Filoli, reimagined: growing a garden of stories

Filoli House and Gardens in California has long been celebrated for its historic elegance and beautiful gardens. Today, it is also a prime example of how heritage sites can evolve not by abandoning tradition but by enriching it with storytelling, sensory design and commercial creativity.

When we last spoke to Kara Newport, Filoli’s president and chief executive officer, in late 2023, the organisation was entering an exciting new phase of guest experience development.

What began as a series of small-scale experiments has since grown into a dynamic calendar of immersive, story-led experiences that balance innovation with Filoli’s natural and historic character.

Filoli’s evolution is rooted in feeling, flavour and memory across every touchpoint. From GardenPops’ trademarked “taste of the garden”, which reimagines food and beverage in historic spaces, to a retail programme that champions meaningful makers, every element is shaped with sensitivity to the property’s history and landscape.

Together, they form a narrative that feels authentic to Filoli while expanding what a cultural landscape can be. This evolution has been driven by a willingness to test ideas, prototype at a small scale and take creative risks grounded in a deep respect for the place.

That approach has reshaped how audiences engage with Filoli.

Annual visitation has grown from 480,000 guests in 2024 to more than 750,000 in 2025, reflecting not just increased demand, but a deeper appetite for experiences that combine beauty, meaning and delight.

We speak with Davey Barrett, chief experience officer, about how thoughtful leadership, creative risk-taking and a deep respect for place are redefining what a cultural attraction can achieve.

A new storytelling model for Filoli

“Currently, ninety percent of our income is earned revenue, which makes us quite different from most heritage organisations,” Barrett says.

“Paying a living wage is a core commitment at Filoli, and supporting that responsibly means continually rethinking how we operate. We’re evolving in ways that feel fresh and relevant, but always in sympathy and synergy with the property and the land.”

This commitment extends to the people who bring Filoli to life every day: horticulturists, guest services staff, educators, retail specialists and creatives who animate the experience year-round.

One of the most successful examples of Filoli’s evolution is its Halloween programme. “We started by asking ourselves a simple question,” Barrett explains. “What might Halloween look like if you were hosting a house party here in the early 1920s? That became the creative seed.”

The result was at Filoli’s Forbidden Forest, a two-night test event in 2023 that welcomed 300 guests.

In 2024, after a few tweaks, it expanded into Nightfall, a 15-night experience attracting 18,000 visitors, and in 2025, it stretched again into a 40-night season, firmly establishing itself as one of the Bay Area’s most distinctive and beloved Halloween experiences.

“If I’d told the team two years ago that we’d be welcoming over 58,000 guests for this event, they’d have thought I was crazy,” Barrett says.

“I’m ambitious, but I didn’t imagine it would scale this quickly! We started small, with horticulturalists dressed as quirky characters and our talent acquisition specialist playing the role of a fairy. In that first year, I installed the smoke, sound and lighting effects myself.

"From those grass-roots beginnings, Nightfall has evolved into something extraordinary. Because it was homegrown, it feels authentic, and that spirit still drives everything we do.

"This year, we have a field of scarecrows, each one designed by a member of the Filoli team, and a large number of our pumpkins were carved by guests at one of our Service Learning events. Even as we grow, it still carries that handcrafted touch that makes it feel personal and true to the place.”

Nightfall is one of the clearest examples of how small creative risks can grow into major signature experiences when nurtured with care.

Behind the scenes, Filoli has strengthened cross-departmental systems and workflows to support that scale, ensuring the growth feels seamless to guests.

Telling the California story

Filoli’s broader vision is to tell the California story through the richness of its landscape, architecture and community partnerships.

“From a marketing standpoint, we wanted to be more intentional about how we describe ourselves,” says Barrett. “Two years ago, we called Filoli ‘a vibrant landscape on the Bay Peninsula’. It sounded poetic, but it didn’t tell anyone who we were.

"As our work with the travel trade evolved, we became clearer about how we positioned Filoli: as a historic house, a world-class garden and a place that tells the California story. That clarity made a real difference.”

For guests, this shift has made Filoli easier to understand and more compelling to explore — a place where many strands of California come together in a single visit.

On the property, this story unfolds across layers of design and history: formal gardens inspired by Europe, vast redwood groves and the lands of the Lamchin people, whose enduring connection to the region continues to be recognised and honoured.

Feeling, flavour and memory

When it comes to how that story is expressed, everything at Filoli is built around sensory connection. One standout example is GardenPops, a trademarked “taste of the garden” iced popsicle developed in-house and produced in partnership with local vendor Bliss Pops.

Alongside seasonal cocktails and secret menu items, the popsicles have redefined what F&B can look like in a garden setting, with more than 30,000 sold in the first year.

“Culinary experiences are central to our strategy, but they have to be accessible,” says Barrett. “We wanted something that gives guests – especially families – a literal taste of the garden.

"The flavours are inspired by what’s growing outside: strawberry and basil, honey and rose, mint lemonade, berry and beet. They’re playful, they taste of the gardens, and they connect people to the landscape in a way that’s sensory and memorable.

"We’re even toying with a candy version, because who wouldn’t want to take a little piece of the garden home?”

Retail rooted in place

That same creative and commercial mindset extends to retail, which has been reimagined as an extension of the Filoli story rather than the traditional museum shop of trinkets, pencils and postcards.

“Our retail experience is a real reflection of who we are,” Barrett says.

“We focus on local makers and thoughtful products, many from women or minority-owned businesses, balanced with our usual suppliers, so we can offer a full assortment year-round. The buying team has transformed the store into something guests genuinely look forward to exploring.”

As visitation has grown and guest journeys have diversified, Filoli has also begun to rethink where retail sits on the estate. In addition to the main store, a second, smaller retail experience has been introduced in the redwoods, curated specifically for guests already immersed in the landscape.

Barrett adds: “You might just bump into us online before too long.”

Filoli’s member community, now over 30,000 households, plays a significant role in shaping that evolution.

“Because so many of our guests return throughout the year, the story is always changing and evolving. There’s always something new to discover or take home.”

Among the highlights is a partnership with Jettywave, a coastal distillery that now produces both a gin and an absinthe using Filoli’s botanicals.

“They’re a perfect example of how we can take what’s grown here and translate it into something new,” Barrett explains. “It tastes of this place, it feels of this place and that authenticity is what resonates with guests.”

Compelling visuals and storytelling

While Filoli’s experiences are conceived and designed internally, the estate has worked with LMC, a London-based creative agency, to help translate those ideas into bold, emotionally resonant visual storytelling.

Together, they have shaped the creative expression of experiences, including Trolls: Save the Humans, Summer Stage and Nightfall, ensuring that each campaign feels distinct while still unmistakably Filoli.

“I’d worked with LMC previously during my time with Merlin and Mattel,” Barrett says. “They understand visitor attractions. They know how guests behave, what signals matter and how to create compelling visuals that clearly communicate an experience.”

For the exhibit Trolls: Save the Humans, that approach marked a subtle but important shift. Visuals centred on a child encountering one of the sculptures, the first time Filoli had featured a child so prominently in its promotional imagery.

“It was a simple change,” Barrett explains, “but it immediately signalled that this was an experience designed for families, curiosity and wonder. It helped us connect with new audiences very quickly.”

That relationship between storytelling and place continues to evolve as the Trolls become part of Filoli’s longer-term landscape.

What began as a temporary exhibition, produced by Imagine, has deepened through the arrival of Rose Wonders, a new sculpture by artist Thomas Dambo, now permanently installed in the Filoli Redwoods.

Originally created for Burning Man and crafted from reclaimed materials, Rose’s permanent installation at Filoli was made possible through the generosity of more than 600 donors, reflecting a shared commitment to art, nature and public access.

“The Trolls have been genuinely transformative for us,” Barrett says.

“They’ve opened the door to a new generation of visitors and given us a new way to talk about our relationship with the natural world. Welcoming Rose to Filoli feels like the natural next chapter.”

Measuring success

Filoli’s approach to measuring success has also evolved. Barrett introduced the Net Promoter Score (NPS) to provide consistent feedback across all experiences.

“We ask every guest how likely they are to recommend us to a friend, and then we use that data to improve,” he explains. “Our first Halloween event clearly had room to grow, and we listened carefully and adjusted."

"Last year, guest feedback placed us firmly in what’s considered the ‘excellent’ range; a shift that tells us guests aren’t just enjoying themselves; they’re genuinely invested in the experience.”

Building on that, Filoli created a Mission Impact Score to track how experiences align with its purpose. “For something like a Sunset Hike, we’ll ask whether it helped guests connect with nature,” Barrett says. “

It’s not just about satisfaction; it’s about impact. The combination of both scores helps us balance creativity, mission and commercial success.”

Creative risk-taking at Filoli

For Barrett, creative risk-taking is not about large budgets or sweeping reinventions. It’s about investing small, testing ideas in real time and scaling only what resonates.

“We don’t jump straight to the finished product,” he says. “We start with something small and simple, learn from our guests and then build on what works.

"That approach depends on an incredible, nimble team who are comfortable adjusting course as they go, and who bring a lot of creativity to the process. They’re brilliant.”

This approach has shaped nearly every recent programme at Filoli.

Themed teas and seasonal tastings began as one-off trials before becoming guest favourites. Concerts in the Ballroom, a sell-out Summer Stage series and champagne and bar experiences piloted during holiday programmes before expanding into year-round offerings.

Even GardenPops began as a playful internal experiment and now sells tens of thousands each year.

Across all of these initiatives, the philosophy remains the same: prototype lightly, listen closely and grow only what feels true to the landscape and mission.

“It’s not risk for risk’s sake. It’s about giving ourselves permission to try new things while staying rooted in the place itself.”

What’s next for Filoli

Following the success of Nightfall and Trolls: Save the Humans, the team is expanding its year-round offer to attract more families and repeat visitors.

“The Trolls introduced us to a whole new audience,” Barrett says. “Now our focus is giving those families reasons to come back, which has inspired us to create family-friendly moments throughout the year.”

This holiday season marked the debut of Thistlewyck, a new daytime experience curated in-house, with the central miniature train village created by Applied Imagination and scenic elements installed by Daniels Wood Land.

Designed to complement Filoli’s popular holiday lights event in the evening, Thistlewyck is nestled within the redwoods and built entirely from wood and natural materials. Filoli’s in-house horticulture, learning and retail teams layered in storytelling, theming and moments of quiet magic that root the village firmly in the landscape.

What has been most notable is how guests have responded. Families are lingering longer, returning during the day as well as the evening, and engaging with the natural lands in a more playful, exploratory way; a shift that reinforces Filoli’s ambition to be a place of discovery across seasons and ages.

“It fits perfectly within the forest,” Barrett says.

“Every structure feels handcrafted and organic, almost as if it’s grown from the trees themselves. It’s playful, magical and deeply connected to the landscape – exactly what we want families to experience at Filoli.”

That sense of whimsy carries through the whole visit. Families can warm up with what staff affectionately call the world’s best hot chocolate, and children can don elf hats as part of a special Thistlewyck Passport that guides them through the village. It’s an experience built for exploration, imagination and delight.

Filoli’s journey shows that heritage and innovation are not opposites but partners. By blending storytelling with sensory design and commercial creativity, Filoli has become a model for how cultural institutions can grow audiences, deepen impact and still honour their roots.

From Nightfall’s moonlit paths to Thistlewyck’s wooden cottages, every new experience reflects the same ethos – one where beauty, imagination and authenticity live side by side.