Wow! If you are a fan of Hearst Castle this is a dose of the same glamor and craft right here, in Los Angeles. Plan to spend an hour and a half to two hours with one of the docent tours. The Adamson family owned the Malibu Potteries factory and output incredibly beautiful tiles. All varieties are used throughout the large house. And there are numerous clever touches of architectural design. Best of all, this local treasure is RIGHT ON the beach. read more

I am writing this review to share with future brides that are considering this venue for their wedding location. I had my wedding here this year which I had booked a year and a half ago. The event coordination department is disorganized, unfriendly, unhelpful and was one of the biggest stress factors in my wedding planning. I understand that the property is part of the California State Parks so they can't have a full-time staff all year long. Nonetheless, below are some experiences that I had at the venue. #1. Misplaced Deposit: The cashier's ck that they require for the initial venue deposit was lost. I live in Northern California so mailing this deposit in was a bit nerve-wrecking but when I heard from the coordinator that they never received the ck made me very upset. Luckily, I had it certified mail and I confirmed that it was signed by the coordinator. After a few phone calls and immediate request to handle this matter, the coordinator at the time was able to track down the deposit. A "miscommunication" with their accounting dept. #2. Lack of Communication: It was very difficult to have a steady string of communication leading up to the wedding date. The phone calls are rarely returned which would be followed up by an email, I usually sent 2 follow up emails before a response is guaranteed. Usually, the responses are short answers either yes or no and does not really help me get a better picture of what I need to know. Even when they know that people are working on weekdays, they don't care to accomodate those restrains and made us come on friday's. Due to this, I actually had to take off alot of time from my work because I lived in northern california. #3. Coordinator: I don't know any bride that will be comfortable with communicating with a coordinator that looks like she is in high school. During my planning period, the venue had 2 different coordinators and the new coordinator was not responsive to any of my requests. She only worked on Tues,Thurs and Frid from 10-3 and if you had questions in between, you were bound to wait on her. Basically, you were on their schedule the entire time. One time, the coordinator made a mistake and told us that she couldn't let us come to an appt that we scheduled a month ago because she had cross booked with another wedding. I mean that's too bad because that's her mistake and we had already booked our flight to come down to meet with her for the wedding. Another time, she showed up at the wrong time to the venue. Originally, we had said we'd meet at 11am but we decided to move it to 10am via email. Well, when the time came she was nowhere to be seen. We called her office and left a message and she showed up at 11am. Her response was that she thought it was at 11am!!! It baffled all of us that she didn't keep track of her schedule appointments and the changes that pertained to it. #4. Restrictions - The venue has about 3-5 pages worth of restrictions and also, you will need to do alot of work in pulling everything together. I had to reach out to the city to get a permit for my guest's parking lot. I also had to rent the parking lot and hire a shuttle from/to the venue. The grass at the venue needs to be maintained so you can't use square tables. Just round ones. Also, they prefer people who's worked at that venue before so that reduces the number of catering options to..oh. i dont know. 5. This venue only provides the venue. You will need to bring everything in. EVERYTHING. Overall, the venue is undeniably gorgeous but the service doesn't measure up to it at all. My husband and I felt like we were doing the venue the favor the entire time. The staff is unprofessional and we wasted alot of time following up with them when in fact, we were supposed to be the ones catered to! Not once did we feel like things were taken care of. If anything, we had to double, triple check to make sure everything was going as planned. Lastly, the venue is not cheap which you would probably receive premium service at other venues if you spent that much money. I am very unhappy and disappointed with the team who manages this property. read more

Beautiful grounds, ocean view and beautiful house. We enjoyed our first visit and plan to come back and spend more time wandering the grounds. We took the house tour with Patricia as our docent. She was Very knowledgeable and patient with the group. We really enjoyed her tour! She was also very calm despite being interrupted a few times by other docents trying to rush her or randomly scolding her for minor issues. I felt this could of been addressed after our tour and not during the tour. Also I would like to point out that during the initial history background in the side saddle room it was almost impossible to hear with all the chatter coming from the ladies at the check in. Other than issues with check in ladies and other lady docents - we enjoyed Patricia , the grounds and touring the house and look forward to our next visit! read more

I've lived in Southern California all my life, and believe it or not I hadn't gone to see this wonderful historic property until yesterday. It was quite remarkable. Our docent Betsy, was informative, fun and engaging, illuminating all the nuances of the property along with historical information which made it more interesting. Although visitors are not allowed to take photos of the interior, if you go online, you can see a number of images which showcase the phenomenal architecture, furniture, clothing and many knickknacks. I highly recommend this day trip. read more

One of the first quintessential Californian style houses (well mini mansion) preserved for people like you and me and our Moms. Yes, I'd like to start this review off by saying, bring your mother here. If you're not the tea and crumpets type person I think you are, consider pre-medicating with a few AMFs beforehand. Wait, what is Californian style architecture? It's the best of the best inspired from Spain, Italy, Arabia, Mexico and little extra Killa Cali flava flav spice added in. The house is covered in beautiful tiles made in the 'Bu back in the roaring 20s (the company went extinct in the 30s). The house is situation on a beachy lagoon and designed so that our beautiful Pacific Ocean can be seen from more one wall in almost every room. The tour is $5, so no need to get all Scrooge McDuck on it. Also, bring your mom for the Mother's Day Tea Party - that's only $25. Save your money if you want to get hitched here because it'll run you $15 G's. read more

Love this place, the garden is so pretty. It's surprisingly private, or maybe not so surprising considering all of Malibu is private compared to other beach cities of LA county. The bathrooms are nice to use when at Surfrider all day, otherwise the only other option is public beach bathrooms there. read more

Adamson House - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Malibu, California

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Our AirBnB hosts suggested this as a place to visit. We did so and we LOVED IT. Take the tour and time to go through this remarkable landmark and really gain an insight into the history of Malibu. We are still talking about our visit there. Even went out and purchased a few of the tiles associated with the Malibu Tile Co. that the family created. It's an amazing treasure and a MUST SEE for history buffs! read more

Very beautiful old house near the pier. You can do a group tour of a custom designed sailor house/Spanish style. It's a cool place to visit if your in the area. They have a gift store with some pretty tile. We came here vday 2014. read more

Adamson House - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Malibu, California

8/19/2011, 1:15pm Friday This gorgeous house is a DO. Visit if you're an LA local, but definitely bring out-of-towners here. Great views of Surfrider Beach and Malibu Pier, etc. Classic Spanish Colonial Revival Home, filled with Malibu tiles - a great "California" experience. This makes a lovely 1/2 day trip. Leisurely drive up PCH; stop for tour; finish with a late lunch; then home, James. Parking: $8 in the lot (I've never found parking on PCH...) Guided Tour of the House: $7 each (guides vary, but they're good overall) Note: It's free to stroll the grounds and look at the house from the outside, but, um, why not spend your allowance and go inside? Gift Shop: Pretty reasonable ($6.50 for little "Malibu-style" tiles) p.s. Afterwards, don't eat at The Beachcomber at the pier. Just saying. read more

Tiles, tiles, and more tiles. Tile floors, tile covered walls, and bathrooms with tile ceilings. It's a tile dream house (but a grout nightmare). I wonder if the Adamson's liked playing Scrabble, dominos, or mahjong. Along with tiles, there is also effective decorative iron over the windows (typical of LA to have iron bars over the windows) and faded hand painted drawings on the ceilings. The wide ocean view from the property is wonderfully exploited inside the house with a layout that features nice views from all five bedrooms. The best tiles were laid in combination with each other like the tile replicating a carpet and the interlocking baseboard tile. I wish more rooms were tiled this way to complete the effect rather than one to two tile patterns repeated over and over. I was surprised by the lack of care taken to preserve the interior. Fantastically, the house has original linens, but not in the best condition. There are no restrictions on shoes, rugs are not off limits, and windows let in damaging sun. Artistically, the house has a number of oddities like the stairway to the second floor is like a castle, the clipper ship decking is the floor on the second story, and the confused mixture of tile designs. The lack of artistic control made the house thematically unfocused and irratic. Although another Yelper's tour lasted 45 minutes, my tour took a whopping 110 minutes (12:10P to 2:00P). 35 minutes passed before we stepped into the house with the first 10 minutes of the tour covering the Chumash tribe. Exterior photography is allowed, but interior pics are not. The $7 tour is not required to enter the garage/museum and wander the gardens around the house. As mentioned earlier, the windows are not covered, so you can peek into the house from the outside. read more

The Adamson House is a popular attraction along the southern coast of California. The Spanish Colonial Revival home has been called the "Taj Mahal of Tile" which helps describe its impressive display of ceramic tile and helps satisfy our innate urge to be creative with language. The tile is showcased on the exterior by the a tile tub that the Adamsons used to wash their dogs. There is also a Peacock Fountain and Star Fountain. The Peacock Fountain is interesting because they purposefully placed one of the pieces incorrectly, since only god is allowed to be imperfect. (My experience tells me that they didn't need to go through the trouble. There would invariably be a flaw even if they put the piece in correctly). Tile is everpresent in the interior, as it lines walls, ceilings, and floors of many of the rooms. There are a number of everyday household items that have been "tiled" as well, including a clock and an entry table. The most popular "piece" is a 60 foot replica of a Persian rug lining the hallway. One of the most impressive things about the Adamson House is that it essentially contains all the original furnishings. They even still have an old dishwasher that turned the dishes around in the water (instead of turning the water around in the dishes). (It was clearly a flawed design). Our tour guide Glen told us that the government wanted to station some troops in the house following the attack. They ended up compromising by providing a place for them to stay nearby. Later, it turned out that the state basically took the house from the Adamson's in their efforts to share and preserve it. We thought it was a little odd that they forced them out of the house, especially since some of their clothes were still in the closet! As usual, it is a good idea to bring a picnic. You can find some picnic tables by the beach. Check out the link to my blog on my profile for more information and pictures read more

So I just wrapped a Wedding here Sunday August 31st for a wonderful couple who resides in New York! oh yeah people...this place is that fabulous for a wedding reception. It's literally on the shoreline just a couple of steps if you want to brave the metal fence. The ceremony was held behind the house which is overlooking the ocean. The landscaping in this National Park is pristine! They even have signs as to what type of plant or tree they have there. The reception was held under this giant tree in the front side lawn. The house itself is just fabulous. Lots of handmade tiles( made by local Malibu artisans in the 1920's) which is pretty awesome since they don't make these kinds of tiles anymore. The last time I was here was 6 years ago and it was great to be back...it's like our little reunion, by the way my 10 year high school reunion is in November and I'm still debating if I should go or not. Any who, back to this review...So for the Bride and Groom who's planning their 2009 nuptials consider this place. You have to bring in your own caterer, rentals pretty much everything including the kitchen sink! But a fabulous place...with lots of photo opportunity all over the grounds. read more

I had very low expectations coming into the tour of the Adamson House. Right away those expectations were thrown aside when the 2 men working there were extremely kind and poilte to us. Honestly, I was expecting a bunch of old, anal people that would decapitate you if your cell phone went off......not the case at all. In fact, during the start of the tour, the tour guide's (Glen I think?) cell phone went off and he said "oh, how embarrassing" instead of getting mad and lecturing us. He was very laid back, funny and knowledgeable about the entire House and family. The House and history of the family itself was ASTONISHING! I absolutely LOVED every bit of this tour and told my husband that it was my dream house. The views onto surfrider beach and the lagoon were breathtaking! I highly recommend this tour and if you can, ask for Glen, although I'm sure everyone there is just as friendly! I'll definitely be back with more of my friends and family that come to town-even if it is a half hour away! read more

First thing you should know is that there is a parking lot RIGHT THERE at the House. Unfortunately, I followed the information on the internet and parked at the one by the Lagoon and had to walk over the bridge. Normally that's not a big deal but I had 2 people with me who can't really walk long distances and after touring the garden and house they were exhausted. I had to walk back and get the car and pick them up. Also, the parking lot adjacent to the house is $5 cheaper than the lot across the bridge. That being said, we all loooooooooooooooooooooove this house so much and wish we could live in it. OMG it is so beautiful with all that tile!!!! And all those wonderful built in bookcases, moorish-shaped cabinets, painted and tiled closets. That family must've been in heaven living there with bedroom balconies that opened up to views of the Pacific ocean. Loved the sitting room off the master bedroom, the tiny upstairs kitchen that had floor to ceiling tile, the downstairs kitchen and breakfast nook, the diningroom, everything. The tour of the garden is only on Fridays at 10am and I recommend that as well. The group meets right by the entrance gate but there's nothing that tells you that so we wandered all around trying to figure out where to go and what to do. Our garden tour docent, Sandy Mitchell (?), was really great. And so were our house tour docents, Frank and...unfortunately none of us remember the lady's name. All 3 knew their stuff. The tour was very detailed and we didn't feel rushed at all. I think we were there for 3 hours. You can only go inside the house during the designated tour times, but how cool is it that since it's a state park we can come back ANY time and sit on the grass and read a book or have a picnic at one of the picnic tables or whatever!!! I didn't know that. My cousin is already planning her next visit around Mother's Day so we can take her to the Mother's Day Tea on the lawn. Oh -- There aren't very many plants in bloom right now so if you want to see the garden you might want to wait until May or June. Wear comfy shoes because walking on all that tile and cement really takes a toll on your feet. and back. read more

Attended a wedding here on a Sunday and had a wonderful time! The property is beautiful! The ceremony was held on a grassy patch under a huge tree just before sunset. The tree kept it extremely cool and and protected us from the beating sun. The cocktail hour was held in the courtyard of the house and they also had your guides available to give free mini tours of the house. The reception was held in the back of the house with a gorgeous backdrop of the ocean. The whole time I kept thinking this is not LA, this is not even Malibu, I truly felt I was somewhere far away and felt more like a destination wedding! The only downside was there bathrooms are a bit of a trek for guests. I think there is a restroom in the bridal suite for the bridal party though. read more

What a beautiful place! Love the Spanish style and deco. Absolutely stunning venue for anything. We love to come there after a day on the beach to eat at their picnic area. Hard to imagine that at the time Adamson house was build, one couldn't see any other houses from this location! (Secretly wishing it was 1920s)... If you come on summer weekend after 10am, you might have to park along pacific coast highway, as their parking is relatively small and fills up pretty fast. Fantastic place!!! read more

Nice, peaceful place where anybody can watch over 200 birds species, some of them can be found along California cost. Must see in Malibu, if you are passing by. There is a public parking, next to the entrance or you can find a place for free on the Pacific Coast highway. read more

Adamson House - Adamson house entrance Malibu Tour. - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Malibu, California

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I got engaged here! The house is amazing, though. The pictures make the grounds look bigger than they are though. The house is intricately decorated with tiles everywhere, and the colors and stories behind each make the house warm and fuzzy. Definitely worth the trip to Malibu. It would be a gorge place for a wedding, but the wedding would have to be on the smaller side. My faves from the house were the hidden elevator and the small nook upstairs with an archer's window and a ship window made for reading. Very Jane Eyre. read more

my husband and i got married here almost two years ago. we immediately fell in love with the feeling of the place, from all of the history to the beautiful views of the ocean. i had been nervous about all of the rules implemented by the state and making sure that our vendors followed them, but it turned out so beautifully and perfect. all of the rangers went above and beyond to make it special. we love coming back for picnics and to visit. the grounds are always beautifully maintained and the views are unbelievable. read more

Adamson House - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Malibu, California

The Adamson House is the perfect, outdoor, beachy, southern California wedding venue. It is a beach venue with beautiful grass lawns rather than the sand, which makes it easier for older guest and really for everyone! The venue has beautiful flowers, bushes and trees everywhere. The big tree in the first lawn section was so magical to get married underneath. The only "downsides" to the venue are that nothing else is including. You need to bring in all of your own stuff, but they have great recommendation to help you with rentals, food, etc. (We used Truly Yours Catering) Also, there is no parking on site so we rented a parking lot near by (Malibu City Hall Parking Lot) and rented shuttles (Riz Transportation) to transport guest to and from the Venue. However, these downsides are minimal and are out weighted by all of the positives. We also highly recommend opening up the house for tours! Great views from the balcony for guest and pictures! We had the most amazing wedding at The Adamson House. read more

Adamson House - Prefect First Look and even more magical getting married under the giant tree with the ocean next to us - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Malibu, California

I love history and I love Malibu and by visiting the Adamson's House you will learn about Malibu's history :) i took a guided tour a few times because I bring my friends when they come visit. The tour can be very interesting and enjoyable especially with the right docent, they are all wonderful volunteers from the community but some are more engaging than others. read more

On a whim our group toured this FANTASTIC historical property in Malibu. Tons of local history. Take about 45 minutes and learn about the origins of Malibu. Nancy was the best guide we've ever had! Thank you, Nancy, for the power tour! read more

A nice old house. Lovely interior. Also, it is California Historic Landmark No. 966 and Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument No. 1021. Parking was an issue though (cash only...no checks accepted). read more

The Adamson House is just sensational. I was taking a mosaics class for fun in the Valley and one of my fellow classmates told me about it. I have a great love of visiting historic places and strongly believe in the importance of historic preservation and education, so I knew I had to visit. I took both the garden and house tour. You are treated to the Malibu Lagoon Museum as well, which is housed in the converted Adamson House 5-car garage. You are given history as to the Chumash natives that originally inhabited the area, the Spanish explorers who claimed the land as part of New Spain, and the chain of title that eventuated in the Rindge and Adamson families' ownership of the Rancho Malibu Topanga Sequit and their role in shaping the community as we know it today. You'll also learn about the famous Malibu Potteries, Malibu Movie Colony, Surfrider Beach, Serra Retreat, Adohr Farms, and more. Other talking points include the house's architecture, architect, and Rindge/Adamson family background. I actually loved it here so much that I trained to be a volunteer docent and now lead tours. We'd love to have you visit! Admission $7 per adult (includes garden + house tour) $2 per child (includes garden + house tour) Note: The Adamson Foundation is a non-profit largely run by volunteers who help run the Malibu Lagoon Museum + house. Your admission helps in the maintenance of the house and grounds for the enjoyment of future generations. The property is owned by California State Parks. read more

For some reason, it is illegal to park backwards whilst parking at this establishment in Malibu. WTF Beware, my wife just returned from there with a $65 parking ticket , for parking backward. Then she says " It would be great to take my mom to!" Does she need a ticket as well? read more

The Adamson house is one of the most impressive estates in Los Angeles that is open to the public on a daily basis. The architecture, museum, Gardens, and tile collection are worth a stop on the coast highway traveling through Los Angeles. read more

Came with my husband for a UCLA project and had a wonderful experience. Our tour guide was very informative and was very helpful whenever any of the group had questions. Beautiful place and a great view. I would most definitely recommend this to anyone who is into architecture and design. read more

We have to write a review for the lovely Adamson House. We have been catering their for 20Years, and it is always such a pleasure to work with Lynette and her team. They keep the grounds so nice, and it's never a bad day at the beach. Rain or shine, we could not have asked for better couples to ask us to be their Caterer for their weddings at Adamson House. This is a true Gem! We cant wait for our 2016 couples. See you soon Adamson House, we will bring the delicious food! read more

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dig historical homes? try this one right on the ocean in santa monica/ malibu. really cool way to start off the morning. it's free to meander the grounds and gardens. there's an exceptionally beautiful pool and lawn space perfect for weddings as it faces the ocean. i think tours start at 11am (and i think it costs something). a word about their bathrooms -- they're public and yet they are the most gorgeous public bathrooms i've ever been in. they're converted from an old garage/ shed. parking... street parking (metered) or 10$ lot. read more

Very beautiful place to visit if you are in Malibu. My wife and I had a great time and we saw the $300M boat parked right in front of us.

We reserved the Adamson House as our wedding venue. All our guests were blown away by the beauty of the location. The property is owned by the state so there's a bunch of restrictions and guidelines (e.g. the party must be over by 9:30p on a Sunday, no on-site parking for guests, you must bring in all the rentals including a stove for the caterers, etc.) but the beauty is hard to beat! I'm so glad we chose this as our venue. Thank you Lynette and Denise! read more

Love this stuff! Imagine what it would be like to live there back in the day! Gorgeous!

This place is heaven. It's kept perfectly, and every where you walk you can't help but feel tranquil and at peace with life. I love it here.

We actually didn't make it inside the house because we came too late in the afternoon for a tour, but we did get to have a picnic on a picnic bench on the grounds with a lovely view of the Lagoon. I had an older person with me who wasn't up for a lot of walking, but that wasn't a problem - there were handicapped spots in the parking lot for the beach and if you have a handicapped tag for your car, you get to park for free! You just have to show your tag and the person who owns the tags has to put down their name and initials in a register. What a peaceful, enjoyable way to spend an afternoon! I hope to return later and tour the inside of the house. read more

We were married at the Adamson House in September 1986. Just a young couple in love, no money, and we had a dream of a beautiful wedding, that seemed to be farther out of reach every time we visited a church, beauty spot, or restaurant in LA. I can't remember how we found the place, I think we were out for an afternoon drive down PCH. At the time they would rent out the back yard and garden for almost nothing if it was not on a weekend. We were married on a Monday, a perfect California September day with perfect blue sky, a cool ocean breeze, surrounded by the flowers, the tilework, by family and friends, with the long boarders off in the distance riding that timeless left break towards the pier. I grew up in So Califas, but have lived all over the world. The sweetest memories of the senses that I keep for that place and time are the smell of the chaparral in the California hills and the beauty of that perfect long ago day when our lives were joined at that wonderful house. Mike and Lori read more

Words cannot convey how exquisite The Adamson House was as a venue for my daughter's June 2014 wedding. We have never seen a wedding location that beautiful. Everywhere you looked the views were stunning; of the ocean, the gardens and the mountains. My daughter couldn't have chosen a more perfect spot for her wedding. Salina, the Special Events Coordinator for The Adamson House was a delight to work with and enthusiastically provided information anytime we needed. The ceremony took place beneath a huge sycamore tree surrounded by gardens in an enclosed lawn. It was intimate and magnificent all at once. The cocktail hour was in the courtyard and the reception was on a wide beautiful lawn that was a carpet underfoot. It truly felt like the wedding and reception were held in a series of separate outdoor "rooms". There was always an amazing view in the background which made the evening magical and the photos spectacular. The site has limits and rules since it's a historical venue, but the staff and our caterer, Truly Yours, made it seamless. Truly Yours handled all the special requirements from arranging parking and shuttles to all the rentals, ensuring that everything was flawless and went as The Adamson House required. Many of the other vendors we chose also had experience with the site which truly paid off so that the Flowers from Enchanted Garden Floral Design complimented the venue beautifully and the Day of Coordinator, Dana, of the Haber Event Group made the day flow perfectly. Marianne of Marianne Wilson Photography knew what photo locations would work best and varied the backgrounds beautifully to take advantage of the uniqueness of the venue and the light at different times. read more

We provided executive protection/security for a wedding at this venue. The buildings and grounds are gorgeous. The property is just a few feet above the beach and affords an excellent view of the surfers. If you are considering this venue for a corporate event or a wedding, I would highly recommend that you utilize the services of one of their approved caterers, coordinators, etc. The reason for this is because there are numerous (albeit necessary) restrictions and you will want a skilled event staff familiar with working within those limitations. read more

Can anyone tell me how to get in touch with the Adamson House for a wedding? I've been trying email and phone for weeks and nothing!! Any help would be greatly appreciated!! read more

Awesome venue! Beautiful setting. Service was great. The only con is the size of the venue if you have a large party.

This is a marvelous old home, and thank goodness Malibu saved it! Some people wanted to tear it down and build a parking lot! (Wasn't there a song about paving paradise???? ;) ) I have gone on the tour several times, and usually with out of town guests. What a wonderful piece of old california to show off. I was lucky enough to go on the Christmas tour this past year. The do it on the first 3 Fridays in December. The volunteers decorate the house for the season, switch on the vintage lights, and give a tour of the home. It's a totally different experience than the day tours. The drawback is that you miss some of the beautiful details the house has. But standing on the second floor patio and looking ove a moon lit ocean is such a magical experience, the trade off is worth it. The night tour had no parking issues, but by day, try to snag something on the street. If not, you do have to pay to park in the private lot. read more