Enchanted: Forest of Light at Descanso Gardens in La Cañada Flintridge turns ten this winter. It runs from November 22 to January 9, 5:30 to 10 p.m., with a new laser show on the Main Lawn that ends in a snowfall finale, and the garden says its popular nights will sell out. By day, The Huntington in San Marino opens its 130 acres of gardens and holds a free holiday market on November 21. Here is how each works, what it costs, and where to eat.
We run Botanical Garden Near Me, a directory of public gardens and arboretums across the United States, and we are a guest here. Top of Los Angeles asked for the gardens. They supplied the restaurants.
The plan, in order
Buy Enchanted tickets ahead on Descanso’s website or by phone at 818.949.4200: prices change by date and entry time, popular nights sell out, and tickets cannot be rescheduled or refunded. An Enchanted ticket does not cover a daytime visit, which is a separate admission. Eat before you go in, since the lights run until 10 p.m. Do The Huntington on another day, and book ahead if it is a Friday to Sunday or a holiday week.
Enchanted: Forest of Light, Descanso Gardens
Descanso Gardens is at 1418 Descanso Drive in La Cañada Flintridge, on land Elias Manchester Boddy bought in the late 1930s, where he started its camellia collection. Enchanted: Forest of Light runs 5:30 to 10 p.m. from November 22, 2026 to January 9, 2027, and is closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. New this year: a laser light show on the Main Lawn with a snowfall finale, Tom Fruin’s lit house sculptures moved to the Oak Grove, and Giant Koi in the Garden of Good Fortune for the Japanese Gardens’ 60th anniversary. Nonmember tickets are $29 to $52 for adults and $19 to $37 for children 2 to 12; members pay $22 to $45 and $12 to $30, and under-2s are free. Anytime Tickets, good for any entry time, are $85, or $65 for members. A holiday market of local craftspeople is on the Main Lawn December 2 to 6. By day the garden is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.: adults $20, seniors and students $14, children 3 to 12 $8. It is cashless, and the garden train is closed for repairs.
The Huntington
The Huntington is at 1151 Oxford Road in San Marino, with 130 acres of gardens next to its art and library collections. It is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day except Tuesday, and check-in closes at 4:15. Adults pay $29 Monday to Thursday and $34 Friday to Sunday, on holidays and in peak seasons; youth 4 to 11 are $13 and $15. Reservations are required Friday to Sunday, on holidays and in the peak weeks of November 20 to 29 and December 18 to January 3. The Holiday Market on November 21 is free, with limited capacity. The Rose Garden’s season runs to about December 15. Parking is free but can fill on busy days, and picnicking is not allowed. The Ranch Garden and the Mausoleum are closed, and the library exhibition halls are closed for construction. Christmas and New Year hours are not posted yet.
The full list
Hours, prices and directions for each of these, with the official page for each, are on our side. The botanical gardens near Los Angeles page on Botanical Garden Near Me lists them, closest first.
Where to eat after
Two tables in Glendale for dinner before Enchanted, and one in Alhambra near The Huntington, each checked against its hours. They come from Top of Los Angeles lists: Mediterranean in Glendale and Alhambra. The scores are theirs, not ours.
Greek Bistro
Insider Score9.7
Greek · Glendale
Dinner before the lights. About 4.4 miles from Descanso, open from noon every day until 9:30 p.m., 10 on Friday and Saturday. Grilled octopus and lamb souvlaki; book ahead.
Bacari GDL
Insider Score9.1
Mediterranean · Glendale
Open late. About 4.7 miles from Descanso at the Americana, open until 10:30 p.m. every day, 11:30 on Friday and Saturday. Whipped feta and wood-fired flatbread.
Sichuan Impression
Insider Score7.3
Sichuan · Alhambra
After The Huntington. About 2.5 miles away on West Main Street, open 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day. Cumin lamb, dan dan noodles and boiled fish in chili broth.
Scores are Top of Los Angeles Insider Scores. Restaurant photographs from Yelp and Tripadvisor.
Sources. Descanso Gardens, Enchanted, Enchanted FAQs, Visit, Admission and About pages; The Huntington, Plan Your Visit page and November and December 2026 calendar; all checked October 23, 2026. Restaurant hours from Top of Los Angeles records. Top photo: Enchanted at Descanso Gardens, December 2016, by Pinguino Kolb, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0; other photo credits are under each photo.
Botanical Garden Near Me writes for Botanical Garden Near Me. Botanical Garden Near Me lists public botanical gardens, arboretums and conservatories across the United States, with hours, admission and directions taken from each garden's official site. This piece was written for Top of Los Angeles.