Legendary actor, humorist, columnist and cowboy Will Rogers lived with his family (his wife, Betty, and their three children, Will Jr., Mary and Jim) in a 31-room ranch house on the 186-acre property. Tours of the family's home are available Thursdays and Fridays, at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., and 2 p.m. and on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., on the top of the hour. Docents share stories about Rogers and talk about his art collection featuring notables Charles Russell and Edward Borein.
Today when I arrived at the park, I saw children kicking around soccer balls, throwing Frisbees and playing croquet on the large grassy lawn near Rogers' ranch house, while couples talked quietly over their picnic spreads.
Along my hike, I spotted six deer grazing next to Rogers' old horse stables. I took my time to appreciate this opportunity to see wildlife.
Once I reached Inspiration Point, I could see all the way to downtown Los Angeles, Century City, Santa Monica and Catalina Island. I have heard that Will Rogers often rode his horse to this very point.
This park, located at 1501 Will Rogers State Park Rd., is a peaceful getaway.
