Historic barnyard and gardens are open

RANCHO LOS AL

The historic barnyard and gardens at Rancho Los Alamitos are a peaceful place of respite during challenging times. The volunteers and staff at the Rancho will welcome visitors back to these outdoor spaces beginning on Saturday, June 20. Guests are invited to take a leisurely stroll through the green open spaces of the Rancho, enjoying the seasonal blooms in the gardens and communing with the livestock in the barnyard. Admission is free-of-charge.

Reservations to visit the Rancho are organized by time and date so that distancing protocols may be observed, ensuring a relaxed experience for all visitors. Reservations may be made at the Rancho’s website at https://www.rancholosalamitos.com or via email at info@RanchoLosAlamitos.org. All visitors over 2 years of age must wear a face covering.

Rancho Los Alamitos is located at 6400 East Bixby Hill Road in Long Beach. Enter the Rancho via the Bixby Hill residential guard gate located at the intersection of Palo Verde Avenue and East Anaheim Road. As the health and safety of the Rancho’s visitors, volunteers, and staff are a top priority, the site will reopen with new protocols. For Rancho Los Alamitos, the “Ranch of the Little Cottonwoods,” is a Long Beach City Landmark and is twice listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Rancho has a continuous history that stretches back for more than 1,500 years and reflects the many people who have called it home – from the first people, the Tongva-Gabrielino, to the European colonists to the American ranchers and farmers of the 19th and 20th centuries.

The 75-acre historic site includes four acres of nationally significant historic gardens, a ranch house (1790-1933), and restored barnyard of the early 20th-century working ranch. In 1968, the children of Fred and Florence Bixby, the last private owners, donated the family ranch to the City of Long Beach, transforming what had been a working ranch to a public oasis and setting the stage for what Rancho Los Alamitos is today—a place for all time and for everyone.

People can tour the spacious historic site and gardens and visiting with the farm animals (horses, sheep, goats, chickens, ducks, and rabbits) in the barns area. The Rancho is open to the public by reservation from Wednesday-Sunday, 1-5 p.m. Admission and parking are free. For more information, call (562) 431-3541. The not-for-profit Rancho Los Alamitos Foundation operates the facility.