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A perfect synthesis of nature and culture, this amazing estate houses priceless collections of paintings and rare manuscripts that were started by railroad tycoon Henry E. Huntington and his wife, Arabella, in the early 19th century.

The country’s largest urban park is filled with museums, entertainment opportunities for children, hiking and horse trails, and the famous Griffith Park Observatory.

Popular with wedding planners and visitors in search of solitude, this secluded park affords great views of Beverly Hills. Its centerpiece is a 55-room mansion built in 1928 by oil tycoon Edward Doheny as a wedding present for his son Ned. The estate has been featured in many films, including Air Force One .

The 1911 estate of department-store heiress Virginia Robinson is one of the oldest in Beverly Hills. Stroll in gardens with fountains and statuettes past towering king palms and elegant camellias flourishing in this quiet hideaway.

This lovely rose garden dates back to 1928 and features about 15,000 rose bushes in bloom from March to November. Great for picnics or for a respite from museum-hopping.

The winter home of William Wrigley Jr. (of Wrigley’s chewing gum fame) is backed by a lovely green rose garden and now serves as the headquarters of the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association.

Famous for its swaying palm trees and picture-perfect views of Santa Monica Bay (especially at sunset), Palisades Park is a playground for young and old, locals and visitors, families and courting couples. Stretching for 13 blocks atop a bluff overlooking the ocean, its benches and lawns invite picnics and people-watching. A nostalgic curiosity is the Camera Obscura inside a seniors’ center.

Tucked away in the northeastern corner of the UCLA campus, this delightful little oasis is dotted with 70 sculptures by some of the greatest 19th- and 20th-century European and American artists, Auguste Rodin and Alexander Calder among them.

Minutes from the Walk of Fame, this small urban park has some moderately difficult trails and a colorful history – the ruins near the Fuller Steet entrance were built in 1930 by opera star John McCormack and Errol Flynn lived in one of the pool houses in the late 1950s. The Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy purchased the park in 1983.

Bathed in an ambience of beauty and serenity, this hidden sanctuary was created in 1950 by Paramahansa Yogananda, an Indian-born spiritual leader. Wander over to the shrine to Mahatma Gandhi or the spring-fed lake, meditate inside a recreated 16th-century windmill, or study the Court of Religions that honors all of the world’s major religions.