Go Behind the Scenes in Special Sunnylands Tours

Starting Thursday, people can tour parts of the Sunnylands estate home that are not seen during the rest of the season.

Until July and in early fall, visitors can tour the Rancho Mirage estate's kitchen, locker rooms and projection room.

Tickets will be released at 9 a.m. Thursday; the amount is limited to 900 and will sell out quickly, according to the estate. Tickets are released on the first and 15th of the month. Tours start at 9:15 a.m.

Sunnylands is closed to the public in July and August.

The estate was built in the 1960s for Ambassador Walter Annenberg and his wife Leonore. The 25,000-square-foot home was designed by architect A. Quincy Jones and sits on landscaped grounds that include a golf course by designer Dick Wilson.

The estate has hosted presidents, foreign heads of state, Supreme Court justices and celebrities. President Barck Obama has held summits at Sunnylands twice in the last 10 months.

Tours are $35 per person. Children under 10 cannot go on the house tours but are allowed -- at no cost -- in the Sunnylands Center and Gardens, which are open during tour hours.

For tickets and information, go to www.sunnylands.org or call (760) 202- 2222.

— City News Service.