Earlier this year, I sent a survey to those Members who have an email address to see what tours would be popular. The following are the tours that most felt they would sign up for. All tours will leave at 1230-100PM to give you plenty of time to get lunch and should be back to the resort in 4 hours or about 5-530PM with plenty of time to get ready for the evening events. The costs are approximate and depends on the final talley of participants.
The Huntington is an educational and cultural center serving both scholars and the general public. Notable among the many treasures contained by the art collection are Gainsborough’s Blue Boy and Lawrence’s Pinkie. In the library, visitors may view the Gutenberg Bible and the Ellsmere manuscript of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, as well as the first folios of Shakespeare. There are 15 separate gardens on the grounds of the Huntington, and some of the highlights include the Desert Garden, constituting the largest collection of cactus and succulents in North America, the Rose Garden, the Japanese Garden, and the Camellia Garden.
Guests also have free time to browse the shops and galleries of Old Town Pasadena, the historic and exceedingly trendy section of this town just north of L.A. proper. Scores of art galleries, museums and popular hangouts punctuate the landscape, allowing the visitor to surround himself with the rustic charm of Old California!
Suggested Itinerary:
12:30 PM Depart Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel
1:15 PM Guided tour of The Huntington
2:15 PM Free time at The Huntington
3:45 PM Depart The Huntington
4:30 PM Return to the Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel
Date: Thursday, February 23, 2012
Time: (4 hours
Price: $112.00 per person
Minimum: 20 guests Maximum: 24 guests
Price: $78.00 per person
Minimum: 35 guests Maximum: 50 guests
The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum is situated on 100 acres on a hilltop overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The building itself, paid for entirely by private donations, is over 150,000 square feet. Two floors are above ground and house the Museum, Museum Store and Foundation Offices. The two levels below ground are for storage of Presidential documents and gifts.
The Reagan Museum encompasses 22,000 square feet of exhibit area and contains everything from Ronald Reagan's high school yearbook to a nuclear missile deactivated when the President and Mikhail Gorbachev signed the INF treaty as well a portion of the Berlin wall. Their permanent collection of films, videos, objects, artifacts and a world-class line-up of rotating exhibits make the museum a lively, engaging place for guests to learn about the 40th President of the United States and his enduring legacy of leadership. A Docent takes groups through the Library displays.
Suggested Itinerary:
12:30 PM Depart the Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel
1:15 PM Arrive The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum
1:30 PM Tour of the Museum and Library – (2) Hours
3:30 PM Free Time to Browse Grounds & Gift Shop
4:00 PM Depart The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum
4:45 PM Return to the Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel
Date: Friday, February 24, 2012
Time: (4 ¼) hours
Price: $112.00 per person
Minimum: 20 guests Maximum: 24 guests
Price: $75.00 per person
Minimum: 35 guests Maximum: 50 guests
As the crowning jewel of the J. Paul Getty Trust, the original museum was created entirely for the benefit of the public, and is devoted to the visual arts. The Getty Museum began as a Romanesque villa in the secluded mountains of Malibu, displaying its permanent, ornate collection of Greek and Roman antiquities, pre-twentieth century European paintings, drawings and sculpture, as well as decorative arts.
The Getty Museum was transformed into the much-anticipated J. Paul Getty Center, a 110-acre, six-building comprehensive art complex situated in the Santa Monica Mountains. The exhibits have expanded from its European roots to reflect the creative and cultural dynamics of art around the world, incorporating ancient and modern works of Latin America, Africa and the Far East in captivating, constantly changing exhibits. The Getty Center has also become an interactive, state-of-the-art research and educational facility for art students and enthusiasts of all ages. The grounds consist of elaborate gardens and sweeping views, such as the Central Garden, which is an ever-changing work of art filled with the color, sound and light of nature.
Suggested Itinerary:
12:30 PM Depart Loews Santa Monica
1:00 PM Arrive Getty Center
Free Time
3:45 PM Depart Getty Center
4:30 PM Return Loews Santa Monica
Dates: Saturday, February 25, 2012
Time: (4) hours
Price: $80.00 per person
Minimum: 20 guests Maximum: 24 guests
Price: $55.00 per person
Minimum: 35 guests Maximum: 50 guests