San Fernando Valley: History, Gardens and Nature

San Fernando Valley combines a vibrant cultural history with a surprising variety of natural and garden attractions. A mission, historic buildings and collections tell the story of the region, while gardens and a restored natural habitat offer different points of interest. If you’re planning a trip with several interests in mind, these distinctions can help you decide which discoveries matter most to your group.

The Mission and the Valley’s changing stories

Mission San Fernando Rey de España first 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. The historic San Fernando Mission was also known for its good wine—a detail that offers another glimpse into its past.

Los Encinos State Historic Park also brings history to life through specific places and personal stories. Exhibits explore the agricultural operations of the different owners of Rancho El Encino. They introduce the owners’ backgrounds as members of the Mission Indians, Mexican Californios, and French and French-Basque families. The park includes the original, eight-room De La Ossa Adobe, the two-story stone-masonry Garnier Building, a blacksmith shop, a natural spring and a pond. Free guided tours of the De La Ossa Adobe are available Wednesday through Sunday by advance appointment. If you’d like to plan for this tour, be sure to make an appointment in advance.

Explore collections and architecture

Several museums offer different areas of focus. The Nethercutt Collection in Sylmar displays more than 200 renowned antique and exotic vehicles. The Valley Relics Museum focuses on rare pop culture artifacts and relics from the San Fernando Valley and Los Angeles; the collection is housed in two airplane hangars at Van Nuys Airport. The San Fernando Valley Heritage Center Museum houses an extensive collection of artifacts and relics documenting the Valley’s multicultural history. This selection can help you choose a theme for shared days out—vehicles, pop culture or regional history, for example.

Another historic stop is the Andres Pico Adobe. Despite changes made for its successive owners, it retains its graceful architecture and the atmosphere of old California. Those interested in architectural history can make it a focus in its own right, alongside the museums and the mission.

Gardens and nature as a change of pace

The Japanese Garden is a 6.5-hectare garden in urban Van Nuys that uses reclaimed water exclusively. It includes a dry Zen meditation garden, a Chisen, or “strolling pond,” garden, and a tea garden. The Chisen garden features waterfalls, lakes, streams, lush vegetation and stone lanterns hand-carved by artisans in Japan. The contrast between the dry garden, waterscape and tea garden offers a change of pace from historic collections and buildings.

Those interested in nature and birdwatching will find a 225-acre restored natural habitat and living laboratory at the Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Reserve. The San Fernando Valley Audubon Society’s Sepulveda Basin Bird Outing follows an approximately two-mile route on the first Sunday of each month. The approximate route length can help you fit this outing into your day’s plans without assuming a specific duration.

Choose activities to suit your interests

At the L.A. River Recreation Zone, public use of designated areas is permitted for walking, fishing and operating non-motorized, steerable boats such as kayaks. Use is therefore limited to the designated areas. When planning your trip, you can weigh up cultural attractions, garden visits, birdwatching and riverside activities. If you’re traveling with people who have different interests, you can choose a focus for each day rather than trying to fit everything into one itinerary. When choosing a vacation rental, the experiences that interest you most can help guide your personal vacation plans.

More destinations to research: Studio City, North Hollywood, Playa Del Rey, Sun Valley, Reseda, North Hills, Tarzana and Harbor City.

For the broader travel overview: Los Angeles.