About Filoli

Year Constructed

1917

Year Opened to the Public

1977

Property Acres

654

House and Garden Acres

16

Our Mission

To connect our rich history with a vibrant future through beauty, nature and shared stories.

Our Vision

We envision a time when all people honor nature, value unique experiences and appreciate beauty in everyday life.

We acknowledge that Filoli is located on the unceded ancestral homeland of the Ramaytush Ohlone people who are the original inhabitants of the San Francisco Peninsula.

Filoli is collaborating with members of the Ohlone community to create a detailed land acknowledgement, programming, and narratives that honor and accurately reflect past and present Indigenous communities. We are grateful for their participation through this ongoing process.

“I feel I see dear old Filoli going up inch by inch . . . I realize more and more, as I look for things to go in it what a huge place it is . . .”
– Agnes Bourn to Willis Polk
June 29, 1916, London

Explore Filoli

Located 30 miles south of San Francisco, Filoli is nestled on a slope of the Santa Cruz Mountains and surrounded by more than 23,000 acres of the protected Peninsula watershed. To the two families who lived here, Filoli represented a desire to create a magnificent and enduring country estate. Today, Filoli’s mission is to connect our rich history with a vibrant future through beauty, nature, and shared stories.

 

Before Filoli

Before becoming a country estate, Filoli was home to ranchers, settlers, and the Indigenous Ohlone people

The people

Learn more about the people who made Filoli home, from the family to the staff. 

The Garden

Exquisitely beautiful and ever-changing, the Garden at Filoli offer visitors the chance to learn about the estate’s renowned horticulture practices or to simply enjoy the beauty.

The House

Filoli's historic House stands as California’s most triumphant example of the Georgian Revival tradition and is one of the finest remaining country estates of the early 20th century.

The Estate

Filoli spans over 654-acres and 5 distinct ecosystems. The land has been home to many different people, animals and plants that you can learn about here.

Exhibits

Check out the unique exhibits you can see during your visit.

Mr. Bourn arrived at the unusual name “Filoli” by combining the first two letters from the key words of his credo:

Fight for a just cause.
Love your fellow man.
Live a good life.

Filoli stands opposed to systemic and institutional racism, learn more about our actions for racial justice

More Information

More Information
Filoli Code of Ethics
2019 - 2023 Strategic Plan
2020 Annual Report
2020 Independent Auditor's Report
2020 990 Form

AAM Accreditation

Filoli has achieved accreditation by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM), the highest national recognition afforded the nation’s museums. Accreditation signifies excellence to the museum community, to governments, funders, outside agencies, and to the museum-going public.

 

Historic Status Recognition:

National Register of Historic Places, Designation Number 75000479

California State Historic Landmark, Designation Number 907

AAM Pledge of Excellence

Filoli has taken the American Alliance of Museums’ Pledge of Excellence