Leonis Adobe
Calabasas
July 12, 2014
We spent some time visiting family back East so did not make it up to Los Angeles for a month. In July, Meredith and our youngest daughter took Margaret to the historic Leonis Adobe in Calabasas; Bob missed this particular outing. We have all been to the adobe before. Meredith’s sister Kathleen first suggested it. It is a popular destination for school groups, which we think is how Kathleen first learned of it.
The adobe is named for Miguel Leonis who owned it from sometime in the 1870’s until his death in 1889. The buildings, exhibits, and animals recreate life on a California ranch in the 1880’s.
The adobe is the main building on the site. It is well furnished with period furniture and artifacts. Other buildings on site include the Plummer House, moved there from West Hollywood and known as the oldest house in Hollywood, as well as a windmill, a couple of barns, and other outbuildings. The barns house old wagons and carriages, blacksmith tools, and miscellaneous other items.
The Leonis Adobe grounds are also home to a selection of animals typical of livestock one would have found on a ranch in California in the 1880’s. On this visit we admired the horses and cattle, patted the goats, and visited the fowl.
It was a hot day, and Margaret was dragging a bit. Since the buildings are authentic historic buildings, they are not air conditioned, so perhaps it would have been wiser to save this visit for the winter time. But we managed by using the shade and lingering in the interiors, out of the sun.
There is a large corps of interested and enthusiastic docents. It seems as if every time we turned around there was a docent eager to point something out or explain something. They wear period costumes but, as one docent was at pains to explain, they are not “in character;” that is, they do not pretend to be period characters on the ranch, they function as present day guides and resources. In addition to running a site which is a great destination in itself, the Leonis Adobe association sponsors the Passport 2 History program, a website and booklet with information on a number of historic sites throughout Southern and Central California.
The parking lot is fairly small, but seems to be adequate for the number of visitors. When we went there was a farmer’s market across the street and market shoppers were paying to park in the lot for the adobe, but since we were visiting it we did not have to pay.
Because these are historic buildings, wheelchair access to a few rooms is limited. The museum has made a real effort to add access through ramps where possible, and the docents are helpful.
We ate lunch at the Sagebrush Cantina, right next to the adobe. It is a large restaurant which serves mainly Mexican food. Margaret had a quesadilla; Meredith ordered a (sort of) health oriented soft taco choice. All of us enjoyed our food.