Touring Sunnylands Center & Gardens (2024)

Thu, April 18, 2024

Add to trip

Remove from trip

Sunnylands Center & Gardens, the former Annenberg Estate, is a marvel that has hosted presidents, royalty, and celebrities alike. It was built in 1966, and the vision of Walter and Leonore Annenberg. Designed by the renowned architect A. Quincy Jones, the estate was a winter retreat for the couple, where they could entertain the most influential figures of the time.

Sunnylands first opened to the public in March 2012. Upon entering the 15-acre site, a winding driveway takes visitors through a desert art garden to the glass facade of Sunnylands Center. The spacious, contemporary building houses a rotating art exhibition, café, gift shop, and multimedia offerings that detail the history of Sunnylands and its founders.

Sunnylands Gardens

The Office of James Burnett and horticultural consultant Mary Irish designed the landscape. Inspired by the Annenberg collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings, the gardens reflected the importance of these paintings to the Annenbergs, who bequeathed the collection to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1991.

Burnett’s signature designs are habitable and sensitive, with shade, quiet, and natural elements that appeal to the senses. Twin reflecting pools filled with river stones flank the center’s rear windows and patios. To the west, a labyrinth winds through rows of Wedelia (Sphagneticola trilobata), creating a contemplative and quiet space.

Over 70 species of native and arid-adapted plants from North and South America, Africa, and the Mediterranean are displayed in the nine-acre gardens.

Sunnylands Cafe

Light lunches and snacks are served at the Sunnylands café while you enjoy the best view in the Coachella Valley. The menu includes a selection of salads, sandwiches, and sweet treats. Specials include iced tea, the way Mrs. Annenberg liked it, and French press coffee.

A Hub for Diplomacy and Discussion

Over the years, Sunnylands has welcomed eight U.S. Presidents and countless world leaders.

In 1966, it welcomed its first guests, among whom was President Dwight D. Eisenhower. President Richard Nixon drafted his final State of the Union Address while visiting Sunnylands, and later, President Gerald Ford visited in 1974. Frank and Barbara Sinatra were married at Sunnyland in1976.

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and HRH Prince Philip visited Sunnylands in 1983.

In 1986, President Ronald Reagan enjoyed a New Year’s stay to ring in the new year. He returned in 1988, and it was at Sunnylands that he signed a free trade agreement with Canada.

President George H. W. Bush hosted an official White House dinner at Sunnylands for Japanese Prime Minister Toshikit Kaifu in 1990.

President Barack Obama hosted President Xi Jinping of China at Sunnylands in 2013. The next year, he greeted King Abdullah II of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and Sunnylands. In 2023, U.S. envoy John Kerry and his Chinese counterpart, Minister Xie Zhenha, issued a Historic climate change accord at the property.

The Historic Golf Course

Dick Wilson, a highly regarded golf course designer in the 1950s and ’60s, designed the Sunnylands course in 1964 in a parkland style. Golf course designers Tim Jackson and David Kahn, responsible for the course’s 2011 restoration, used painstaking research into Wilson’s original concept and created greens that average 8,000 to 9,000 square feet, allowing for a double-looping, 9-hole, par 72 course. Moreover, the course’s irrigation system was upgraded for efficiency and environmental sustainability, and roughly 60 acres of turf grass was removed to reduce water use.

The Sunnylands course is unique for its distinctive landmarks. A magnolia tree sits on the seventh hole, given to the Annenbergs in 1972 by President Richard Nixon, who kept a set of clubs on the property. The gift was cut from a magnolia tree planted on the White House grounds nearly 200 years ago by President Andrew Jackson. On the fifth fairway is a 30-foot Kwakiutl totem pole. A visiting Canadian official suggested the piece in 1976, and the Annenbergs then commissioned it from Canadian First Nations artist Henry Hunt. The golf course is not open to the public.

The Annenberg Legacy

Walter Annenberg, born to a Jewish family in Milwaukee, was a man of many facets: a businessman, investor, philanthropist, and diplomat. He transformed Triangle Publications, which included The Philadelphia Inquirer and TV Guide, into a media empire.His philanthropic efforts were monumental, with significant contributions to educational establishments and art galleries.

Leonore Annenberg, Walter’s wife, was equally influential, known for her gracious entertaining and support for cultural and patriotic causes.Together, they established the Annenberg Foundation in 1988, which continues to support various educational and cultural initiatives

Health & Wellness

Tai Chi

Tai chi at Sunnylands Center & Gardens is an opportunity to experience a traditional teaching. Participants learn the beginning positions of the form rooted in tai chi philosophy and principles. No previous experience with tai chi is required.

Purchase Tickets

Historic Home Tour

Guided 90-minute tour | $55 per person | 7 guests per tour

Explore the Annenbergs’ historic winter home—a 25,000 square-foot midcentury modern masterpiece. Walk through the spaces where history took place, including extravagant New Year’s Eve parties, nationally and globally important meetings, and intimate moments spent with the Annenbergs’ family and close friends.

Guests ride an electric shuttle to the house; walk and stand for a sustained period inside the home.

Advance ticket sales are online only (no phone, email, or in person purchases). Tickets go on sale on the 15th day of each monthstarting at 9 am Pacific timefor the following month’s tours.

The minimum age for tour guests is 10 years. There is no waiting list for sold out tours.

Open-Air Experience

It is open Wednesday through Sunday, 8:30 am to 4:00 pm. Admission and parking are free, and tickets/reservations are not required. No pets. No smoking.

37977 Bob Hope Drive, Rancho Mirage

You May Also Like:

ZOOM! Palm Springs Air Museum Flight Tours

A Palm Springs Wellness Guide

A Cultural Oasis in the Desert