provide variety, but these side gardens are few. Good designs will create distinctive separations from one garden to the other, but the only gardens that provided such distinction were the primary lawn, maze and wildflower field. As a destination, the site merits more.

To be frank, I don't know what to make of the wildflower field, so more research is needed. At the time of my visit, it appeared to be heavily irrigated and used a variety of non-native species. I hope I'm wrong, but if not, the implications of wildness may not be appropriate. Still, it appeared to be a good source for pollinators, so it's not completely unworthy of such a vast spatial allowance. This area seems to be in waiting for more designed gardens, which I believe visitors would appreciate.

The docent at the entrance was super friendly and helpful providing a brief overview and history...

Location. The grandeur is breathtaking entering the long driveway to Sunnylands. Along both sides of the entry are symmetrically planted cacti that captures the eye and imagination.

Free parking and entry. Open to the public, Sunnylands is educational, and a world of a pageantry of desert plants in the garden.

Building. Impressive large towering glass windows and large entry to the structure. Security and staff welcomes and answers questions.

Inside are panels of politicians dotted along walls who have visited and utilized their facility. Be sure to walk down into the hallway to enjoy a "hidden" gem. At this visit, theme was "Gastrodiplomacy". Displayed in glass cases are a variety of dishes used by prominent individuals who have visited Sunnylands. Loved it!

Additionally, there is a counter to purchase snacks with an outdoor eating area. Plus a small gift shop.

Outside. Walking out of the building, you enter a magical world. It is beautiful: greenery fills a walking path that circles the entire garden. Unbelievably delightful to the senses as your eyes roam the huge garden.

Be sure to set enough time to leisurely walk to the many different walkways to discover to access specific designed landscapes. Each spectacular in itself. It also offers places sit and reflect in serene loveliness.

This is our second visit and the open grass is wide and open. First time, uniquely created topiaries circled around the whole grassy area. Each cluster of plants spelled an inspirational word. Never seen such amazing transformation of artistic nature. Missed viewing it since this visit, one our our daughters joined us.

A beautiful garden to add to your bucket list, located in Southern California,...