If you have been meaning to see the trolls before they leave, how much time do you actually have?
That is the only question worth asking about South Coast Botanic Garden right now, because the honest answer is: less than you think for one of the three things currently running there, and more than you think for the other two. The Garden has spent the summer running three separate ticketed programs at once, which is unusual even by its own standards, and by the end of August that number drops to two. Anyone who has lived near the Garden for a while knows it cycles through headline exhibits on a fairly predictable rhythm. What's less obvious, unless you're checking the calendar closely, is that this particular overlap of Thursdays, trolls and butterflies doesn't happen again this year.
The Sunset Series Has Two Thursdays Left
The Sunset Series, the Garden's after-hours Thursday night concert program at the Upper Meadow, launched June 4 and closes August 27. That means as of this week, there are exactly two Thursdays remaining: August 20 and August 27.
Doors open at 5:30 p.m. for general admission and 5 p.m. for VIP ticket holders. General tickets run $18 for members and $21 for the general public, with VIP access priced at $38 and $42. The series has leaned into themed nights all summer, opening with Mark Wood and the Parrot Head Band on June 4 and running through a Madonna and Blondie tribute night in July featuring Heart of Blonde and Material Girl. If your Thursday evenings have quietly become a Garden habit this summer, this is the closing stretch, not the middle of it.
| What | When | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Sunset Series (remaining) | Thursdays, Aug. 20 and Aug. 27 | $18 members / $21 general, $38 / $42 VIP |
| Troll Trek guided tour | Saturdays and Sundays, 12:30 and 2:30 p.m. | $12 members / $33 non-members, includes general admission |
| Troll Trek Mobility Ride | Thursdays and Saturdays, 3:30 p.m. | $12 members / $33 non-members |
The Trolls Have Seven Weeks, Not Seven Months
Thomas Dambo's TROLLS: A Field Study opened at the Garden on March 1 as the exhibit's West Coast premiere, and it closes October 4. Twelve troll sculptures, each built entirely from reclaimed wood, are tucked into different corners of the Garden's 87 acres. This is the Danish artist's second time bringing his work to South Coast Botanic Garden, following an earlier visit in 2023, and this round features an entirely new set of characters led by a troll named Taks.
The exhibit is included with general admission, so anyone walking the Garden's paths this month will run into the trolls without buying a separate ticket. If you want the guided version, the Troll Trek runs Saturdays and Sundays at 12:30 and 2:30 p.m., priced at $12 for members and up to $33 for non-members, general admission included. For anyone who finds the Garden's terrain difficult to navigate on foot, there's also a Troll Trek Mobility Ride on Thursdays and Saturdays at 3:30 p.m., same pricing, reservable by phone.
"We couldn't be more excited to welcome more trolls to our 87 acres."
That's how Adrienne Nakashima, the Garden's CEO, described the return engagement when the exhibit opened this spring. Seven months sounds like a long runway when an exhibit opens in March. By mid-August, it's a seven-week window, and it closes on the same date as the Garden's other headline attraction this season.
The Butterflies Leave the Same Day as the Trolls
SOAR: Tropical Butterflies, now in its sixth year at the Garden, also wraps on October 4. The pavilion lets visitors walk among free-flying tropical butterfly species in an enclosed, floral setting, and it's included with general admission the same way the trolls are. The Garden confirmed both closing dates in its own season announcement earlier this month, which lines up the trolls and the butterflies to leave on the exact same day.
That's worth noting for anyone planning a single visit around both. There's no reason to make two separate trips this fall if you've been putting one off. After October 4, only one of these two headline draws is gone until the Garden's next major exhibit rotation.
What's Left When October Arrives
Once the trolls and the butterflies close, the Garden doesn't go quiet. Monthly Dog Walking Hours continue on the last Sunday of every month, a lower-key recurring option that runs year-round regardless of what's currently on exhibit. And the Garden has already confirmed what replaces the summer lineup: Dinosaurs Around the World: The Great Outdoors returns November 7, bringing back ten life-sized animatronic dinosaurs, including the Tyrannosaurus rex from its debut run last year, along with a handful of new prehistoric additions and an interactive photo setup.
So the shape of the next few months is fairly clear. Right now, in mid-August, you can still catch all three: two more Thursday concerts, guided troll tours on weekends, and the butterfly pavilion any day of the week. By early September, the Sunset Series is done and it's down to trolls and butterflies. By early October, both of those wrap and the Garden holds steady on dog walks alone until dinosaurs take over in November.
A Practical Note for the Next Seven Weeks
A few things worth knowing if you're planning around any of this:
- General admission covers both the trolls and the butterflies. Neither requires a separate ticket unless you want the guided Troll Trek experience.
- The Troll Trek and Troll Trek Mobility Ride share the same pricing, so the choice between them comes down to terrain and mobility, not cost.
- Sunset Series tickets are separate from general daytime admission, since the series runs as its own after-hours event at the Upper Meadow.
- The Garden is owned by Los Angeles County, but every exhibit and program is run by the nonprofit South Coast Botanic Garden Foundation, which is worth knowing if you're deciding where a membership or donation actually goes.
None of this requires a special occasion. It's the kind of thing that fits into a Thursday evening after work or a Saturday morning before the heat sets in, which is probably why so many people who live nearby treat the Garden as a rotating backdrop rather than a once-a-year destination. The rotation just happens to be unusually full right now, and unusually finite.
If you've been putting off a visit because it felt like there was plenty of time left, this is the month where that stops being true for at least one part of it.
For those of you thinking beyond this season's exhibit calendar and toward what else the Palos Verdes Estates community offers day to day, from its schools to its coastline to its quieter residential streets, Gayle Probst has spent years getting to know this Peninsula block by block. If a question about the neighborhood ever turns into a question about buying or selling here, reach out to schedule a complimentary market consultation or call for a free home valuation.
