In the mood for some peafowl and perfection? Spring is the ideal time to go wandering through the L.A. County Arboretum & Botanic Garden.

Tucked into the hills of the San Gabriel Mountains, this sprawling horticultural and botanical center (127 acres, to be exact) offers a fanciful destination for bloom and bird loving Angelinos. Not only are the gardens bursting with enticing colors and aromas, but you may even be lucky enough to witness a peacock unfolding his stunning rainbow tail in pursuit of a lady hen. The good number of peafowl about were introduced by the former estate's owner- silver magnate "Lucky" Baldwin. In addition to really liking peacocks, this guy also liked horse racing...enough so to be solely responsible for bringing horse racing to Southern California. In fact, you can see the Santa Anita racetrack from the gardens.

The Arboretum features flora from every continent and beautiful historical buildings, not to mention a vast array of horticultural-related expositions, classes and events. Check out their website, www.arboretum.org, for more information on neat opportunities like Ikebana and tomato tastings.

LOCATION: 301 North Baldwin Avenue, Arcadia, CA, 91007.

PHONE: 626-821-3222

HOURS: Open daily from 9:00 am - 5:00 pm; admission closes at 4:30 pm.

ADMISSION: $7, $5 Students & Seniors, Kids $2.50/Free under 5

Tip: Admission is free every third Tuesday from 9am to 4:30pm.