If you've walked into The Huntington the same way for years, where does that walk start this fall? For a long time the 1919 Library exhibition halls were the obvious center of a visit. They're now closed for the Library/Art Building project, and The Huntington expects them to reopen to the public in spring 2029. Everything new on the grounds between now and the end of the year is in one place: Oak Meadow and the three buildings around it.
That changes the visit more than any single exhibition does. It also fits around San Marino's own fall calendar, which runs mostly through Lacy Park and Huntington Drive.
What's closed, and what isn't
The Library/Art Building project will restore the public wing of the Library exhibition halls, which architect Myron Hunt designed in 1919, and update the back-of-house spaces. According to The Huntington, the gardens, art galleries, exhibitions and programs stay open throughout. Reading rooms and research services for readers and Research Fellows also continue as before.
The Huntington says the construction isn't expected to change ticketing or parking. Reservations are still required Friday through Sunday, on holidays and during peak seasons. Adult admission is listed at $29 Monday through Thursday and $34 Friday through Sunday, on holidays and in peak seasons. The entrance and the parking haven't changed. Where you end up once you're inside has.
Oak Meadow connects three buildings
According to a July report in Pasadena Now, Oak Meadow opened in June. When The Huntington first announced the project, it was scheduled to launch in spring 2026, so it arrived close to plan.
The location is what matters for a regular visitor. Oak Meadow links the Virginia Steele Scott Galleries of American Art, the MaryLou and George Boone Gallery, and The Rose Hills Foundation Conservatory for Botanical Science. Its paths and shaded lawn are organized around North American oaks, including Coast Live Oak, Engelmann Oak and Valley Oak. The Huntington counts more than 5,000 plants here, about 55 species, 22 trees and 16 oaks.
Interpretive signs along the route explain the oaks as keystone species. Smaller signs on the way in label native plants such as California Black Walnut, Toyon, Milkweed and Opuntia by their Indigenous, Spanish, English and scientific names. The Huntington also offers printable California Native Plant Cards, designed for use on the grounds or in your own garden.
Oak Meadow belongs to THIS LAND IS …, The Huntington's set of exhibitions and programs marking the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. Most of the initiative is on view in the buildings bordering the meadow, which is why so much of this fall sits within a short walk.
What's on view around the meadow
Two exhibitions opened in the Scott Galleries in September. Several longer installations were already running there and in the Boone Gallery.
| Where | What's on view | Through |
|---|---|---|
| Virginia Steele Scott Galleries | "Doyle Lane: Master of Clay," a retrospective of more than 100 works | March 1, 2027 |
| Virginia Steele Scott Galleries | "Laura Aguilar: Day of the Dead," Los Angeles photographs and an ofrenda honoring the artist | March 1, 2027 |
| Virginia Steele Scott Galleries | Sandy Rodriguez, "Book 13" | April 2027 |
| Virginia Steele Scott Galleries | Mercedes Dorame, "Deliquescence: Sites of Transformation" | March 2029 |
| MaryLou and George Boone Gallery | "This Land Is …," the initiative's anchor exhibition | January 11, 2027 |
"Doyle Lane" opened September 13 and "Laura Aguilar" opened a week later, on September 20. The Huntington's announcements give two different end dates for "Book 13," April 26 and April 27, 2027. Either way, it runs well past this season. One timing detail affects this month. "This Land Is …" is closed October 6 through 16 while light-sensitive pieces are rotated, so a visit this week reaches the Scott Galleries but not the Boone Gallery.
The sculpture still to come
The newest piece in this corner hasn't been installed yet. In May, The Huntington announced that it had acquired Robert Indiana's LOVE, 12 feet high and 12 feet wide. It's number three in an edition of five and is made of polychromed aluminum. It's planned for Oak Meadow, near the Erburu entrance to the Scott Galleries. Once installed, it will be the only museum-owned LOVE sculpture in Southern California that the public can visit.
The Huntington has said only that the unveiling will happen before the end of the year, and its fall guide still says "later this year." No date had been announced as of early October. For anyone who passes the Scott Galleries regularly, the change will be easy to spot once it arrives.
Getting in on a Free Day
Free Day is still the first Thursday of each month, and it requires advance reservations. Tickets are released at 9 a.m. on the last Thursday of the month before. That puts the next release on October 29, for the November 5 Free Day. Each household can get five Free Day tickets per year. Every guest needs one, infants included, and tickets can't be transferred. On release mornings, buyers may be placed in a virtual waiting room.
Five tickets a year limits how often a family can use Free Day, so some planning helps. November 5 is an unusually full day. "Why It Matters: Héctor Tobar in Conversation with Karen R. Lawrence," part of THIS LAND IS …, takes place that day at Rothenberg Hall and is free with a reservation.
From September 7 through November 30, Red Car coffee shop and 1919 Cafe have autumn specials, including caramel apples and seasonal pastries. Red Car is also serving maple and pumpkin-spice lattes.
The season in order, from Oak Meadow to Lacy Park
The city's fall events use different spaces from The Huntington's, and the two calendars rarely conflict. Here they are together, in date order.
- October 8–11, noon to 4 p.m. The Autumn Festival at the Japanese Heritage Shōya House, with Edo-period court dolls and ikebana displays.
- October 12, 6:30–8 p.m. A free event at Rothenberg Hall marking 50 years of the Los Angeles City/County Native American Indian Commission. Registration is required.
- October 17, 8 a.m.–2 p.m. The city's Fall Compost Giveaway, at the Lacy Park–St. Albans Road parking lot, and document shredding at the Stoneman Building.
- October 23–25, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. The Huntington's Fall Plant Sale, free with general admission. It offers California natives, roses, succulents, herbs and winter bulbs.
- October 23, 6–9 p.m. Trunk or Treat & Dance Party at Lacy Park, with food trucks and a costume contest. Advance wristbands cost $5 for residents and $10 for nonresidents at the Community Center, 1800 Huntington Drive. The plant sale closes at 5 p.m. and Trunk or Treat starts at 6 p.m., so both fit into the same Friday.
- October 29, 9 a.m. Tickets for the November Free Day are released.
- November 5. Free Day at The Huntington, plus the Héctor Tobar conversation at Rothenberg Hall.
- November 8, 11 a.m.–2 p.m. Second Sundays: "This Land Is …" in the Boone Gallery, free with general admission.
- November 21, 10 a.m.–6 p.m. The Huntington Holiday Market, free but with limited capacity. Local and international artisans sell gifts, homewares and gourmet food.
- December 4, 5–7 p.m. The city's Home for the Holidays tree lighting and Mayor's Reception at Huntington Drive and San Marino Avenue, with Santa, cocoa, cookies and crafts.
The Laura Aguilar exhibition also has related programs: Huntington U seminars on November 4, 11 and 18, and a public program on November 15. The announcement doesn't list venues for them yet.
Around Lacy Park through mid-December
One thing on the city's list will be visible around Lacy Park on ordinary days. Annual tree pruning in Grid 3 is expected to continue through mid-December. The Grid 3 area covers residential streets around the park plus Shenandoah Road, Virginia Road, Oak Grove Avenue, San Marino Avenue, Canterbury Road, Chester Avenue and Winston Avenue, according to the City Manager's October 1 weekly briefing. The same briefing points residents to the city's new Citywide Portal for non-emergency reports about streets, sidewalks, trees, streetlights and potholes.
So the city's fall happens on its streets and in its park, and The Huntington's happens around one meadow and the three buildings it connects. Both stay busy through December 4, when the tree lights go on at Huntington Drive and San Marino Avenue.
At GlobalPoint, our area tours for relocating families cover how a community actually spends its weekends, and in San Marino this fall that includes Oak Meadow and Lacy Park. If you're new to the area and want a local walk through the season, let's connect.
