Discovering the Filoli Gardens

At Filoli we create inspiration in everyday life by welcoming all to experience the House, Garden, and natural lands. Located 30 miles south of San Francisco, Filoli is nestled on a slope of the Santa Cruz Mountains and surrounded by the protected Peninsula watershed. We’re open daily to explore.

Filoli is a vibrant landscape of the Bay Area, situated on the unceded ancestral lands of the Ramaytush Ohlone, in Woodside, California.

The estate boasts 654 acres of beauty nestled along the slopes of California’s coastal range. Originally built as a private residence in 1917, Filoli was opened to the public in 1977 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and site of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

The property is considered one of the finest remaining country estates of the 20th century, featuring a 54,000+ square-foot Georgian revival-style mansion, 16 acres of exquisite English Renaissance gardens, a 6.8-acre Gentleman’s Orchard, and hundreds of acres of Natural Lands with 5 distinct ecosystems and a 1-mile Estate Trail.

Filoli is dedicated to connecting our rich history with a vibrant future through beauty, nature and shared stories, so that one day all people will honor nature, value unique experiences, and appreciate beauty in everyday life. For more information about Filoli, visit filoli.org.

While the Bay Area was originally financed by gold, California has an even more valuable resource: water, California’s blue gold.

Dive into the Experience!

Take a seat, and take a side!

Pick up a recreated 1908 newspaper in the Reception Room to learn more about each character in California’s water rate debate.

Succulents in the Sunken

Our seasonal garden display highlights a palette of plants that are more appropriate for the dry Bay Area climate, including succulents and salvias.

How do you draw water?

Step up to an easel in the Ballroom and paint water as you see it.

Irrigation Information

In the Production Garden, Filoli offers easy tips for making the most of your home irrigation system.

Go for a water walk.

Start your Estate Trail hike at Fault Creek Bridge, where you can hear a recording of the rushing creek during wetter times.

Follow the Water

Explore the water-inspired pieces in Filoli’s collection by doing a scavenger hunt through the House. Get started on filoli.org/follow-the-water

---

Connecting our rich history with a vibrant future through beauty, nature and shared stories.

The House.  Connecting our rich history with a vibrant future through beauty, nature and shared stories.

The Garden. Head gardener Louis Mariconi lived and worked at Filoli from 1915 until his death in 1965. He is shown in the Garden with Bella Worn, an innovative horticulturist who worked in tandem with landscape designer Bruce Porter to create Filoli’s Garden. Porter was responsible for the lines and structure of the Garden, and Worn filled it with the textures and colors we see today.

The Estate Trail.  The Estate Trail is a one-mile self-guided walk through the Filoli Nature Preserve and past the Sally MacBride Nature Center. While many animals are nocturnal or elusive, you may spot some of Filoli’s permanent residents on your hike, including deer, turkeys, banana slugs, and dozens of bird species.

The Filoli Nature Preserve boasts a variety of ecosystems within a compact area, including oak-madrone forests, redwood groves, and chaparral. There are also natural springs and creeks, a reservoir, and cultivated grasslands.

The Estate Trail closes at 5:00 pm.

 

---

 

Filoli, also known as the Bourn-Roth Estate, is a country house set in 16 acres of formal gardens surrounded by a 654-acre estate, located in Woodside, California, about 25 miles south of San Francisco, at the southern end of Crystal Springs Reservoir, on the eastern slope of the Santa Cruz Mountains. Wikipedia