The Best Things to Do in LA This Spring

More than half of the 207 acres that comprise The Huntington Library & Gardens—formerly a working farm filled with citrus groves and fruit orchards—are now a rich botanical conservatory that grows more than 15,000 plant varieties. During spring, a whopping 16 themed gardens are in bloom, including a Rose Garden (which begins blooming in late March) and the lush Jungle Garden, where you'll find species of orchids, bromeliads, and ferns. Spring garden enthusiasts may want to drop in for the garden lectures series, which covers topics like proper tree pruning. Is there rain in the forecast? The site's two art galleries and the library's collection of rare books and manuscripts are just as visually compelling.

Starting in March, SaddleRock Gardens kicks off their annual farm-to-table "Garden Dinners" series, which takes place inside the farm's Instagram-worthy vegetable garden. The food is the result of a collaboration of chefs from around Los Angeles, who piece together a menu for that night's guests only. The suppers kick off with a glass of wine and a stroll through the gardens, followed by the main event—a five-course taking menu served family-style at rustic communal wood tables as the sun sets over the Santa Monica Mountains. Interested in whetting your appetite? The first one starts March 23 for a cool $150 per person.

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Los Angeles is the capital of movies, but that doesn’t mean that you have to hole up in a dark room to watch one when the weather is nice out. Instead, leave it to LA to turn the entire city into its own movie theater. From trendy rooftops to hotel pools to, yes, even cemeteries, no scenic alfresco spot is off-limits when it comes to watching your favorite flicks. Check out the calendars at Mr. C Beverly Hills (they host a poolside series every year), the Brand Library Park in Glendale, or Westdrift Golf Course near Manhattan Beach—three favorite locations—for screening times and dates.

Los Angeles has perfected the brunch scene, so if you've ever woken up in the City of Angels, you'll know that the hardest part is narrowing down the city’s many worthy breakfast places to just one. This season (if the weather warrants it), there’s no better place for a springtime brunch than the rooftop at E.P. & L.P. The West Hollywood hot spot, which first became known for their evening dinners, recently launched a brunch menu featuring dishes like pork belly and crab bao paired with $10 brunch cocktails. The biggest selling point, no doubt, is the setting—a sleek, knotted-wood rooftop decked out with neon chairs and succulents galore.

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Los Angeles hosts a handful of annual cherry blossom festivals, from the South Coast Botanic Cherry Blossom Festival in Palos Verdes to an entire Cherry Blossom Month at the Descanso Gardens. The best one, in our opinion, is the Orange County Cherry Blossom Festival in Huntington Beach. One of the area's younger festivals, it takes place in mid-March and offers a whole lot more than just blooming pink flowers—including a Sakura Night Market that lights up the streets with Japanese street food vendors and video game tournaments, dance and music performances that take over the stage, and interactive art workshops and contests.

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Interested in sipping California vintages without being confined inside a tasting room? The newly opened Malibu Wines & Beer Garden brings the classic wine-tasting experience outdoors. Every weekend, regional craft beers and local wines are poured and served alongside light bites and live music in the shade of an outdoor pavilion. Just be sure not to leave your phone behind: the surrounding mission-style architecture and palm trees make for the perfect sunset photo op.