On the first Saturday or Sunday of most months this year, the gate at 905 Loma Vista Drive opens to anyone willing to show up and walk the first floor of the mansion for free. That is the standing arrangement at Greystone Mansion & Gardens: The Doheny Estate, the city-owned park above Sunset built as a Tudor Revival estate during Beverly Hills' original building boom. Residents who have made a habit of that self-guided walk-through should check the November schedule. The ticketed floral exhibition overlaps with the first Sunday, but ends before the first Saturday.
Greystone has belonged to the city since 1965 and has carried a spot on the National Register of Historic Places since 1976. It is 55 rooms and 46,000 square feet, designed by architect Gordon B. Kaufmann and built for Edward "Ned" Doheny Jr. in the late 1920s. Public ownership is what makes the free version of the mansion possible at all. It is also why the calendar can get crowded: a city park that also functions as a rentable event estate ends up running two schedules at once, and this fall both are full.
The One Free Day a Month
The baseline program is called Inside the Mansion. The first floor of the house and its restored theatre are open for a self-guided walk-through on the first Saturday or Sunday of the month, January through November. No ticket, no reservation beyond showing up during the window. It is a straightforward way to stand in rooms that have appeared in decades of film and television work.
That program does not run in December at all. The free walk-through does not pick back up until the following January, exhibition or no exhibition. Anyone timing a visit around the calendar year needs to know that gap exists independent of anything else on the schedule.
Five Bookings in Nine Weeks
Between mid-September and late November, five separate items land on Greystone's calendar. Some are free and open to the public. Some require a ticket. One isn't open to the public at all.
| Date | Event | Access |
|---|---|---|
| Sept. 19 | The city's annual celebration of nature, with an open call for poetry submissions | Free, public |
| Sept. 23 | An Evening With the Mayor: the Beverly Hills State of the City address, hosted by the Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce | Chamber event, not general admission |
| Fall (undated) | Gatsby Redux, a site-specific performance by Mixed eMotion Theatrix inspired by The Great Gatsby | Ticketed |
| Oct. 28 to Nov. 4 | Fleur de Villes: HBO's The Gilded Age, a fresh floral mannequin exhibition built around the HBO series | Ticketed |
| Nov. 22 | The Best Kept Secret Tour, a self-guided walk-through of the 55-room house run by Friends of Greystone | Ticketed, $20 |
The dated events run from Sept. 19 through Nov. 22, a span of nine weeks; Gatsby Redux is listed for fall but has no specific date.
November's Free Tour and the Exhibition
November's first Sunday is Nov. 1, and its first Saturday is Nov. 7. The Fleur de Villes floral exhibition runs from Oct. 28 through Nov. 4, overlapping with Nov. 1 but not Nov. 7. The monthly program is described as taking place on the first Saturday or Sunday, so those exhibition dates alone do not establish whether November's free tour is unavailable.
That overlap doesn't touch September or October. September's free weekend lands on Sept. 5 or 6, well ahead of both the nature celebration on the 19th and the State of the City address on the 23rd. October's free weekend lands on Oct. 3 or 4, three and a half weeks before Fleur de Villes opens. Check the November tour schedule before planning a free walk-through.
The Fall Events and Their Formats
The five events have different formats and access. The nature celebration and the State of the City address are organized through the city or the Chamber of Commerce. Fleur de Villes is a licensed floral installation built around an HBO series. The Best Kept Secret Tour is a $20 ticket for a self-guided tour organized by Friends of Greystone, which offers a dedicated date and historic photographs on display alongside the walk through the house.
Beverly Hills residents can book the mansion for weddings and private events up to 11 months in advance, a full month ahead of the 10-month window given to non-residents. The fall calendar also includes ticketed, third-party programming.
Planning Around It
- Free entry, no ticket: the first Saturday or Sunday of September or October 2026. Check the November tour schedule: Fleur de Villes overlaps with Nov. 1 but ends before Nov. 7.
- The floral exhibition: tickets for Fleur de Villes cover Oct. 28 through Nov. 4, and the mansion's own site lists ticket information directly.
- A quieter, paid alternative: the Best Kept Secret Tour on Nov. 22 covers similar ground to the free program, self-guided through the first floor, for $20 through Friends of Greystone.
- Photography: posed or commercial photography, including engagement and family photos, requires a permit on any visit, free or ticketed.
- December: there is no self-guided program at all. The free version returns in January.
Anyone who treats Greystone as a routine, once-a-month stop should check the November tour schedule before planning a visit. The exhibition dates alone do not confirm whether the free walk-through is available.
If you're weighing what a landmark like Greystone means for property values or timing a move near Beverly Hills' hillside parks, Joseph Babajian has spent more than two decades reading exactly these kinds of local details. Reach out for a conversation grounded in the neighborhood, not just the listing.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
