Filoli House & Garden

Filoli is a lovely house and gardens plus an area of trails also. The formal gardens are beautiful and well maintained, simply a delight to explore and the trails were also a welcome extra. The house has some interesting artwork and is very stylish. Thoroughly enjoyed visiting

At $45 per person, admission felt like a poor value. Once inside, the many additional opportunities to spend money only reinforced the feeling that we had already overpaid. The main attraction is a tour of a very, very, very wealthy family’s house and gardens. Except for the grand display of inherited wealth, the historical relevance was thin. Because admission was so costly, we made an effort to see everything. The formal gardens and orchard were attractive, and are clearly expensive to maintain, but not enough to justify the price. Outdoors, we were subjected to constant intrusive noise from earth-moving equipment operating elsewhere on the property. The “Natural Elements” installation required a long, dusty walk to see a handful of artworks that had no clear connection to the mansion, gardens, or history of the estate. Overall, the visit felt overpriced and underwhelming. I cannot recommend it.

Beautiful place, peaceful gardens, nice coffee shop. Unique piece of history!

Our family discovered that Filoli’s greatest strength lies in its ability to delight every generation. Set within 654 acres of formal terraces, the architectural elegance is exquisitely softened by Northern California’s golden light! In the sublime residence, every room is resplendent with elegant interiors, art and centuries-old craftsmanship. Simple pleasures are beautifully delivered by The Quail Cafe which complements the estate beautifully. Filoli succeeds because it offers far more beautiful historic property, an appreciation of nature, heritage, curiosity allowing visitors to forge their own personal connection to the estate.

I was invited to visit Filoli by a friend who has always raved about the place. Now I know why...it's spectacular! Both the gardens and the house. Since it was my first visit, my friend recommended that we take the tour and it was totally worth it! The young lady who was our guide did a fantastic job of giving the history of the family that built it as well as the family they ultimately sold the estate to. The trust that now manages the estate has done an excellent job of preserving it exactly as it would have been when the family was still in residence there.

The weather was excellent the day we went, which made exploring the grounds that much better. I can understand why some people have memberships - there's just so much to look at and not enough time! The location was easy to get to, and parking was straight forward. Once we checked in, we easily spent 2 hours exploring the grounds (the giant troll is a bit of a walk to get to, but highly recommended), then an additional hour marveling at the house. Exploring is walk heavy, so if that's not a strong point for you, I wouldn't recommend it. But the grounds are stroller friendly, so bring your children and have a photoshoot!

Probably this is the most beautiful garden in all of Northern California. Indeed, this can be a very beautiful and photogenic garden in the spring: the flowers and gardens look lovely at this time of year. The rest of the year? Eh. Probably not worth the expense as this is an expensive garden to visit and - at only 16 acres - it’s not very large. Be aware that, when we visited in the spring, there were hordes of people taking pictures and prime photo spots would have a line. The home is nice enough and certainly very grand, but the art and furniture is not museum quality and the architecture of the estate is not especially noteworthy, so it’s really the gardens that you’re here to see.

This is a real gem! Beautiful house, totally open and unguarded. The gardens are wonderful as well. The only downside is the very high price, in my view.

My boyfriend and I visited Filoli on a gorgeous 70-degree Saturday afternoon to explore the house and see the trolls. It was crowded but never overwhelming, and the staff handled parking beautifully and quickly opened a new lot when things got busy. The historic house looked stunning with whimsical Halloween decorations, and we loved seeing kids dressed as witches, princesses, and butterflies wandering the gardens. The gardens themselves were peaceful and full of cozy spots to stroll, sit, and soak in the beauty. The trolls were a highlight—beautifully crafted from reclaimed materials, each full of personality. My favorite was Rosa Sunfinger, the botanical troll. A special shoutout to Ben from the staff, who went above and beyond to help us retrieve my boyfriend’s camera bag after hours. Filoli is truly a place of beauty, magic, and kindness!

We were so happy to find this place to visit. Was an amazing way to spend the day! The Trolls were there which was an added bonus was a fun walk to find them. The grounds are beautiful and could only imagine what it would be like in Spiring bloom!! The house was fun and decorated for the Halloween event. So many cute spots to sit and enjoy the property. Would recommend to anyone visiting the area