Edward-Dean Museum & Gardens

Very small museum, but what attracted me was the amazing exhibit. They were showing Mughal Islamic manuscripts from the 10^th-​18^th century. The curator had an immense pool of knowledge and i was very impressed. The gardens are beautiful. Worth a visit.

Great little out of the way museum. We had a great docent but we went a couple weeks ago so I don’t remember his name. We went here for our 10^th anniversary (along with a couple other places & hotel stay). Nice gardens & grounds. It may be a little warm in the full heat of summer though. Looks like a great place for a wedding also. I love little museums like this & especially with the nice docent we had it was great. They were remodeling one room for an exhibit that had just ended & it is a little small (takes 1 – 2 hours to see all of it) but a nice air conditioned place to visit.

What a lovely museum in the midst of exurban Riverside County’s Cherry Valley! Lived and worked here for nine years and am sorry to have never visited prior to yesterday’s opening of Cabinets of Curiosity (admission, normally $ 5.00 per person, is free during the exhibition opening!).
The Edward-​Dean is named after the first names of the same-​sex couple who founded the museum. Helpful docents explained that the two gentlemen passed themselves off as brothers during the inhospitable-​to-​gays ‘40s to ‘60s. They were collectors with an antiques shop in Beverly Hills that catered to such Hollywood elite as Sinatra, Hope, etc. Previously, they purchased an amazing set of wood paneling for William Randolph Hearst that the later gave to his mistress, Marion Davies. On her death, Hearst purchased the paneling and, in turn, gave it to the museum founders!
Of interest are the priceless, exquisite Chinese ancestral paintings, religious artifacts from Asia, Europe, and the Americas. Be sure to visit the original basement with its paintings, furniture, and sculptures. The docents encourage childrens’ ‘questions.
Visit the quaint museum shop where I found three fabulous Chinese vases, one of which was reported hand carried out of China, the koi pond, and enjoy the artful gems!

It was very beautiful and everything, but the air conditioning in the building was terrible. The acoustics weren’t very good either. But other than that we threw a pretty good bash lol

Rude rude rude staff. I spoke with them and was told they were holding my wedding date for two weeks. a week later I called and found out that they had given my date to someone else. later on I found out they had a cancellation and once again went to put my deposit down. I was planning with them for weeks and when it came time to put my deposit down I found out they raised the prices without telling me. I was then told that I made up my entire story even though I had exact times and dates and names of what I was told. they refused to keep the price they had quoted me and were very rude. I would never suggest this venue for a wedding.ever.

BEST WEDDING VENUE in Southern California!
My husband and I absolutely LOVED Edward Dean Museum and Legacy Garden! The grounds are gorgeous, the staff (which i believe has changed since that first review) is friendly and helpful, the referred vendors are amazing. All in all, this was the very best place to have our wedding ceremony and celebration and we couldn’t be happier with EVERYTHING. Our day was perfect — thanks to Edward Dean Museum and Garden, their staff and their referred vendors!

This was a small museum and garden. Based on the website I expected a bit more. Friendly staff but it was very obvious that my children made them nervous. She gave them a very polite lecture about not sitting on the furniture or touching anything. I wanted to tell her that they have heard that same lecture a zillion times and this is probably their 150^th museum in their lifetime and they know the drill, but I was polite and restrained myself.
Ok back to the museum itself. Inexpensive, $ 3 for adults, Seniors and Students are $ 2, Kids 12 and under are free. So $ 3 for the three of us was a good sign right away. Their was one exhibit from a local painter and then two floors which were a replica of homes from the 1800’s. Very interesting collection of pieces from around the world.
A docent quickly joined are party, probably to make sure my kids were good. I enjoyed her background on the pieces. But I know my kids would have had a better time if we had been free to roam by ourselves. I know when to change the conversation and how to get them interested, she went a little more then they wanted to hear and spoke more to me then to the kids, which is never what I want.
The gardens were lacking but they were clearly working on many of the areas and I am sure in the spring it is a very beautiful setting. We spent less then 90 mins at the museum which was plenty of time to see everything. I wouldn’t go out of my way to see this place, but if you are within a 30 min drive then it is worth checking out. Maybe take a grandma, they would love a place like this.