Filoli

Introduction:

A couple of weekends ago, I had the chance to visit Filoli, a mansion and gardens located about 30 minutes south of San Francisco on the Peninsula. While visiting Filoli, we got the chance to tour the huge sixteen acre house and garden and also got the opportunity to walk around the outskirts of the 650 acre property. Unfortunately, the mansion itself was not open to look inside right now as it is too hard to control access during the Pandemic. But even though you cannot go in the mansion, there is still plenty to do at Filoli with the garden and property still be opening. So, here is my blog report on my visit to Filoli and what I thought of the historic house and gardens.

Upon our arrival to Filoli, we could immediately see the enormous house with the beautiful brick roof and wonderful archway entrance. The Filoli Mansion was bigger than I could have ever imagined and contained two stories with windows all around. But, the size of the mansion itself could not even prepare me for the size of the gardens, the prized possession of the house. The house and gardens were constructed starting in 1917 for the Bourn Family who were wealthy San Franciscans. When they passed away in 1936, the Roth Family bought the house which they owned until 1975. The house is now run by The National Trust For Historic Preservation with help from the Filoli Center, a nonprofit that is local to the area around Filoli.

One of the things that has changed at Filoli due to the Coronavirus Pandemic is that you are now required to have a reservation to visit the mansion and gardens. Even though Filoli is a mostly outdoor space, they are requiring reservations so that they can keep the required distance between people in the area. As as result of this, there is a now a check in station that you must visit before entering Filoli. Also, another thing that is different right now is that you are required to wear a mask at all times on the property unless you are sitting at a table and eating. Besides the check in process, mask requirement and the fact that the mansion is not open for viewing right now, things at Filoli seem pretty normal and you can still make it a great visit.

Experience:

After putting on our masks and checking in, it was time to experience Filoli. The first thing that we decided to do was to hike the Estate Trail which is a one mile loop trail that leads you to the Red Barn and horse stable areas. The trail is located outside of the gated area of the gardens and mansion but is still part of the overall property. If you are trying to get to the trail, there should be signs saying Estate Trail and giving you directions around the front of the house. The trail itself starts on the back right side of the house (if you are looking at the house from the parking lot) and goes out of the property that way. What I liked about this trail was that is was an easy flat trail that provided great views of the property. Through this trail, I was able to get great views of a part of the property that is very unique which was cool. Also, I was able to see the Red Barn and the horse stable areas which was interesting as well. Since you cannot go in the actual mansion right now due to the Coronavirus Pandemic, I would highly recommend taking the Estate Trail so that you can get out and see another part of the property.

After walking along the Estate Trail, it was time to see the gardens. The gardens themselves spread along the whole backside of the house and to the left side of the house (if you are facing the house from the parking lot) as well. Before going to Filoli, I did not realize that the garden was as big as it was. I was kind of expecting the house to be the star of the show and that the gardens were just going to be a small little thing in the back of the house. But after visiting Filoli, I can safely say that I was completely wrong with my assumptions. The gardens were actually the star of the show and even though the house was closed you could still have a great time at Filoli.

We started our garden tour from the back of the house because that is where the Estate Trail started and ended. The first thing that we saw were manicured lawns and perfectly trimmed hedges. After walking for a bit, we went under an archway and I was immediately in awe. To our left was the perfect pool with crystal clear water. In front of us was arch after arch and garden for as far as the eye could see. Finally, to our left was the most perfect sun room that blended in perfectly with the architecture of the house. This was one of the most beautiful views that I have seen in my life and one of the reasons why I believe Filoli is so special. After soaking in the amazing views, we continued forward for a bit and then reached some more of the well trimmed and manicured hedges. My guess is that these hedges take hours to trim each time. At the hedges, we took a right and walked forward a bit reaching another arch with hydrangeas galore around it. Whites, purples, blues and pinks were all we could see in front of us and it was beautiful. We basked in the glory of the hydrangeas for a bit and then continued forward until we reached the old tennis court that is now covered with tables and is used for private events as well as a quick snack. At the old tennis court there is a band stand as well as a big tree to provide shade from the hot day. Since we were here, we decided to rest under the shade of the tree for a while.

After resting, it was time to continue on for a bit. We left the tennis courts and continued up going through the orchards that contained apples, pears and other fruits. The orchards gave way to a place called The High Place which is basically another relaxing space with gazebos and grass to hang out. The High Place is the farthest up the hill you can get so the name is perfectly fitting. After visiting The High Place, we went back down towards the bottom. On the way, we walked through the cutting garden and greenhouse area which housed many interesting plants and fresh items as well. Finally, after the cutting garden, we reached one of the more spectacular things that you can see at Filoli: the rose garden. Now, at a different time of year, the rose garden may not be the most spectacular thing and something else may be really pretty. But when we went right at the end of July, the roses were in full bloom and smelled amazing so it was by far the best part of Filoli. The rose garden at Filoli is a huge area and contains many different types and varieties of roses. While here, we smelled and looked a practically every rose that was there. This was one of the more fun experiences that I have had at a garden in a long time. Anyways, after crossing through the rose garden, we were back at the beginning again by the house and sunroom and our tour was over for the day.

Final Thoughts:

To sum things up, I had a great time visiting Filoli for the first time and it was an amazing experience. I highly recommend going sometime in the late summer to see the roses and hydrangeas in bloom as they are beautiful. But even if you cannot go in late summer, there are still going to be plenty of things in bloom no matter the time of year so there is never really a bad time to visit Filoli. In the future, I hope to visit Filoli again so that I can go inside the mansion and experience what that is like. But, I was perfectly satisfied with my visit and I seriously say that if you are looking for some outdoor fun then Filoli is the place for you. Thanks for reading this blog post and I hope a trip to the outstanding Filoli Garden and Mansion is in your future.