Sunnylands Center & Gardens Start Public Tours Sept. 5

New tours, more bird watching, walks

Site Staff Attractions

Sunnylands Center & Gardens and the historic estate and residence will open for public tours Sept. 5 after a two-month summer hiatus.

Along with the traditional tour of the historic home, a number of other more-specialized tours have been added. Visits to Sunnylands Center & Gardens, 37977 Bob Hope Drive, in Rancho Mirage, are free. The new landscape tour will not begin until November with tickets going on sale in October.

Guests are welcome to visit Thursdays through Sundays, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., September through June.

Historic House Tour: Tickets for the 90-minute tour of the historic house and grounds are released at 9 a.m. (PST) on the 1st and 15th of each month and are $35 per ticket. Tickets released on the 1st of each month are for tours on the 16th of that month through the last day of the month; tickets released on the 15th of the month are for tours on the 1st through 15th of each month. Tours are conducted Thursdays through Sundays.

Group Tours: Visit the website for information on group tours of the historic estate or group visits to Sunnylands Center & Gardens.

Historic Estate Bird-Watching Tour: Tickets for this specialized tour on the Sunnylands estate are released at 9 a.m. (PST) on the 1st and 15th of each month and are $35 per ticket. Tickets for this 90-minute shuttle tour are $25 per person. The tours are conducted each Thursday, January through June, at 9:15 am. Binoculars or scopes recommended.

Historic Estate Landscape Tours: Tickets for this specialized tour on the Sunnylands estate are released 9 a.m. (PST) on the 1st and 15th of each month. Tickets for this 90-minute shuttle tour are $35 per person. Tours are conducted on Saturdays, November through April, at 1:30 p.m. Binoculars or scopes recommended.

Center & Gardens Garden Walks: These free walks take place at Sunnylands Center & Gardens and are held every Thursday from 11 a.m. to noon. Participants explore the 1.25 miles of winding paths leading through the Gardens, along a wildflower field with their Sunnylands guide. This program includes an hour of walking along both paved and unpaved surfaces. No reservations required.

Center & Gardens Bird-Watching Walks: These walks take place at the Center and are held free from 9:15 to 10:15 a.m. Fridays. Knowledgeable birders conduct tours. This program includes an hour of walking along both paved and unpaved surfaces. Binoculars or scopes recommended. No reservations required.

Center & Gardens Guided Walks: Regularly scheduled free walks of Sunnylands Center & Gardens are offered each day. Guests are advised to check the posted schedule.

Tickets and more information for all scheduled tours are available online at www.sunnylands.org