Rose Garden Tea Room

Top choice in Pasadena & the San Gabriel Valley


High tea ($37) at the Rose Garden has been a grand tradition at the Huntington for generations. Try your choice of herbal and fair-trade teas (including jasmine, tropical fruit, vanilla and signature bergamot blend) with crumpets, scones, finger sandwiches, seasonal fruit and mini-desserts. There are even vegan and gluten-free options – welcome to California! Allow about 1½ hours.

Reservations are recommended; book well in advance for weekends. Note: Huntington admission is required for access, sold separately.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Pasadena & the San Gabriel Valley attractions

2. El Molino Viejo

0.96 MILES

While in the Huntington Library area, make a quick detour to this transporting brick-and-adobe structure with creaky wooden floors and exposed timbers in…

3. California Institute of Technology

0.97 MILES

With 34 Nobel laureates among its faculty and alumni (not to mention that it's the fictional setting of TV's The Big Bang Theory), it’s no surprise that…

4. San Gabriel Mission

2.1 MILES

In 1781, settlers departed from this mission to found El Pueblo de Los Angeles in today’s Downtown area. Set about 3 miles southeast of Pasadena in the…

5. Pasadena City Hall

2.22 MILES

Pasadena's 1927 city hall is on the National Register of Historic Places and a prime example of California Mediterranean-style architecture.

6. Mack & Jackie Robinson Memorial

2.25 MILES

This pair of giant heads depicts the Robinson brothers, groundbreaking athletes who spent their formative years here in Pasadena. Jackie (1919–72) gained…

7. Rialto Theatre

2.26 MILES

The theater where Mia and Seb went to the movies in La La Land has been closed since 2007 (talk about movie magic!), but locals remain nostalgic for this…

8. Tournament House & Wrigley Gardens

2.77 MILES

Chewing-gum magnate William Wrigley spent his winters in the elegant Italian Renaissance–style mansion where the Tournament of Roses Association now…