The Allied Arts Guild is a complex of artist studios, gardens, and a restaurant set in a beautifully maintained Spanish Colonial courtyard in the residential quarter of Menlo Park, close to the Stanford campus boundary. Founded in 1929 and still operating on its original model, the guild rents studio space to working artists and craftspeople, and the grounds are open to the public during business hours.
The gardens are the main draw: a series of interconnected courtyard spaces with mature plantings, tiled fountains, and murals, including work by the early California artists who were associated with the Arts and Crafts movement. The guild restaurant has operated for decades, serving lunch and available for private events. The overall character of the place is unusually serene for Silicon Valley — an enclave of handcraft culture in an area that has otherwise become wholly defined by technology. Free to visit; restaurant reservations recommended.