The Getty Villa is always a good idea.
We enjoyed the last week of summer before fifth grade (hard to believe!) by cruising up the coast to the Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades/Malibu. My daughter has really gotten into the Percy Jackson book series, and we wanted to try the Percy Jackson “Demigods” audio tour there. But we love going to the Getty Villa in general: it’s always peaceful, never crowded, and we can get lost a little in another time and place. (And especially for us, it brings up fond memories of our summer in Athens.)
The Villa is a recreation of a Roman villa covered and preserved in volcanic ash in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. (the same that wiped out Pompeii), nestled in the hills above Pacific Coast Highway. It’s a beautiful site, with gardens surrounding and within it, adorned with painted frescoes and fountains to enjoy.
If you are planning a visit up here, a few things to know (and why we love it so much!):
It’s free…but book ahead.
The Villa and the Getty Museum further inland offer free admission to all patrons, as the museums are funded by the J. Paul Getty Trust. You only need to book a reservation which you easily can do online. There is a parking fee (currently $20).
It’s kid-friendly.
In addition to family fun events and a Family Forum where kids can play, learn, and do crafts, there is the Percy Jackson audio tour which is a lot of fun to do with your kids. It’s a bit of a “choose your own adventure” and at the end, they reveal who your “god” parent is. We shared a few laughs when I got Bacchus/Dionysus (the god of wine)! She got Venus/Aphrodite (the goddess of love), and in true Leighton fashion exclaimed, “Mom! I got the goddess of love, and that is YOU because you are love!”
It’s educational.
There are also several other audio tours and guided tours offered: one of the major artworks, another of the gardens, another of the architecture, and more of the special exhibits. The tours are short and sweet (about an hour), and good for any age.
I studied Greek and Roman art at university so it is always fun for me to go back and wander through the sculpture galleries, refreshing my memory of time periods and significant people. I have always loved Greek mythology, so it has also been fun for me to discover it again with my daughter as she explores the Percy Jackson stories based on it, and see real-life first-hand historical examples to tie it all together.
It’s adult-friendly.
Because the Villa only admits a certain number every hour, visiting is always a peaceful, lackadaisical experience. My parents enjoy wandering around without the rush of crowds and lines (very rare in L.A.!), with plenty of options to stop and sit in the gardens. We also like that there is a full restaurant with outdoor seating, an afternoon tea sitting, AND that the restaurant serves wine (thank you Bacchus!) — a perfectly acceptable way to end a lovely afternoon.
Bonus! During September, the Getty Villa offers live Greek play performances in their open-air theater. I plan to take Leighton back to catch one of those!
Hope you get the chance to visit one of our family-fun faves!
