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21 Secret Gardens and Green Spaces Hidden Around LA

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With the weather dial officially turned to "lovely," it's time to get outside and enjoy a little greenery, preferably away from the madding crowd. So here it is: Curbed LA's updated secret gardens map, with even more overlooked and undervisited green spaces to explore this summer. There are labyrinths and roses and waterfalls galore, and they're all open to the public in one form or another (hours, access, and cost vary, obviously, so check the websites). Enjoy!

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Union Station

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Union Station is known for its gardens and courtyards, but blogger The World on Wheels dug up this little gem on the far east side of the property, behind the Metro building--it has gardens, benches, fountains, and waterfalls.

Biddy Mason Park

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Biddy Mason Park is a quiet little courtyard Downtown named for a former slave who became a prominent figure (and one of the first black landowners) in nineteenth century Los Angeles. It's lined with a black concrete art wall designed by Sheila Levrant de Bretteville.

The Medallion

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M2A Architects designed the mind (and ground) bending park in front of the Medallion rental building in the Old Bank District.

Roybal Federal Building

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There's a terraced lawn and peristyled green space between the Federal Building and the Roybal Courthouse, plus one of Jonathan Borofsky's "Molecule Man" statues.

LAPD Headquarters

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On top of the restaurant at the new LAPD headquarters sits this circular reflection garden.

DoubleTree (formerly the Kyoto Grand)

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It may be one of the worst kept secrets in LA, but the Japanese garden at the DoubleTree is still pretty lovely. Just take the elevator to the third floor for a half acre of waterfalls, bamboo, and stone paths.

Walt Disney Concert Hall

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It's true, there's nearly an acre of public park and garden up on the third level of Disney Hall--take the stairs up from the street near First and Grand. The Blue Ribbon Garden is also where the Patina restaurant below grows a lot of its ingredients.

Amir's Garden

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After a fire in the seventies, Iranian immigrant Amir Dialameh took it upon himself to replant a hillside in Griffith Park--today it's nearly five acres of "pine and jacaranda trees along with rose bushes, geraniums, oleander, and yucca."

Virginia Robinson Gardens

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This is the estate that Robinsons department store built, back in 1911, and before becoming public (it's run by the County), it hosted many a fabulous Beverly Hills resident.

Japanese American Cultural & Community Center

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The James Irvine Japanese Garden has a 170 foot long stream that flows down a waterfall and around the entire garden.

Japanese Garden

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The Japanese Garden in Lake Balboa is six and a half acres "fashioned after 'stroll gardens' constructed during the 18th and 19th centuries for Japanese Feudal lords."

Los Angeles River Center and Gardens

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This spot in Cypress Park originally opened in the fifties as Lawry's California Center, a showcase for Lawry's seasoning and condiments. It's filled with pepper trees, roses, and Mission architecture.

Los Angeles Police Academy

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One of the more unexpected sites in LA--the charming, rocky garden at the LAPD's police academy, tucked in Elysian Park by Dodger Stadium. Warning: the babbling of the waterfall may be interrupted by the sound of a little gunfire.

Garden of Oz

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This mosaicked folk art garden was originally created by Gail Cottman and is a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument. It's often gated, but we've heard a rumor (probably untrue!) that the local kids have keys.

Wattles Park

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This Runyon Canyon-adjacent site is perhaps most popularly known as the site of the Freddy in Troop Beverly Hills. The house was designed in the early 1900s by Myron Hunt and Elmer Grey, and is surrounded by several gardens in various states of upkeep.

Paul's Urban Garden

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The members of the Ecclesia church created this garden out of a weedy lot on Hollywood Blvd. and are opening to turn it into an official public pocket park. It's named for Paul DeLongpre, a painter who planted Hollywood with gardens around the turn of the century.

Debs Park

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Tucked in Montecito Heights, Debs Park has a lake, tons of trails, and lots of spots to picnic (plus barbecue pits). It also has an Audubon Center so you can learn about all the birds that hang around the area.

Peace Awareness Labyrinth and Gardens

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Busby Berkeley's old mansion in West Adams is now home to the Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness--they've created a labyrinth ("Walking a labyrinth in modern times is a great way to bring peace and relaxation to our minds") and meditation gardens. You can take a guided tour on some weekdays.

Cascades Park

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Super simple and relaxing, Cascades Park is basically just grass and a long waterfall.

Self-Realization Fellowship International Headquarters

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While the Self-Realization Fellowship's Lake Shrine in Pacific Palisades is better known, locals swear by the peaceful gardens at their Mt. Washington HQ, which was built in the late 1800s as the Mt. Washington Inn.

Arlington Garden

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Caltrans owns this property--it was originally planning to do construction staging here for 710 Freeway work--but it's been turned into Pas's only public garden. It has an app too for identifying everything all its plants.

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Union Station

Union Station is known for its gardens and courtyards, but blogger The World on Wheels dug up this little gem on the far east side of the property, behind the Metro building--it has gardens, benches, fountains, and waterfalls.

Biddy Mason Park

Biddy Mason Park is a quiet little courtyard Downtown named for a former slave who became a prominent figure (and one of the first black landowners) in nineteenth century Los Angeles. It's lined with a black concrete art wall designed by Sheila Levrant de Bretteville.

The Medallion

M2A Architects designed the mind (and ground) bending park in front of the Medallion rental building in the Old Bank District.

Roybal Federal Building

There's a terraced lawn and peristyled green space between the Federal Building and the Roybal Courthouse, plus one of Jonathan Borofsky's "Molecule Man" statues.

LAPD Headquarters

On top of the restaurant at the new LAPD headquarters sits this circular reflection garden.

DoubleTree (formerly the Kyoto Grand)

It may be one of the worst kept secrets in LA, but the Japanese garden at the DoubleTree is still pretty lovely. Just take the elevator to the third floor for a half acre of waterfalls, bamboo, and stone paths.

Walt Disney Concert Hall

It's true, there's nearly an acre of public park and garden up on the third level of Disney Hall--take the stairs up from the street near First and Grand. The Blue Ribbon Garden is also where the Patina restaurant below grows a lot of its ingredients.

Amir's Garden

After a fire in the seventies, Iranian immigrant Amir Dialameh took it upon himself to replant a hillside in Griffith Park--today it's nearly five acres of "pine and jacaranda trees along with rose bushes, geraniums, oleander, and yucca."

Virginia Robinson Gardens

This is the estate that Robinsons department store built, back in 1911, and before becoming public (it's run by the County), it hosted many a fabulous Beverly Hills resident.

Japanese American Cultural & Community Center

The James Irvine Japanese Garden has a 170 foot long stream that flows down a waterfall and around the entire garden.

Japanese Garden

The Japanese Garden in Lake Balboa is six and a half acres "fashioned after 'stroll gardens' constructed during the 18th and 19th centuries for Japanese Feudal lords."

Los Angeles River Center and Gardens

This spot in Cypress Park originally opened in the fifties as Lawry's California Center, a showcase for Lawry's seasoning and condiments. It's filled with pepper trees, roses, and Mission architecture.

Los Angeles Police Academy

One of the more unexpected sites in LA--the charming, rocky garden at the LAPD's police academy, tucked in Elysian Park by Dodger Stadium. Warning: the babbling of the waterfall may be interrupted by the sound of a little gunfire.

Garden of Oz

This mosaicked folk art garden was originally created by Gail Cottman and is a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument. It's often gated, but we've heard a rumor (probably untrue!) that the local kids have keys.

Wattles Park

This Runyon Canyon-adjacent site is perhaps most popularly known as the site of the Freddy in Troop Beverly Hills. The house was designed in the early 1900s by Myron Hunt and Elmer Grey, and is surrounded by several gardens in various states of upkeep.

Paul's Urban Garden

The members of the Ecclesia church created this garden out of a weedy lot on Hollywood Blvd. and are opening to turn it into an official public pocket park. It's named for Paul DeLongpre, a painter who planted Hollywood with gardens around the turn of the century.

Debs Park

Tucked in Montecito Heights, Debs Park has a lake, tons of trails, and lots of spots to picnic (plus barbecue pits). It also has an Audubon Center so you can learn about all the birds that hang around the area.

Peace Awareness Labyrinth and Gardens

Busby Berkeley's old mansion in West Adams is now home to the Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness--they've created a labyrinth ("Walking a labyrinth in modern times is a great way to bring peace and relaxation to our minds") and meditation gardens. You can take a guided tour on some weekdays.

Cascades Park

Super simple and relaxing, Cascades Park is basically just grass and a long waterfall.

Self-Realization Fellowship International Headquarters

While the Self-Realization Fellowship's Lake Shrine in Pacific Palisades is better known, locals swear by the peaceful gardens at their Mt. Washington HQ, which was built in the late 1800s as the Mt. Washington Inn.

Arlington Garden

Caltrans owns this property--it was originally planning to do construction staging here for 710 Freeway work--but it's been turned into Pas's only public garden. It has an app too for identifying everything all its plants.