The Getty Villa: Art, Architecture and Afternoon Tea Near Malibu

Just east of Malibu along PCH, the Getty Villa is one of those places that can make you feel like you’ve left Los Angeles completely.

Inspired by an ancient Roman country home, the museum is filled with Greek and Roman antiquities, open-air courtyards, fountains and Mediterranean gardens.

One of the more unique ways to experience the Getty Villa is its Garden Tea. Jennifer recently visited for afternoon tea in the Founder’s Room, where the menu takes inspiration from the herbs, fruits and vegetables grown in the Villa’s gardens.

Live Theater at the Getty Villa

The Getty Villa is also home to an outdoor classical theater, and this fall there’s another reason to visit.

From September 10 through October 3, 2026, the Getty Villa will present Antigone: In the Language of Kings as part of its Outdoor Classical Theater series, with performances Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m.

Adamson House: A Look Into Old Malibu

If you want to understand Malibu history, start at the Adamson House.

Located right off PCH by the Malibu Pier, the Adamson House was built in 1929 for Rhoda Rindge Adamson and her husband, Merritt Huntley Adamson. The Spanish Colonial Revival home is best known for its incredible collection of decorative tile produced by Malibu Potteries.

You’ll see the tile everywhere: floors, fountains, walls, stairways and architectural details throughout the home. The property also includes original furnishings, hand-carved doors, murals, ironwork and other details that give you a glimpse of what Malibu looked and felt like almost a century ago.

You can still see pieces of this design language in Malibu homes today: Spanish-style estates, colorful tile, interior courtyards and homes designed to open toward the ocean.

Malibu Lagoon Museum: How Malibu Became Malibu

Right next to the Adamson House is the Malibu Lagoon Museum, a smaller stop that gives you a much bigger picture of Malibu’s past.

The museum is housed in the historic Adamson House garage and covers Malibu history beginning with the Chumash people and moving through Spanish California, the Rindge and Adamson families and the community’s growth into the Malibu we know today.

You can also learn about some of the stories that shaped modern Malibu, including the Malibu Railroad, the Rindge family’s Castle on the Hill, the long fight over building a highway through Malibu and the early Malibu Movie Colony.

And since it’s attached to the Adamson House, it makes sense to see both during the same visit.

Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art at Pepperdine

The Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art is right on Pepperdine University’s Malibu campus and focuses on modern and contemporary art, with a special emphasis on art made in California.

Over the years, the museum has hosted exhibitions featuring artists including Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Richard Diebenkorn, Larry Bell and Dale Chihuly, along with rotating exhibitions from its own collection.

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