Beautiful little space! I like that its wide open and it definitely is a bit of a desert oasis in between large office buildings. There were quite a few parties doing mini photo shoots so it's definitely picturesque! read more

As I approached Isamu Noguchi's California Scenario sculpture garden at dawn with my camera, a very polite security guard in a dark blue coat and grey pants warned me not to take any photos of the two office buildings flanking the garden and, more specifically, the address numbers. Well, that's creepy. Welcome to Orange County. Navigating through Costa Mesa's depressingly sanitized commercial blah to get here was worth the effort, though. Noguchi is one of my favorite sculptors and I used to spend a good amount of time at his museum in Long Island City, New York. I doubt there is a major museum in the United States without at least one work by this artist and his influence is broad. Initially, I was disappointed here as I walked around the various elements that comprise this landscape architecture installation. It all seemed lifeless. I sat down for a while as the sun rose: light began to reflect off one of the office towers on to the back wall of the garden. At that moment, a wavy pattern of light turned the landscape into a surreal affair. The pyramid and surrounding boulders looked otherworldly. Considering that Noguchi also designed stage sets for theatre and dance productions, I wonder if it was his plan to take advantage of this reflected light or just plain serendipity? Whatever the answer, the effect has me hooked and I'll be back (but, I promise, no address numbers). read more

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Cute little hidden place to snap some pictures. A small serenity area to sit when not crowded.

A secret sculpture garden just a couple blocks from South Coast Plaza, located behind TGIFridays and the Comerica Bank Building. This urban park feels completely isolated from the rest of the world and as you walk around it or sit on one of several benches located around the plaza, a sense of serenity overcomes you. A fountain, waterfall, stream, grassy hill surrounded by trees, and a desert hill are some of the scenery you'll experience. You'd never know the 405 freeway was a stone's throw away. During the 45 minutes I was there, no one came into the park until right before I left when a kitchen worker from nearby Mastro's walked from the backdoor of the restaurant and across the park to a parking structure. The structure is the easiest place to park. A great place to relax, meditate, and pretend you aren't smack dab in the middle of the insanity of city life. read more

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First off, do not pay for parking to come here. Park at South Coast Plaza and make your trip here. This is a hidden gem tucked away in between corporate high rise buildings and a location that makes pictures come out beautifully. I was fooled initially when I first arrived because the photos online looked like this place was ginormous but it's actually a really small site. You'll be done and out of here within minutes! I enjoyed taking photos here and it's such a nice, serene location to take a moment and stroll around. I would stop by if it's convenient; primarily if you're here for a mall visit, then definitely bookmark this place as a next stop! I wouldn't just come all the way here just for this place so make sure you have other plans around the area! Btw, as others have mentioned, you are not allowed to climb on top of the pyramid nor step on the rocks. Oops, sorry! read more

California Scenario - Botanical Gardens Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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At one time, I knew this existed... Forgot about it and just recently redisovered. This is a very cool and serene place. Its located behind a bunch of office buildings and the parking structure for TGI Fridays. You'd never know it was there if you didn't explore. It has a redwood garden, along with a meandering stream. It also has a desert portion, complete with ocatilla. Take some time to relax, meditate, and just breath in some of that fresh oxygen that the magnificent trees produce. Awesome place. read more

California Scenario - Botanical Gardens Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

What a nicely hidden treasure within such a busy area, next to corporate buildings, South Coast Plaza, Segerstrom Center, the 405 freeway, and still being able to remain quiet and peaceful despite all that. I'm almost hesitant about reviewing this place to keep it hidden and less crowded... but it's almost too good not to share. This is a perfect place for some interesting photography opportunities and also great if you just need a quick getaway for some peace and quiet. I absolutely loved being able to sit at the "Forest Walk" bench because of the nice breeze and almost secluded area but still being able to see all the sculptures/installations and hear the water flowing. This is truly a minimalist's oasis :) read more

California Scenario - Minimalist Oasis - Botanical Gardens Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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This is a small but beautiful work of art that I fear is often overlooked. It's a fascinating display of seven large sculptures set on a wide plaza. Each sculpture represents a different part of California, from the desert, to a river, to a redwood forest. Because it's overlooked, there aren't many people there, so it's very peaceful. I couldn't understand why one of the sculptures represented The Spirit of the Lima Bean, but learned that the businessman who developed the South Coast Plaza complex built it on his family's lima bean farm. This sculpture display is tucked amid tall office buildings and parking is limited. But it's worth the drive, and a good place for photos. I noticed one couple taking engagement photos there. read more

G A L L E R Y This spot is a hidden gem of wondrous sculptures and art. Not many people know about it, so when you go, there won't be many people around. Twilight is a nice time to go and there's a certain calm, zen like mood to this area. Funny because it's behind TGIF! Ha! read more

This is a nice little place to stop by if you're in the area and want to see some cool sculptures. It's free to the public, but we had to pay for parking in the area ($1.75/15 mins), which was no biggie for us since it's not a place you'd spend 30+ mins at. Overall, it's a cute spot and if you've never been to Noguchi Garden then you should check it out. read more

The Noguchi Garden get's 4 stars for a few good reasons. 1. It's not trying to be a park (like some reviewer assume). It's a garden. It's art. It's a representation of Ca. It's beautiful 2. There are places to sit and enjoy the sound of running water. It's relaxing and you just want to sit and let go 3. The grass/tree area is a cooling contrast to the desert like structures of the rest of the garden, and that is awesome. I almost always just go and sit on the bench at the top and let go. I sit there and read or breath and feel calm. There is more that I could write, but I'll let others express their enjoyment of the serenity they experience. I would have tacked on an extra star, but the last time I went the water wasn't on (this was at least 2 years ago, so before CA announced their drought relief efforts - the water is running now), and this trip, the grass looked frail and unkempt. Part of the grass looked like it had been peeled away from the dirt, which is sad, because it is so beautiful when it is taken care of properly (this might also have to do with the drought) If thing's get taken care of next couple times I go, I'll update this review. read more

California Scenario - A beautiful garden that represents California in a contemporary way. Very relaxing to sit and enjoy - Botanical Gardens Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Since none of y'all were helpful about where this confusing place is located it is located BEHIND the COMERICA bank building in the Pacific Arts Plaza. THANK YEW. read more

Sweet court yard type spot nestled between office buildings and restaurants. Wife saw it on Yelp first and recommend we check it out and take a few pics. There's plenty of parking, and it is free admission. As for the spot itself, it's just cool architecture, rocks, little "waterfalls" against a wall. You can see people with their DSLRs and iPhones snapping away. My kids also enjoyed the vast open space to run around. We'll be back! read more

California Scenario - Botanical Gardens Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Relaxing, interesting and peaceful. No very big or busy. Perfect for a lazy Sunday afternoon. read more

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This little oasis is located behind tall skyscrapers. Do not pay to park here, either park in Red Robin's lot or the coffee shop. There are few different areas to take pictures and to come and relax as well. It is a great spot to take pictures and really work on your camera work here. It's also a nice spot to come grab some coffee and relax with a friend or do some work. There are different spots to represent California's scenery. I love coming here. I always find something different to look at or to take pictures of. Definitely a fun spot read more

Always wanted to go here and I got the opportunity to today! My friend and I wanted to have a fun photoshoot here and the visuals and aesthetics of this place delivered. Bigger than I expected and it's a great place for nice contemporary and modernistic photos. Will definitely be coming back. read more

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A perfect hidden gem that is a phenomenal place for photos!! Each corner looks like it's entirely own place, so you can get so many great pictures here without having to travel! Here are some of the Family photos that @CarrieRogersPhotography took of us here. read more

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I love this place! The scenery is beautiful, the tall buildings block the harsh rays of sun, and there's so many different places to take different pictures with different auras. For example, there's a pebble place with plans, a pyramid, a beautiful river, and pictures come out so well here. I also work in the building near here that it's so nice just sitting on a bench, watching the scenery, and enjoying the weather. Highly recommend this beautiful serene place for pictures and just relaxing! read more

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Beautiful artful city garden! #NoguchiGarden is a wonderful juxtaposition of straight and curved, hard and soft, wet and dry, smooth and rough textures, lines, and shapes. This mastery of simple and complex is my reason #Noguchi is a world leader in design. Beautiful, visit if you can. #NewportBeach #CostaMesa #SouthCoastPlaza read more

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I am an amateur photographer and I came here to play around with my creativity. So my rating is coming from that stand point. I was able to have a little fun but it definitely a better place for portraits. Anyways, I believe the goal of this place is to relax and it is definitely a place to take a break and take a breath which is why it is probably under the botanical gardens section. It is more like a sculpture garden. I went during Black Friday and there were very few people. It's in the middle of businesses so some people came out during their break: playing corn hole, sitting and listening to music, walking and talking, etc. I was still able to do some running around and jumping while everyone came in and out. Love the name it's given. PS you pay for parking at a garage nearby! read more

California Scenario - Had my camera on a tripod using a self timer for this photo! - Botanical Gardens Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

This place is very hidden in between buildings. We parked in the structure and just paid for visitor parking for 45 min or so and walked to the area. Great spot for photography! They have an interesting pyramid with a water creek and other interesting architecture. Very unique place! There's no fee or anything to get in you might just have to pay for parking depending where you park. read more

California Scenario - Botanical Gardens Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Much aesthetic. That's it. Don't expect much here besides having a great place for photo ops. I came here twice around night time on two different occasions and it was pretty nice. For like 10 minutes. There's simply not much to do...but! if you haven't been here yet, at least swing by! Try to find parking the structure it's connected to or across the street. read more

This place was all the rage when I was in high school. Everybody called it "Satan's Playground" or less menacingly but still demonic - "Anton's Playground". We were told this park was based on Dante's Inferno and was supposed to represent the 9 circles of Hell. Even in high school, my biology teacher always told us the street was named Anton after Anton LaVey (founder of Church of Satan) who supposedly funded a lot of the South Coast Metro area. My biology teacher also told us the streets in that area were arranged in a pentagram, with 666 Anton (down the street from Noguchi Gardens) the centerpiece and a black 13-story building at each pentagram point. With the advent of google earth, it's pretty easy to see that there's not really a clearly defined pentagram around the South Coast Metro area, but it's still nice to speculate. Here is how the 9 circles of Hell supposedly correlate with Noguchi Gardens: 1) It starts out in woods (there's a wooded area) 2) You enter through a gate (there's a big wrought iron gate you walk through) 3) There's a gurgling river Styx you were forced to lay in (river inside which is somewhat difficult to cross and wide enough to lay in) 4) Great weights (possibly the rocks?) then, "The lower parts of hell are contained within the walls of the city of Dis, which is itself surrounded by the Styx. Punished within Dis are active (rather than passive) sins." Placed inside the river Styx (you have to cross the garden's river to get to these things): 5) Flaming tombs (the lights that are kind of shaped like tombs maybe and have superrrrr bright lights that project against the white walls in the back) 6) Desert of flaming sand (the desert part) 7) Talks about the slippery cliffs. There are a few slippery slopes on the pyramid, on the waterfall (energy fountain), the "flinty staircase" might be the kind of crumbly rock staircase thing up to the woods area, etc. So while it may not have been the artist's intent, it is kind of eerie how well everything matches up. But as a teenager growing up in Irvine, we utilized our imagination to it's full extent. read more

California Scenario - .gif of Noguchi Gardens - Botanical Gardens Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Cute little water rock botanical garden, peaceful and small. Ideal for a quick change of scenery and a few cute pictures. read more

California Scenario - The cute little are with cacti - Botanical Gardens Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Really cool hidden spot in Costa Mesa, I never even knew this spot existed! So WHERE exactly is it? It's close to South Coast Plaza, off the 405, right behind TGI Fridays. Park in the parking structure (grab a ticket, try and validate at TGI) across from 24 Hour Fitness. There's a couple of high rises surrounding this garden so I can only imagine how awesome coffee breaks and lunches must be around this area. Very relaxing, peaceful and minimalist environment. The Spirt of the Lima Bean, the center piece, is the sculpture composed of various granite rocks that fit so perfectly together. There are some looooong wooden benches on the perimeter where you can take a seat and enjoy some quiet time. Glance at the installations (pyramid, big rock sculpture, and of course Noguchi garden) and the peacefulness of the water running through the oasis. Overall, this is a neat spot to check out. I do understand how minimalist the theme is, but would be cool if there was a bit more greenery with flowers and plants, adding more life to the garden. read more

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Cute little area with an artsy vibe. Hung out around here waiting for my table at Mastros. It was 8pm and it's not a heavily lit area, but the little light it does have makes this place feel different than the pictures I saw during the day. read more

I've been here twice now in two days for this 365/photography project I'm probably going to bail on.. and in fact, I probably would have already bailed on it if it weren't for this place, the California Scenario. I've only been here at night, making stupid silhouettes against the garden's blank white walls. Shameless plug, but here's a photo I took just a couple days ago there: http://nanallday.wordpress.com/2013/01/07/the-superego/ Tip: There are lights behind the pyramid tip by the walls. If you stand at the pyramid's center at night, you can get a kaleidoscopic thing to happen, which is great for photos. Try jumping up and down and exaggerating your movements - you'll get a great photo out of it, I promise! read more

Hidden gem in the OC area! I found out about this place through a friend and on IG and of course, I had to come here to see it myself. I was surprised that it's close to South Coast Plaza (despite how many times I come here to go shopping LOL) Also, it's still pretty lowkey...so hopefully we can keep it that way~ If you want to come here, I advise that you park at South Coast and take a 5 min talk to the Noguchi Garden. You can technically park at the structure nearby...but then you would have to spend $$$ on parking and that money could go into good use like food haha. Anyways once you have arrived, it's a pretty relaxing are to take cute pictures and update your IG game. I was lucky enough to come around 3PM where there was still light but around 3:30PM the shade started to come in and through off people's photos. Since I was there first, I pretty much hogged the whole pyramid area until the shade started to come in haha. Soon after I came, all the these people came out of nowhere and I was like wtf. Definitely take the time to check this place out! If you are planning to make a trip to the OC, definitely have other things in mind to do...this garden should approximately take 20-30 min depending on how big your group is. The garden is pretty small tbh. Also, come before 3PM for the light. Lighting is key for those IG pics haha read more

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It's FREE... I probably wouldn't call this a museum per se. It's more like a garden, or a park that you can pretty much walk around for a bit. It's a little bit hidden, but it's behind the Mastro's Restaurant next to the Hyundai building. When you see all the Koreans walking around, you know you are near it. So yah, everything there has something to do with a California theme to it. From the California rocks, to the water stream that represents water flowing from Northern California or water flowing from Colorado to southern California. There's a desert theme too with sand, rocks, several cacti and other succulents. I also like the Redwood trees part. You can pretty much have a little picnic in this secluded area. Nice freshly cut grass with the trees surrounding you can give you enough privacy for awhile. No need to pay at the Mastro's where you pay something like $7 for valet. Just park at the South Coast Plaza mall parking lot, just 2 blocks away. It's free anyway. It's a pretty neat place. At night they turn on the lights and you can see the California Scenario from a different perspective. read more

Mix of art, nature, and human interactions within the Noguchi world. It's a very small place and is next to Coamerica Bank and TGIF restaurant. Park at the mall and walk towards TGIF'S restaurant. You can head straight into the garden by walking through the 2 doors at Coamerica bank. You can take a short stroll or play with the bean-bag toss game or sit and relax at the benches. read more

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This space, hidden behind a restaurant and next to an office building, is really a gem waiting to be discovered. During the day, when I visited, Mastro's was not yet opened, and on a weekend, with the office buildings empty, it feels like another planet. There is a pyramid, with a river running through the entire installation, and a fountain, grass, trees, and sloped ground. I did see a security guard, although they did not seem interested in people exploring. The various trees (eucalyptus, elm, oak, birch, and monkey puzzle) are diverse, and the flowing grasses are a pleasure to walk through. There are benches in and around this exhibit and landscaped art so you can observe and discuss. I had a very enjoyable Sunday afternoon communing with trees and nature here. read more

California Scenario - Botanical Gardens Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

A beautiful place to take photos at or even just to look around. Even though it's somewhat small, there are a ton of things in the area that are fun to look at. The aesthetic colors and symmetry of each individual piece really adds to the garden as a whole. read more

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Finding this place wasn't too difficult. It's located right behind Mastro's and only a few blocks from South Coast Plaza. This hidden gem is the definition of serene. It's a modest place to take hipster-y pictures until your heart is content. But beware! Don't stand on the pyramid or any of the "art." Turns out there's security guards keeping an eye on the place through the security cams. (Hehe.. Sorry for fooling around!) Anyways, also try to avoid parking in the parking structure for this place. My BF and I made that mistake and had to pay $2 for only staying 30 minutes read more

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I am continually amazed when I find hidden treasure like this in Orange County. This is definitely a hidden gem. The downside is that is is surrounded by corporate office buildings. The coolest part is that at night, the lights face the tall stark walls and cast long shadows. A fun spot to get artsy, to do shadow dances and photography. We filmed here in the day time and at night and were never asked to leave. It's always cool when public art making is embraced, especially at a unique place like this. read more

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Great place to take photos. And it's all outside (covid friendly). It's very interesting that the actual piece is in between some high rise buildings in the courtyard. The parking is ~$1 per 15 minutes. read more

HUH, did i accidently get too drunk at tgif and talk into a desert oasis in the middle of costa mesa?! WTF... I'm so lost. i have to be trippin' on something. residents of OC will not be used to the artsy and quirky design of this museum right smack dab in between corporate offices. ( i envy the people who work in the building adjacent to it) but on the reals, this place is very tranquil and awe inspiring. i love to come here and just walk around to take my mind off things. watching the water flow from under the weird stone formation is somewhat relaxing and calming. this place makes me feel like i'm in a different world and the surroundings of this museum are just too surreal. this is a nice get away from the suburbs of orange county. PS: i heard this is a great place to go watch shooting stars late at night. read more

Meh. Maybe I'm one of those odd ball types that just don't see the appeal of this place. Don't get me wrong. It's great place to get away and enjoy a quiet lunch if you work locally but it's kinda eerie. I mean, it's just a rock garden with a stream in the middle of a corporate jungle and it's just odd. I was here recently for an event and it's a good upscalish environment for an event. It's adjacent to the TGI Fridays parking lots, behind Mastros, etc. Not that hard to find and if you need a quiet spot to getaway, definitely come here. It's kinda hidden so that's nice I suppose. read more

Nestled between several corporate buildings is this small, but tranquil little sculpture garden. They have security posted nearby, so touch the sculptures at your own risk! Yelp says the garden is open until 5pm but that's not true. It's an open garden, you can walk right in any time! Great photo ops! read more

California Scenario - Botanical Gardens Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Great place to take nice pictures. Very aesthetic. The area is not as big as you might think it is. Just a few fountains here and there, I wouldn't say it's a garden. read more

Nice place for photographers. No matter morning or evening summer or winter, you can find a good spot for a photo. read more

California Scenario - Corner - Botanical Gardens Near Me - Costa Mesa, California