Electric House

Huell takes a trip to The French Garden in downtown Los Angeles, but this time he brings along two very special lunch dates: silver screen legends Ann Rutherford and Anne Jeffreys.

UPDATE: After 15 years in business, the restaurant closed its doors on May 24, 2013.

Ann Rutherford passed away on June 11, 2012. KCET re-aired "The Two Anns" on June 27 with a newly recorded introduction in which Huell remembers his late friend.

Huell watches two California carpenters at work.

In 1945, J. Paul Getty acquired his Malibu retreat which now includes a Romanesque gallery full of priceless art. Huell also tours the propety's historically-accurate Ancient Roman crop garden.

Huell visits the Mission Tiki Drive-In movie theater and learns about its unique history.

Huell travels to Chico to join the celebration of the arrival of thousands of waterfowl that come from the north to spend their winters in the temperate North Valley climate. Snow Geese, Tundra Swans, Sandhill Cranes, Pintail Ducks and many more, fill the rice fields and wildlife refuges throughout the area. The Snow Goose Festival has grown to be one of the major Birding and Wildlife events in the state of California and you'll be amazed at the shear beauty of this spectacle.

Join Huell as he gets a special tour from Bill Mann, a.k.a. “Short Fuse” and learns about the Lucerne Valley’s rich mining history.

Huell gets a special tour of a California icon: the Catalina Casino. It has been the focal point of Santa Catalina since it opened over eighty years ago on May 29, 1929. Completely restored just a few years ago, the ballroom retains its original romantic style -- with beautiful rose-hued walls, an arching, fifty-foot ceiling and five Tiffany chandeliers.

Huell heads to Whittier and comes across company that specializes in Polynesian decor. Carved wood tikis, thatch umbrellas, and bamboo fencing, which look as though they've come straight from the South Pacific, are just a few of the items they have on hand.

Huell gets a tour of the Santa Barbara ranch home of President Ronald Reagan and his wife, Nancy, who named it Rancho del Cielo. Huell hears stories about the historic events that took place there, as well as more personal stories from a former secret service agent assigned to President Reagan.

Huell has the adventure of a lifetime, skydiving with the world-famous U.S. Army Golden Knights.

Huell's off to Yosemite National Park where he walks the newly rehabilitated trails to the base of Yosemite Falls, the highest waterfall in North America.

Huell visits the Upper Newport Bay to see what is being done to keep this area green for everyone to enjoy.

Huell sets off from where the Sacramento and American River meet on a bike ride along the beautiful 23-mile American River Parkway. 

Huell visits a massive archeological site with millions of fossils dating from the Miocene Epoch, 15 million years ago. Kern County was once at the bottom of a huge sea filled with massive prehistoric sharks called megladons which were as big as city busses and fed on whales. Sharktooth Hill is literally covered with fossilized shark teeth. Huell also visits the Buena Vista Museum, which houses amazing archeological finds recovered from Sharktooth Hill.

The Hearst Ranch began with the first purchase of land by George Hearst in 1865 and is the largest privately owned working cattle ranch on the California coast. Now, through a historic conservation plan, at least 18 miles of coastline including close to 1,500 acres will be available for use by all Californians.

Huell hears about the future of the ranch, and how all Californians will be able to enjoy its scenic vistas and learn about this critical wildlife habitat.

Skimboarding is a sport similar to surfing. The skimboarder stands about 20 feet from the ocean, with board in hand, and waits for a wave. When they see a wave, they run towards it, drop the board, and jump onto it as quickly as possible. Once on the board, the skimmer must remain stable to make the transition to the ocean. S/he then (hopefully) glides out into the ocean toward the oncoming wave, banks off of it, and rides it back into shore. Huell travels to Laguna to watch some locals show how its done.

The Carrizo Plain is a southerly extension of the San Juan Valley, about 20 miles southwest of Bakersfield. Its 250,000 acres allow visitors to imagine what much of California was like 300 years ago. Huell learns about its rare plants and animals, as well as its human history.

Huell spends a day in Orange County for a tour of historic San Juan Capistrano. We begin at the town’s Mission for an up-close look at the largest stone structure west of the Mississippi: The Great Stone Church, as well as the building’s magnificent gardens and gold-leaf altar. Next, it’s off to Los Rios Street, the oldest residential street in California. Los Rios is a place where its people both “live and work,” and every home is on the historic register. Huell enjoys lunch with the Rios family, who have occupied a 1794 adobe house for 10 generations and counting!

Huell rides into Mexico on the famous Tecate Train.

Huell visits the Whitewater Preserve located just off the 10 freeway near Palm Springs. This amazing oasis contains 2,851 acres surrounded by the Bureau of Land Management San Gorgonio Wilderness and is part of the Wildlands Conservancy’s 33,000-acre Sand to Snow Preserve System. Included is and old trout farm and lodge that have been transformed into a visitor facility. There is also a picnic area, group campground, and a trailhead that is only a half-mile from the Pacific Crest Trail in the San Gorgonio Wilderness.

Huell’s off to the San Francisco Bay area to learn about the largest train ferry ever built. The Solano train ferry shuttled trains and passengers back and forth between Port Costa and Benicia. It once served as a vital link in the Central Pacific and and later the Southern Pacific Railroad Lines.

Huell meets up with Harry Medved, author of "Hollywood Escapes," a book about movie locations in California. Harry tells Huell all about the long history of Leo Carrillo State Beach, and why it is probably the most filmed beach in the world.

Huell travels to Orange County to the Starr Ranch Sanctuary. He gets a special tour of the facility and takes a close look at their “Owl Cam”. Starr Ranch Sanctuary is a 4,000 acre preserve owned and operated by the National Audubon Society. It is located in the foothills of the Santa Ana Mountains in southeastern Orange County, California, approximately 60 miles southeast of Los Angeles.

There have been gardens on the island of Alcatraz since the days of the Civil War. People have always found a way to coax things of beauty from this windswept and desolate place. Inmates of the “Rock” found it especially nice to get out in the fresh air and tend to the gardens.

After many years for neglect, the Gardens Conservancy and the Golden Gate National Recreation Area have begun a multi million-dollar restoration of the gardens. Huell gets a special look at this almost forgotten part of our history.

Huell and a group of schoolchildren go back in time to the early 1800s, when the day's chores included blacksmithing, cow-roping, and winemaking. He looks inside the ranch and home of San Fernando Valley businessman Miguel Leonis -- a hidden treasure that was nearly demolished in the 1960s and has since become the state's number one historical landmark.

Once owned by famous Hollywood move star Leo Carrillo, Los Quiotes is a 27-acre historic park in the lovely town of Carlsbad. It contains and protects many of the original historic structures and outbuildings associated with Leo Carrillo’s use of the ranch. This ranch was Leo’s way to escape the hustle and bustle of Hollywood and a place for he and his wife to “get away”. This beautiful ranch eventually fell off the radar and was almost lost forever, until a group of concerned citizens stepped in.

Visit The Richard Nixon Library and Birthplace with Huell and first daughter Julie Nixon Eisenhower, as she gives a private and personal tour of the farmhouse where her dad was born and raised. During this informal tour, Julie talks about her father's memories of growing up in this simple, wooden home that used to be in the middle of a huge orange grove. It is a rare personal insight into the 37th President's early California years, and an authentic piece of California's Gold.

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Obama described Occidental as "a wonderful, small liberal arts college. The professors were diverse and inspiring. I ended up making some lifelong friendships there, and those first two years really helped me grow up." Who knew that the next president of the United States had such a formative connection to California?   Join Huell as he gets the Presidential tour of Occidental College in Eagle Rock, where Barack Obama spent his Freshman and Sophomore years.

For almost 40 years, Stan's Corner Donut Shop of Westwood, California, has baked the world's most gourmet donuts. From a Cinnamon Chocolate Cheese Danish to an Apple Fritter to a Reese's Peanut Butter Pocket with fresh banana. Stan's offers donuts you will find nowhere else in the world.

In this episode, Huell visits the historic William S. Hart Park and Museum in Newhall.

It's creepy crawly day on "Visiting With Huell Howser." Huell stops by the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County during the 22nd Annual Bug Fair — the largest event of its kind in North America. We explore the world of insects and get close-up looks at spiders and scorpions, butterflies and bats. Over 60 vendors were on hand with entomological equipment and supplies, artwork, toys, and more.

Huell heads to Northern California, near Redding, to visit Whiskeytown National Recreation Area and hears all about this new and improved state park. Most exciting is the recent discovery of an enormous 400 foot waterfall, which was hidden on private property until 2006. Huell talks to the ranger who made the discovery and together, they explore the freshly cut trail that has been made for everyone to enjoy this gorgeous "new" waterfall.

Who knew that an obscure mini-mall in Glassell Park could serve up such tasty, authentic Polish food? Huell talks to Andrew and Katherine Dabrowski at Polka, their warm and welcoming restaurant that dishes up coveted, but hard-to-find Eastern European cuisine in Los Angeles.

Join Huell as he visits the magnificently restored Camarillo Ranch, which was named for “the last Spanish Don”, Adolfo Camarillo, who assumed ownership of the gigantic 10,000 acre ranch in 1880 at the age of 16. The city of Camarillo is named after the charismatic and successful Adolfo, who is known for having bred white horses. Huell takes a special tour of the ranch and “La Casa Grande,” the 6,000 sq. foot Queen Anne Victorian Camarillo built for his wife, Isabella.

Huell looks at two little known downtown attractions: the Grier Musser Museum and the San Antonio Winery, the last remaining winery in downtown Los Angeles.

Huell tours the Glendale office of Classic Arts Showcase, a free cable T.V. program comprised of video samples from the worlds of ballet, opera and theater. This program is the vision of philanthropist Lloyd Rigler, who practiced the cost-effective use of resources in order to achieve the greatest good.