History lives in old houses, and in...

History lives in old houses, and in Southern California that old house is often a gracious adobe hacienda. Still being used in many countries, adobe is one of the oldest building materials in the world. It’s cheap, warm in winter, deliciously cool in summer and very soundproof. Most of the well-known adobes date from the colorful rancho days, but the youngest was built during the 1920s. All are open to the public, offering a rare opportunity to slip back into California’s romantic past.

Palomares Adobe, 491 E. Arrow Highway, Pomona, (714) 623-2198. Many of the furnishings here are original, brought to California by covered wagon. Built in 1854, this rambling adobe was once the scene of fiestas and festive barbecues. The gardens are lovely, all kept as they were when the Palomares family was in residence more than a century ago. Open daily except Mondays and major holidays, 2-5 p.m. Free admission. Ample street parking.

Andres Pico Adobe, 10940 Sepulveda Blvd., Mission Hills, (818) 365-7810. This was once the residence of the family of Andres Pico, cattle rancher and the brother of Pio Pico, California’s last Mexican governor. Touring here is informal and fun. There are no velvet restraining ropes, and you are encouraged to sit in the chairs and even play a tune on the antique square piano, circa 1880. The docents refer to this house as a living museum. Children get to grind acorns and corn on metates (grinding stones) and will enjoy the well-stocked fish pond. This is the oldest adobe home in the San Fernando Valley and the second oldest in Los Angeles. This adobe is open Wednesday-Sunday 1-4 p.m. Visitors are welcome to picnic on the lawn; no tables provided. Free admission and parking.

Casa de Adobe, 4605 N. Figueroa St., Los Angeles, (213) 221-2163. This charming casa was a creation of the flamboyant Charles Lummis, founder of the Southwest Museum, one of Los Angeles’ first museums. The rooms are furnished in the manner of the 1850s, with an intriguing mixture of native pieces, family heirlooms brought originally from Spain, and a few imported items purchased for their rarity and beauty. Don’t miss the collection of Talavera dishes in the dining room. Open Wednesday-Sunday 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Free admission. Street parking.

Rancho Los Cerritos, 4600 Virginia Road, Long Beach, (213) 424-9423. The home was built in 1844, and the rancho surrounding it once covered 27,000 acres. Sheep raising was the major activity until 1881. See the blacksmith shop, complete with anvil, bellows and a huge whetstone where skilled smiths and carpenters forged hardware, repaired equipment and constructed simple furniture. The loom room contains all the paraphernalia necessary for turning the sheared fleece into finished cloth. In the adobe are many examples of the Victorian penchant for filling rooms with arts and crafts and bric-a-brac. The extensive garden still contains many venerable 19th-Century trees and an attractive Victorian herb garden. Open Wednesday-Sunday 1-5 p.m. Call for private and group tours. Free admission and parking.

Heritage Hill, 25152 Serrano Road, El Toro, (714) 855-2028. Orange County has gone all out at Heritage Hill to present an encompassing view of the era from the great Mexican ranchos to the start of the citrus industry in Orange County. The Serrano Adobe, built in 1863, is the oldest of the four buildings open for tours. It’s decorated with elegant period furnishings and has been meticulously restored. A portrait of Don Jose Serrano, the original owner, hangs on a wall, surrounded by a group of family portraits in ornate frames. Other buildings include the one-room El Toro Grammar School, St. George’s Episcopal Mission and the Bennett Ranch House. Grounds open daily 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Buildings open for guided tours Tuesday-Friday at 2 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Picnic tables. Free admission and parking.

Avila Adobe, 10 Olvera St., Los Angeles, (213) 625-5045. This is the oldest existing house in Los Angeles, built in 1818 by Francisco Avila, once mayor of the city. Later it was occupied by the indomitable Christine Sterling, the “Mother of Olvera Street.” The house depicts the life style of an affluent California family of the early 1840s, with antiques and reproductions. However, one piece is original: Dona Encarnacion’s work box for sewing, probably a wedding gift in 1822. Open Tuesday-Friday 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Free admission. Street parking or pay parking lot.

Workman and Temple Family Homestead Museum, 15415 E. Don Julian Road, City of Industry, (818) 968-8492. There are two adobes here, one constructed by William Workman during the 1840s, and the other by his grandson, Walter P. Temple, in 1923. Both are quite different from most other adobes. The Workman house was enlarged and remodeled in 1872. The adobe now resembles an English manor house. The Temple house was constructed in Spanish Colonial style with hand-carved beams, stained glass and Mexican tile. The family cemetery here is believed to be the oldest private cemetery in L.A. County. Open Tuesday-Friday 1-4 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Closed Mondays, major holidays and the fourth weekend of each month. Picnic facilities. Free admission and parking.

Casa Primera, 1659 N. Park Ave., Pomona, (714) 623-2198. The Pomona Historical Society has labored long and diligently to restore this adobe to its former grandeur. Now it’s complete, down to the authentic shaving mug in the bedroom and the fragile white fans over the mantel. There’s a magnificent crazy-quilt pillow (made in silk, satin and velvet and delicately feather-stitched in gold) and a rare signature pillow, dated 1902, with the names written and embroidered in bright colors. Constructed in 1837, it’s believed to be the first house in the Pomona Valley. Open Sundays 2-5 p.m. starting in October. Free admission and parking.

Dominguez Ranch Adobe, 18127 S. Alameda St., Compton, (213) 631-5981. After Manuel Dominguez married Maria Engracia Cota at Mission San Gabriel in 1827, he brought his new bride home to a new house. They lived there for more than 55 years. Their six daughters inherited the rancho, but the adobe and 17-acre homestead were deeded to the Claretian Missionaries in 1922. It’s still a seminary, but it is also open to the public. The family sitting room is still furnished as a small chapel with a striking commemorative window, the original bedroom furniture and a host of artifacts. The comfortable kitchen is particularly evocative of this unique period in California history. Open Tuesdays, Wednesdays and the second and third Sundays of each month 1-4 p.m. Free admission and parking.

Rancho Los Alamitos, 6400 Bixby Hill Road, Long Beach, (213) 431-3541. Its official name is Rancho Los Alamitos, but many Long Beach residents still refer to it as “the old Bixby ranch,” remembering when the Bixbys were in residence from 1878 to 1968. Built in 1806, this is believed to be the second-oldest domestic building in Southern California. The Bixbys donated the house with a fairly complete collection of furniture and objects assembled over two generations. Four acres of landscaped gardens and six barns surround the adobe. Although the Bixbys were wealthy, they lived simply without artifice or pretension. Call for group tours. Open Wednesday-Sunday 1-5 p.m. Admission and parking are free.