Beverly Gardens Park, Los Angeles

Beverly Gardens Park stretches for about 1.9 miles along the north side of Santa Monica Boulevard, running through Beverly Hills from Doheny Drive in the east to Whittier Drive in the west. Designed by landscape architect Ralph D. Cornell, this narrow, 22-block park forms a green boundary between the residential streets to the north and the city’s commercial center to the south.

The most convenient place to begin is near Beverly Drive. From Santa Monica Boulevard, walk into the park and look for the large Beverly Hills Sign beside the long, rectangular Lily Pond. The white lettering, curved border, and surrounding flowerbeds make it the park’s most recognizable landmark and one of the city’s most popular photo stops. The present sign is a recreation of an earlier historic version that once welcomed visitors to Beverly Hills.

From the sign, follow the paved walking and jogging path westward, keeping Santa Monica Boulevard on your left. Along the route, look for mature cypress and ficus trees, shaded lawns, fountains, arbors, sculptures, and small specialty gardens. The park’s landscaping changes from block to block, with areas devoted to roses, palms, cacti, and succulents. Many of these gardens are easy to identify from their distinctive plants and decorative beds.

Near Rodeo Drive, watch for Yayoi Kusama’s Hymn of Life: Tulips. The sculpture resembles a group of oversized, brightly patterned flowers covered with the artist’s characteristic dots. Its playful colors and unusual shapes make it one of the park’s most noticeable contemporary artworks.

Continuing west, you will encounter additional public sculptures, including works associated with artists such as Barry Flanagan, Tony Smith, and Magdalena Abakanowicz. Some pieces stand directly beside the path, while others are set back among lawns and trees, so look across both sides of the park as you walk.

At the far western end, where Santa Monica Boulevard approaches Wilshire Boulevard, you will reach the Electric Fountain. Identify it by its raised central figure surrounded by a broad circular basin. Created in the early 1930s, the fountain depicts a Native American figure kneeling in prayer and is especially attractive when illuminated after dark.

Visitors who prefer a longer walk can follow the park’s roughly two-mile trail from end to end. Those with limited time should concentrate on the Beverly Hills Sign, the nearby gardens, the Kusama tulips near Rodeo Drive, and the Electric Fountain at the western end.