The gardens seen in popular culture, various age-old myths, the stories of childhood, and our daydreams? They're often depicted in direct sunlight.
This makes sunny sense, of course: We want to appreciate the dramatic red of a rose, a lake in its ultimate glint-a-tude, and all the green and grassy areas surrounding a garden's full-to-bursting flower beds.
But there's something alluring, and even bewitching, about the opportunity to haunt a leafy, path-filled plot as the afternoon heat mellows, the sun's powerful beams seem to soften, and the critters of evening start to chirp, buzz, and whirr.
The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens can seem like a wholly different place as the shadows grow longer, but experiencing that ethereal change-over to nighttime isn't often possible.
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But a Summer Evening Stroll, a summertime series that begins on Saturday, June 11, is all about those softer sunbeams, chirping critters, and connecting with the spectacular space as the day winds down.
There are a few such strolls to come over the next few months, on select evenings, and securing your ticket in advance or having a pre-purchased ticket? That's a must.
The start time of this ethereal adventure is 4:30 p.m., which is 30 minutes before the San Marino garden closes, so you'll literally cross paths with daytime visitors soaking in a few last moments before they go.
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And the closing time for these special events? Things will wrap at 8 p.m. from June to early August, and 7:30 p.m. from the middle of August through to Sept. 2, the final 2022 date of the series.
Adding to the experience?
You can do dinner at 1919 Cafe, if you like. The restaurant will remain open to 7 p.m. during each Summer Evening Stroll, and the bookstore will remain open through to 8 o'clock.
