Check out Menlo Park’s hidden art enclave, design district, big new development 

It’s easy to overlook a top attraction in Menlo Park, the Allied Arts Guild, hidden in a posh neighborhood near downtown. But it’s worth seeking out during an exploration of this city of 33,000 at the southern end of San Mateo County.

The Art Guild’s three and a half acres are like a mini Filoli, the grand estate up the road in Woodside. Think of it as a Spanish villa in a lush garden full of roses, trees and fountains. San Francisquito Creek, full after winter rains, rushes by on one side. The half-dozen stores seem straight out of Carmel, with merchants selling art, flowers and high-end baby clothes. Visitors also can check out art studios or the Barn Woodshop, a furniture repair and restoration outfit since 1929.