Only about an hour drive away from Glendale on a good day with lighter traffic, lies the scenic city of Newport Beach. A place for upper class socialites, beach fanatics, and those looking for a cute day out. When looking for places to travel around Newport Beach, some will think of the fashion capital, Fashion Island, others surfer sweet spot, The Wedge, but the destination which can appeal to all is a little place called Sherman Library and Gardens.
The flowers, the obvious reason, are absolutely worth the very reasonable $5.00 admission fee all on their own. Some of the most popular features include the tropical greenhouse, multiple fountains, and the succulent gardens. The garden also has a vibrant exhibit with carnivorous plants including the majestic venus fly trap, perfect pitcher plant, and beautiful butterwort. They even have multiple rotating seasonal displays, a unique installation that wouldn’t be found in Descanso Gardens, a closer community favorite.
The little souvenirs are also great. The gift shop not only sells garden memberships, but is partnered with local businesses allowing them to reach wider audiences, and the Gardens get high quality, specialized inventory to sell. Supporting the Gardens thus ends up supporting multiple small businesses at once. Products include soaps, glass animals, books, vases, and more.
Every garden has flowers and gift shops, but not every garden has gourmet food. The restaurant on site, the 608 Dahlia, run by Executive Chef Jessica Roy, is absolutely phenomenal.Certain food-television geeks will recognize her as a winner of “Cutthroat Kitchen”, and of TnT’s “On The Menu”, where her KBBQ pizza joined the California pizza kitchen’s menu. She’s also worked in a three Michelin Star kitchen, serving delicacies daily. A variety of gourmet and vibrant dishes and drinks, with many dietary options, dazzle the palette. Also offered is a tea service menu, including multiple packages, wedding and big group menus to allow guests to cater through them, should a guest choose the gardens for a special day, and a special menu for younger guests.
The restaurant is only open Wednesdays through Sundays 11am-2pm, which makes getting a reservation quite difficult. Showing up without a reservation will make it really challenging to get a table. Guests will get a taste of their famous small batch gruyere and chive biscuits by calling ahead. Getting the larger bottle of honey upgrade is well worth the extra cash.
Whether a foodie, a shopaholic, a botanist in training, or just an Insta-obsessed individual, there’s something for everyone at the Sherman Library and Gardens!
Booking the place is also a fabulous option. Found by clicking the “Host an Event” button, sending in a quick inquiry is a snap! Weddings are also absolutely magical here. Many weddings have been successfully hosted among the beautiful nature. The wedding page is a separate section on the website. Nobody would blame you for wanting the beautiful place all for yourself! Weddings, dinner parties, and more can all be hosted for a decent price.
It is a library and gardens, after all, and the library part doesn’t disappoint either. The library features a large variety of books, paintings and photographs. One could register as a researcher should they need to use the materials, with very simple requirements to do so. Simply a form, reading the rules, and a government ID to get in.
The library’s collection is quite impressive. Generally it focuses on local history and celebrating the uniqueness of southern California art and history. The library also offers a scholarship related to this, the Maren Davis Scholarship, $1000 dollars for a student who expresses interest in librarianship/archives, or the study of Southern California history, and maintains a 3.0 gpa. You can also serve the community by working in the library, and get some hours for your graduation too!
