Great docents stroll you though the immense gardens on this large private estate. Plants from around the globe, arranged in an interesting fashion. You must plan in advance to get tickets, as they can fill up quickly. A must visit for anyone interested in botany, natural history and gardens.

And I've visited hundreds. So worth the time. All tours are docent led and advance reservations strongly recommended. This is a VERY unusual and very interesting place with large collections of the different. Also has the best cactus garden I've seen. Ditto for succulants and double ditto for cycads. Might be one of the world's best collections of these strange... More

As gardens go - a real suprize. It really feels like something from Alice in Wonderland - crazy plants and pools

My husband learned of Lotusland from his gardening class. Lotusland is located in an exclusive neighborhood in Montecito. It is the former home of Ganna Walska, an opera singer and socialite who married six times. (Her first five husbands were wealthy, but the sixth “found” the 37 acre Montecito home for her to purchase. Part of our tour included Ganna... More

We recently returned from Southern California where we visited a number of gardens. Our favorite was the Huntington, without exception, but Lotusland was also a beauty. It is quite expensive ($35.00 per person) and one must make reservations and be on a two-hour guided tour. No free-roaming unless you are a Lotusland member. The garden is quite "condensed" - meaning,... More

If you like strange, if you like beautiful, if you like interesting and unusual, you will like Lotusland. Our first trip to Lotusland was about 14 years ago--we enjoyed our second trip as much as our first. We plan to return when the Lotus is in bloom.

A truly exceptional garden and landscape in the heart of Santa Barbara. Exotic plants. I like the small tour group and having a docent lead the tour.

Lotusland is beyond description! I have visited many botanical gardens and this property is unique in its enchanting story and plant collections. Our excellent docent tour guide brought to life the personal and botanical story of Madame Walska. The property is very well maintained and the collections continue to grow. The tour fee is $35 per person for a 2... More

Although we did not see Lotusland in full bloom, what an amazing afternoon we spent pottering about the many gardens within the estate. It is truly lovely - massive collections of cacti, cycads, succulents etc. A very well informed docent led our small group around, very informative and fielded all our questions. Well worth making the advanced arrangements necessary to... More