Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens

If youre interested in learning more about San Clemente, this is the place to come. This cultural center was once home to the founder of San Clemente. It is a Spanish style building built in 1927, located beautifully overlooking the San Clemente Pier in the close distance. There are several pieces of artwork and historical clippings throughout. The landscape provides a peaceful setting against the ocean backdrop. Casa Romantica provides several types of activities such as lectures, theatre, workshops, yoga and a wonderful place to hold a small celebration.

Two words, AWESOME VIEW. Took my wife and daughter and they loved the view and all the butterflies flying around. If your in the San Clemente area this place is a place to visit and break out your cell phone for the Incredible vista.

Casa Romantica was the home of the founder of San Clemente. It cost $5 for a self-guided tour.It is difficult to picture the building as a home, as the rooms have been re-purposed. Ole Hanson had 10 children and there were only 2 bedrooms. The bedrooms have been re-purposed, one as a library. But, dont let this deter you from a visit. The property has exhibits that tell of the history of Los Angeles, Venice (California), and San Clemente. There are exhibits with information on the surfing culture. I am a native Southern Californian and I learned things I never new. The exhibits are short and sweet, which prevents one from getting bored.The home has breathtaking views. Native gardens surround the home. We were fortunate to visit on the same day as the Orange County Model A club. We enjoyed looking at the cars and talking with the owners.There is a free parking lot, plus parking on the street. One can walk to the pier from the location. We enjoyed our visit, but once is probably enough.

The house and garden is really amazing! It is a perfect place to have a little hangout with friends, photo shoot or even wedding ceremony!However, I didn’t appreciate that we were force to “donate” at the entrance.I would not have mind giving a 5-8$ donation to help care for the place, but being forced to “donate” 10$ feels different for just a little outdoor tour.Because of covid, the “museum” part was closed. So it just seemed to be kind of pricey for just being able to look at the view.(which is amazing I have to admit)I enjoy donating, but not when it is “forced” on us, and especially when it feels like we can’t walk in without a donation.Lots of cultural center like this place don’t force you to donate, and I really felt pressured by the lady. Which gave me a very bad first vibe entering the place.Besides this, it is a really wonderful place that is worth the time to stop by! :)

Though not much to see inside and also they seem to be preparing for some kind of reception for later on, but it had a beautiful ocean view at the back. $5 dollars entrance fee.

Beautiful, peaceful, historic with killer ocean views. Great musical and cultural events in a luxurious small venue. Couldnt find anything better than this. !!!!

Beautiful house from days past. Butterfly garden was amazing! Gourgeous place to have a wedding.

Beautiful place, we loved it and we got to see a proposal today. We loved the gardens

Come explore the garden walkway and view. Gorgeous backyard view of beach and pier. $5 ADMISSION. Stay as long as you like to enjoy the scenery and fresh air.

Great day for a great President Trump rally! Great turn out! Win win win never tired of winning!

Amazing spot. Worth the visit just for the views. The house is incredible. Lovely architecture and gardens. Enjoy coffee at the cafe open on weekends!

This place is simply gorgeous! Panoramic ocean views and beautifully manicured garden areas make it a great backdrop for pictures. They were prepping for an event when I was there. A must see!

A great combination of history, art, architecture and spectacular views. The residence of former San Clemente mayor turned into an art museum and organization venue. They offer coffee days in collaboration with Bear Coast coffee every Saturday of the month. The place can be rented out for weddings and events. The sunset views must be wonderful. The grounds are well maintained a great way to spend few hours day dreaming what the life must be once upon a time here

Really cool hidden spot. They have a lot of history about the town (spoiler alert: this was the home of the guy who started the town).Spend the time to walk around outside and read all the signs. Like the one that talks about how much surf boards weighed back then..... Crazy!!

This is such a pretty place. Its a nice quiet walk-around. Beautiful gardens. History/photos to read about the area. The views of the ocean are stunning. Friendly people to discuss the history of the center. Well maintained. A nice stop. Potentially limited parking, but Ive never had a problem.

Sea view is an amazing place, cute plants and fresh air!

A beautiful piece of recent history. Amazing views. Only problem was the greeters did not wear masks.

Good food, nice ambience. Really friendly helpers.

I love the place but something reminds me of my past there.

The Best Views of the California Coast and Plant Life Species available here in California in Full Bloom

Have always wanted to go here and we finally made it! Super beautiful home with so much history and great views. This would make an amazing wedding venue. Only $5 entrance fee (as of August 2017).

Well worth finding this treasure! Self guided touring gives you plenty of time and access to get a good understanding of who built it, history of the home and the area, not to mention fabulous views and a spectacular home. Dont miss the gift shop too!

Beautiful place but since you cant really tour the house, the admission price is way too much....................k

Beautiful view and the museum aspect offers great photos and much about the history of this area of SoCal!

This place is beyond beautiful! The views are mesmerizing! Its truly a jewel.

A nice historical house with ocean view

La Cristianita historical plaque inscription:Two miles inland from this point, in Los Cristianitos Valley, the first Christian baptism in Alta California was performed by Padre Francisco Gómez, a member of the Portolá Expedition, in 1769.California Historical Landmark number 652.

Exceeded my expectations. Really interesting history on Los Angeles history as well as local San Clemente founding. Nice little afternoon hang spot, bring a coffee, relax and enjoy the views.

Cool place in san clemente to spend a half day at, right by the ocean, has some history, art, culture, then we walked to the shops

I love this place. Can learn so much about the history of SC. take your granny to read a book in the nice winter sunlight and great veiws foe the ocean ... i can stay there forever !

Unmatched beauty, earliest California history, great labeled plant collection, birds, and so many butterflys. And, nice selection of seeds available too.

Beautiful house with great views! I guess people can rent it out for weddings.

Docent lead tour was very informative. This is a beautiful former residence. Gardens & art display are engaging. Fine staff in every area.

The view here is breathtaking its so serene I was just in a movie here

Botanical gardens are amazing. Views outstanding. Very nice visit gofca great price

Beautiful grounds with ocean view. Good to stroll around and then have dinner in San Clemente

Beautiful center with so much rich history, you could easily call this a museum and botanical garden. Everything is maintained quite well, and the staff are overly friendly and willing to share so much of its history. While the property itself is small, parking is abundant, and still feels spacious. Even though its just two acres, we still spent a good two hours here. We came on a weekend afternoon and it was very quiet, much to my surprise.Beware of the operating hours, however, they are not open for many hours throughout the day.

Breathtaking views will blow you away. Cant Imagine 100 years ago when the owner found this place, how excited he must have been. Also learnt that the Richard Nixon house is just down the coastline south a few miles and the two residences used the same architect. Give you a feel of what the trump tower was like back in the early seventies;)

Beautiful placeGreat views

Fascinating history. Beautiful grounds and architecture and wonderful view of the San Clemente coastline and pier!

What a great discovery! Historic architecture, stories about the founder of San Clemente, incredible views, and its all free!

Very beautiful and romantic cultural center.

Our friends had their wedding reception here and it was beautiful. Great venue with a lot of history.

Beautiful venue for the Citys Christmas party!!! Great food & drink! Highly recommend

Loved live jazz

Casa Romantica is a picturesque venue and historical site that is perfect for memorable events like weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, and similar functions. Its kid friendly and has a lot of interesting places to explore. The staff was friendly and even gave me a few extra minutes to look around because I dropped by close to closing time. This is the kind of place you hold an event at when you want people to remember it.

Came here a couple of months ago and loved visiting this beautiful home!! There is so much history behind it and love the layout of the house! The view is absolutely beautiful and incredible! Will be coming back soon with family and friends!

I have been involved with the Casa Romantica, its property and events for over a decade. The staff and leadership are part of a non-profit that directs the programming and maintains the property: they strive to offer cultural experiences that rival institutions in much larger cities in quality and kind, where one can experience the visual arts, dance, music, historical lectures, even yoga classes! Definitely worth your time and a visit!

Its a nice quiet walk-around and beautiful gardens.

Beautiful

Absolutely lovely, stunning views. Will go back for a complete tour.

It was so beautiful. I really enjoyed learning about the history of the place & the views were breathtaking. I would definitely love to go again.

Nice place to visit for an hour.

Great spot for a sunset, garden tour, kids music class and story time, and seasonal adult events!!

Local gem. Come by and see it on an open day. They have childrens book readings here as well as private events. Beautiful Spanish architecture and gardens.

Interesting venue for a brief insight to local history, but too limited as a destination.

My Seattle based parents were charmed to find a home built by the former mayor of Seattle down in sunny SoCal. Its a beautiful property, filled with neat artifacts and a small art gallery. There is a garden surrounding it and it sits on the top of a bluff making for a great view of the ocean.

Like stepping back in time... Nice gardens and a great ocean view. I enjoyed some of the old wall photos from the early 1900s.

Beautiful and historic. Great gardens and ocean views.

We were here for a wedding but we did get to experience the history of the place too. They dont close anything off so we could see all the artifacts and read all the information too. The gardens are well taken care of and have plenty of signs identifying plants and inside there are lots of cool trinkets and such. As a venue for a wedding it was beautiful and the food and drink were delicious.

Came here for a field trip with my daughters class today. Everybody enjoyed themselves very much. All of the volunteers there were very nice! We got a tour of this beautiful home, learned about the Acjachemen Native Americans, ocean reef rehabilitation & games the Hansen children got to play. We ate lunch and headed back to school. Relaxing, beautiful & fun!

Beautiful building, nice history lesson, cool old pictures. Its a garden! HELLO! Nice docent info. Go go go...

Saw a concert.. great experience

Historical gem with beautiful views of the water.

We werent there for a romantic occasion, but this place is truly beautiful. Its of history scattered everywhere: photographs, newspapers, books and artifacts from early California history. Wish I could have stayed in the reading room and spent time with some of the pages!

I can tell the grounds are just gorgeous from the outside. Only bummer was that I didnt have anyone there too look at the gardens with me. :/

How great️️

Beautiful view of the ocean and plenty room for a big get together.

When for the haunted house. It was such a wonderful time

A little piece of paradise. The staff is welcoming and the gardens are simply lovely.

Drop dead gorgeous views and gardens. The art gallery was a truly wonderful experience! My fiancee and I had the pleasure of visiting here on valentines day and we could see why they are booked as a wedding venue through 2018 already! The culture and history was truly a highlight of the Casa Romantica as well. We are from Michigan and so far this has been our #1 favorite part of the vacation.

Beautiful views and history all in one!

Beautiful place. Was more than I expected if your interested in San Clemente history you need to check it out.

This estate was the home Ole Hansen, founder of San Clemente, and his large family. I have spent quite a lot of time in San Clemente over the years and have talked with locals about Hansen about his buildings, including the city hall he built but I have never lived there, and Casa Romantic caught me completely unawares. Its absolutely beautiful c with a magnificent view of the SC beach, pier and train station. The estate would be a lovely site to host anything from a christening to funeral! Even if there is no invitation to an event, you should go.

Wonderful experience. Even with the rain drizzling down, I enjoyed the Nutcracker event. The staff is extremely friendly and welcoming. Thank you.

Beautiful venues for weddings or for an engagement photo session

Plant lovers! Go see this place, you wont regret it!!!

Superb, high class wedding venue. Located on a cliff overlooking the ocean. Beautiful architecture, competent staff - theyve done everything right. I have no idea why they are called a cultural center.

Loved the decorations tree and santa.

Cheapest fun thing to do. So much history its a must visit if you are in san clemente when they are open.

There is a mandatory $5 donation. The house is nice. Old furniture. Beautiful view. Besides the view not much to see.

Really great views of the ocean and pier. The gardens arent like magnificent but they are beautiful. The houses architecture is really stunning and its especially well preserved.

I had no idea this gem existed. A beautiful historic home overlooking the Pacific, it was a favorite of Nixons. Sort of the West Coast Mar-A-Lago of its time.The home is very Spanish in architecture. And also has a museum of the house + an art gallery with works from other artists.The gardens were my favorite part they terrace down toward the sea and have hidden benches, hundreds of kinds of plants, and beautiful views.The day we were there, they were setting up for a wedding the next day. Some of the wedding participants were practicing a scene from Othello. Just a little extra fun in an already neat experience.

Smaller, interesting garden with unusual plants, lots of butterflies, and helpful friendly staff. Right on the cliffs next to the beach of San Clemente.

We made a reservation for 8pm on 8/18/18 for movie night. After we drove 18 miles to Casa R, we were greeted by a security guard & cheesy wedding music. The security guard spoke little English & said no movie, wedding. After showing him the reservation on the phone, he took the phone & showed someone else who said theres a wedding & maybe the movie started after @ 10:30pm?Class act CR, I sure hope my tax dollars arent funding you guys.

Coolest place in sc.

Wonderful old estate, great views of San Clemente pier...even a butterfly garden!

Beautiful historical home overlooking the Pacific. Worth a visit.

Beautiful, historic site and art gallery.

Absolutely stunning ocean views. Worth the entrance fee and more. Will definitely come back...soon.

Charming Spanish style manse overlooking the Pacific. Its a perfect place for a wedding, either indoor or out.

Lovely place, and very informative

Well worth the $5.00 entry just for the views and photo ops. You can take a lunch and enjoy the views from one of the terraces. Friendly, enthusiastic volunteers. Nice place for weddings and other functions, but not cheap.

It was a great day for us. Thanks for your hospitality.

Beautiful venue. Went there for a wedding and the ceremony was beautiful. The back drop of the ocean made it a perfect setting for photos.

History of Southern California and San Clemente comes alive. Beautiful setting. Local arts in gift shop.

Haunted house was done really well! Annes the property is second to none

Great views of the coast and San Clemente pier.

Pretty. Audio tour via cell is nice. Wish there was an option to not have to hang up rt away in between areas. But otherwise pretty awesome view and experience.

Great photo spot