Rancho Los Cerritos Foundation

Rancho Los Cerritos (RLC) is a 4.7-acre historic site and museum in Long Beach with a historic 1844 adobe home and gardens. We provide low to no-cost immersive educational programs that weave together history, the arts, and STEAM learning initiatives for Pre-K through College-level students and visitors of all ages. In 2022, Rancho Los Cerritos served over 130,000 virtual and in-person visitors through our programs.

The Rancho is a significant cultural heritage institution that documents and interprets the lives of people who have occupied the greater Long Beach area for over 5,000 years. Knowledge and access to the local history play an essential role in a person's level of community engagement and can be a catalyst for positive change by reducing barriers and enabling discovery. This access to history is crucial for promoting social justice, reconciliation, and a more just and inclusive future.

Recognized by the City of Long Beach as an essential resource for our community's health and well-being, RLC provides five acres of a protected natural environment that offer accessible green spaces for visitors. We encourage visitors to interact with nature, which correlates with reduced depression, anxiety, and stress and offers measurable mental and physical health benefits.

Our "living exhibits," which include a native garden, orchard, and historic trees, are a part of our environmental conservation efforts that also protect the natural habitat for migrating wildlife. Rancho Los Cerritos is completing Looking Back to Advance Forward, an innovative, onsite water re-capture and reuse project that will create opportunities to address today's critical issues of climate change, environmental justice, and water conservation.

Your support during Long Beach Gives will help the Rancho continue to provide low-cost/no-cost immersive educational programs, maintain our historic adobe home and gardens, and fund critical environmental initiatives. Your donations will enable us to provide a place of respite and rejuvenation for our visitors, a learning environment for students, a habitat for our wildlife, and a place for the Long Beach community to gather and connect with their local history.

Testimonials

"I had the pleasure of being Assistant Camp Manager for the Rancho's summer camp, and it was an experience I will always treasure. It was a delight to see how many campers enjoyed the activities that were planned while also making friends and learning something new. The camp also gives teen volunteers the chance to grow their leadership skills in a helpful and warm environment. I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to work for the Rancho since it has taught me so much about what it means to be a thoughtful, inclusive, and responsible leader. I am hopeful summer camp will be able to continue in years to come since I've seen it positively impact the community in so many ways!" - Sara Steichen, Getty Education Intern

"Thank you for providing such a beautiful space to enjoy the sunshine with my kids free of charge!" - Anonymous visitor

"Roots" at Rancho Los Cerritos was moving. It made me realize how many "homes" I have. My ancestral home of Guanajuato, Mexico. My childhood home of Boyle Heights in Los Angeles. My chosen home of Long Beach. And the home in my heart that was wherever my mama was and now is wherever my children are." - Anonymous, Exhibition Visitor

"I love this ranch as though it were my own, the history, the smell, the nostalgia, everything here is serene." - Anonymous, garden visitor

"I felt at peace in the gardens. Like something magical was about to happen. It was a really cool and amazing experience." Anonymous, garden visitor

"A refreshing dip into the past, enlightened by a fabulous garden and the context to take it all in." Anonymous visitor

"Wonderful garden, hidden from the city, magic locus and historic refuge for insight & meditation." Anonymous visitor

"Thank you for the amazing experience! <3 We will definitely visit again soon! I loved the place so much that I recommended it to my friends and family on social media :)." Anonymous visitor

"It was really enjoyable and a new experience! Was definitely more than what I expected and got to know more about the Adobe, the garden, and the wildlife within it! Which more there were more plants and flowers by the picnic tables to enjoy!" Anonymous visitor

"A beautiful place with so much rich history! I appreciated the explanations around both the site and the plants." Anonymous visitor

"The activities [for Long Ago Long Beach] are definitely the highlight of the program. They give the students an opportunity to engage, share their creativity, and learn new skills. Most of the students are excited about the 'Take-Home' activities. The prize helps in motivating them to turn them in. I have been taking a look at them and the students have been doing a good job in responding to them and getting parents involved...