In the San Fernando Valley, mission history, historic buildings, museums and landscaped gardens sit alongside opportunities to enjoy nature and watch birds. When choosing accommodation, you can start by considering whether your trip will focus more on history, garden design, collections or outdoor activities. The places and experiences also differ in how and when they can be visited.
Missions and Historic Sites
Mission San Fernando Rey de España gave its name to the city that grew up around it and later to the entire San Fernando Valley. It offers self-guided tours daily from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. As hours may change, check visitor information in advance. Wine is also part of the site's history: the historic San Fernando Mission was known for its good wine.
Exhibits at Los Encinos State Historic Park tell the story of the agricultural operations of the various owners of Rancho El Encino and their different backgrounds. These include members of the Mission Indians, Mexican Californios, and French and French Basque families. The park preserves the original eight-room De La Ossa Adobe, the two-story stone Garnier Building, a blacksmith shop, a natural spring and a pond.
From Wednesday through Sunday, the park offers free guided tours of the De La Ossa Adobe, but only by appointment. Confirm your appointment before visiting. The Andres Pico Adobe also offers a distinct perspective on historic architecture: despite changes made for its successive owners, it has retained its graceful architecture and Old California atmosphere.
Garden Design and Collections
The 6.5-hectare garden known as The Japanese Garden in urban Van Nuys uses only reclaimed water. Its areas include a dry Zen meditation garden, a Chisen, or “wet strolling,” garden, and a tea garden. In the Chisen garden, waterfalls, ponds, streams and lush vegetation shape the landscape, along with stone lanterns hand-carved by artisans in Japan. These features offer a way to learn about different garden types and the elements of a designed landscape.
Each museum has a different focus. Based in Sylmar, the Nethercutt Collection displays more than 200 renowned antique and exotic vehicles. At Van Nuys Airport, the Valley Relics Museum presents rare pop culture artifacts and relics from the San Fernando Valley and Los Angeles in two aircraft hangars. The San Fernando Valley Heritage Center Museum focuses on the Valley's multicultural history and houses an extensive collection of artifacts and relics.
Nature and Planning Your Visit
The Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Reserve is a 225-acre restored natural habitat and living laboratory. The San Fernando Valley Audubon Society's Sepulveda Basin Bird Outing follows an approximately two-mile route on the first Sunday of each month. As the schedule may change, check the date before planning your visit.
The L.A. River Recreation Zone offers another way to spend time outdoors: in designated areas, public use is permitted for walking, fishing and operating non-motorized, steerable boats such as kayaks. Seasonal operations and weather restrictions may apply. For planning your day, it makes a practical difference whether you take advantage of a daily self-guided visit window, join a tour available by appointment only, or plan for a monthly bird-watching outing. So check the visiting hours, appointment requirements or event date in advance.
Discover more destinations: Sun Valley, Playa Del Rey, Reseda, North Hollywood, Venice, Wilmington, Harbor City, Brentwood
For the main travel overview: Los Angeles.
