Friday, July 17, 2026

The Huntington Adds a Twilight Craft: Clay Pendants From the Garden’s Own Leaves

Photograph by Linnea Stephan. | The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.

A new drop-in activity joins the after-hours summer strolls, now open to the public

On Sunday evening, July 26, children and adults wandering The Huntington’s gardens after hours can make clay pendants using leaves and flowers gathered from the grounds they just walked.

The craft is new this summer, added to the institution’s Twilight Garden Strolls — after-hours garden evenings that were once reserved for members and are now open to the public. The stroll runs from 4:30 to 8:00 p.m., with the drop-in pendant-making offered from 4:30 to 7:00 p.m.

The gardens sit at 1151 Oxford Road in San Marino, near Pasadena; The Huntington describes itself as “just minutes from Pasadena.” For local families, it is a familiar place seen at an unfamiliar hour.

According to The Huntington’s event listing, the pendants are shaped from leaves, flowers, and other bits of greenery collected on site. The institution’s listing describes the activity as family-friendly, and it shows no registration beyond a stroll reservation. July 26 is one of three pendant evenings this summer; the others were July 5 and are Aug. 16.

Reservations are required, and the timed evening ticket is separate from regular daytime admission. Guest tickets are not accepted. Tickets are nonrefundable, and The Huntington asks that unused tickets be considered a donation. Most gardens stay open, but the Library, the art galleries, the Conservatory, and the Children’s Garden are closed during the event.

The evening also keeps its usual comforts. The Red Car coffee shop stays open until 5:30 p.m., and the 1919 Cafe serves from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m., with hot food ending at 7:00 p.m. The Huntington Store stays open until 8:00 p.m. Food and drink are not allowed while strolling.

Visitors wanting more structure can add a 90-minute, docent-led Twilight Garden Estate Tour, offered at 5:00 and 5:30 p.m. as a separate, advance-purchase ticket. 

When the program first opened to the public in 2024, Kristin Voss, The Huntington’s director of membership and visitor services, told LAist that the shift let the gardens reach more people. “Opening in the evening allows us to welcome more visitors who can enjoy green spaces and see our gardens in quite literally a different light,” she said.

[Contact/logistics: In prior seasons, general admission was listed at $20 for adults, $15 for seniors, military, and students, $5 for youth ages 4 to 11, and free for children under 4 — figures carried by Visit Pasadena and a Pasadena Weekendr listing. The official event page states only that member and public pricing vary, so 2026 prices should be confirmed at huntington.org/event/twilight-garden-strolls or by calling (626) 405-2100. Parking specifics for the evening event were not found on the official listing — confirm with the venue. Accessibility questions: tickets@huntington.org.]

By eight, the light will be gone and the gardens will empty. What each family takes home fits in a palm: a small clay pendant made with a leaf that grew here.

 Twilight Garden Strolls (with clay pendant workshop) — The Huntington. July 26, 4:30–8pm, includes a drop-in clay-pendant-making activity using garden foliage. https://www.huntington.org/event/twilight-garden-strolls