Beautiful Gardens of Filoli
Where are you taking me?
There’s a garden out here.
Filoli tl;dr
Ever have one of those days where you’re minding your own business and a Groupon deal pops up in your email that catches your eye? Well that happened to me the day I saw a deal for Filoli. Since my Mom is an avid lover of flowers, I immediately thought that a visit here would be something she’d enjoy.
So we decided to purchase a 4 pack of tickets in order to be able to do a double date with my parents.
Filoli… what does Filoli mean?
Apparently it means, Fight Love Live. According to the movie on the history of the beautiful Filoli Gardens, the name of the estate was not from some European family but the name originated from the first two letters of a favorite phrase of the original owner “FIght LOve LIve.”
We finally picked a date recently and decided to head to the gardens on a beautiful sunny Saturday. Upon arrival at the gardens, you’ll encounter a guard post which looks like a guy at the national parks but don’t worry, the signage at the front just tells you the prices of entrance for Filoli in general and there is no charge for parking.
There are actually two lots when you drive up, aim to park closer to the brick building (basically where the entrance and reception desk is). When you walk into the main building, past the bathrooms is a desk where some nice old ladies were ready to help you with your ticket purchase. In planning your trip a couple of things to keep in mind.
First, Saturday gets extremely crowded so if you want to do one of the two free tours at 10am and 1pm, get there earlier in hopes of getting a spot. We got there 30 min prior and even by then all the tours were full. Second, it’s hot so bring a hat! With tickets in hand and green Filoli sticker on your outfit, you’re on your way to explore the two portions of the property, the gardens and the house itself.
Since the gardens were first on our path, we followed the signs and decided to check that our first. From the moment you walk past the gift shop and enter the gardens, you see such an awesome view of a pool, an atrium to the left and various parts of the gardens.
F8T Tip Bring a hat in the spring / summertime and year round, bring comfortable walking shoes.
