Came to this place to walk around after having a heavy dinner and fell in loooooooooove. I stumbled…read moreacross a tree you simply can't miss when you come here. It's amazing! It's gargantuan! It's historic! It's the most beautiful tree I've ever seen in a city. Highly recommend visiting and falling in love food yourself.

I love the charm of this place and recently got to enjoy a nice solo stroll to really see all the…read morewhimsy of this place. They host all types of cute events here and I almost left with new plants from the vendor they had onsite. Great place if you are looking for a calm setting to enjoy nature.

Our favorite place for quiet contemplation. Enjoying the weather, sounds of running water and…read moreenjoying the best secret in town. Again, staff was busy making the garden look even more lovely. The hardworking, friendly and talented staff are the best.

Five stars because it costs no yen…read more As far as Japanese gardens go, this one is my least favorite because it is rectangular, with a visible metal fence perimeter, with ugly trash and graffiti visible from across the creek and no opportunities to feed the koi fish. Three things, though, that make it special is that they have memorial plaques, stray cats, and blowtorched wood for an aged and weather-resistant finish. From 1913-1962, the site was a practice site for farming and raising livestock for Hayward Union High. It became a garden by the late 1970s, and when dedicated in 1980, focusing on botany (with plants donated by local Japanese-American nurseries) rather than religion. Every first Saturday at 1pm there's a free lecture/tour. It's not especially beautiful or big (3.5 acres) or exciting (the few people I saw there were on their phones), but it's a peaceful, clean area. I think informational displays could help people enjoy it more. Or phone chargers. Information like, many of the wooden connections (including the main entry gate) have notches instead of notches to fit together like puzzle pieces. This more authentic approach prevents rust. Or, the garden uses the Shakkei technique: when you can stand at the highest point, the surrounding trees are meant to look like distant mountains, with specific plants blended with the Japanese maples and native Oaks to make the garden feel ten timers larger than its actual 3.5 acres. Or, the hand-selected granite boulders from the Sierra Nevadas are buried one-third into the ground so it looks like they are growing, which is why I don't manicure myself often. .

This review is for the IRIS GARDEN AT DRY CREEK GARDENS (DRY CREEK PIONEER REGIONAL PARK) in UNION…read moreCITY, located at 500 MAY ROAD. Note the Iris Garden is only open during very specific times of year. I believe the Iris Garden is a subset of gardens in the Dry Creek area. For 2026, their web site ( www dot ebparks dot org slash parks slash dry-creek-pioneer ) says the Iris Garden is open "from April 23 to May 15, 2026, Thursdays through Sundays, from 10am to 4pm" We loved our visit to this garden! So many flowers, all kinds of flowers, not just irises, succulents, too, so much color, lots of bees to watch, a few butterflies, birdhouses with birds chirping in them and flying in and out, tables and chairs available so bring a snack or lunch. I saw the main person who maintains the gardens talking with some visitors who had questions. Parking was plentiful (our visit was on a Sunday afternoon), there's a single restroom near the parking lot, walk up the hill's dirt path, and you'll see the fenced garden above. There are chairs outside the gate and a few parking spaces. There was a lady in a wheelchair visiting the garden, so the garden seems accessible. We saw a few cows on the hill above the garden and bees were rolling around in the orange poppy flowers. We saw some woodpeckers on a pole next to the walk up/down the hill.

I love this garden so much and come here often during the spring and summer time. I love it so much…read moreI tried to reserve the space here for a baby shower and turns out they don't allow reservations in the garden at all. What a bummer! You would think since there are tables and space that they would allow reservations, it would also be very lucrative! Very disappointing in that sense, but hopefully in the future it changes because it truly is a beautiful and magical spot.

Gamble Garden is a lovely and quiet respite in Palo Alto. Whenever I'm in the area and have some…read moretime, I stop by for a stroll around the garden to see what's in bloom. There are benches to sit and gather. I've seen a wedding in their outdoor area and I believe you can rent the house for events. They have classes and you can volunteer in the garden too. At one time, it was also a location for photo shoots. One of my lifestyle photos was shot here. A space of beauty and peace. I appreciate that it's free for anyone.

Great Family Event... Except Someone Forgot Their Customer-Service Hat…read more We had a really good time at Gamble Garden's Second Saturday! The kids enjoyed the scavenger hunt, there were some great vendors, and the whole event had a fun, family-friendly atmosphere. I also got some pretty good footage of the scavenger hunt and everything that was going on, so there was definitely plenty to enjoy. Whoever is behind organizing the Second Saturdays deserves some credit because they're doing a great job. There was a nice variety of activities, the kids stayed entertained, and it felt like a genuine community event. Now... the reason I'm giving it 4 stars instead of 5 comes down to one particular interaction. There was an older gentleman named Matthew who was helping out and wearing a vest. Let's just say Matthew and my wife and I did not exactly become best friends that afternoon. Some of the comments he made toward us came across as unnecessarily rude and, even if they were intended to be jokes, the humor definitely missed the landing. I'm all for a little sarcasm and having fun -- trust me, I can take a joke -- but there's a difference between being funny and making people wonder, "Wait... was that really necessary?" Thankfully, the event was for our kids, not for us, so we didn't let one interaction ruin the day. The kids had fun, the vendors were great, and everything else about the experience was positive. I'd definitely recommend checking out Second Saturday if you have kids or just want to support a cool community event. Hopefully, next time Matthew leaves the comedy routine at home and sticks to the helping. Overall: Great event, great activities, great vendors, and a lot of potential for an even better experience. Just one sour interaction kept it from getting that fifth star.

I was excited to discover this lovely garden so close to home, a cute lil find randomly situated…read morenear the entrance of Cisco Building 9 on East Tasman Drive, an area of north San Jose I imagine is not frequented by visitors. Thus, parking was plentiful on a Saturday late afternoon. The tiny oasis is part of Habitat Horticulture (founded by David Brenner), which crafts imaginative botanical installations and living walls. Projects include and can be found at SF MOMA, California Academy of Sciences, Tesla Factory, and many cafes and community centers beyond the bay area. Tranquil, aesthetically pleasing, and free to visit, it's worth spending a few moments exploring the scenery, or simply sitting on one of the two benches on site and taking in some fresh air. Though nothing too fancy, there are many elements to this place that can be appreciated, even a sculpture displaying the words "Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me."

#1 ... this is on private Cisco property. We visited after…read morenormal work hours, and security came over to make sure we were being good, which of course we were. It is a beautiful quiet spot to reflect on your thoughts with living walls of plants that are so impressive. You may want to investigate how to do this yourself, but please respect the garden and stay on the sidewalk to protect it from being damaged. Moral of the story is to always take time to smell the flowers and enjoy the moment. Worth a visit when you have a moment.

This is beautiful little spot on Stanford Campus. A true gem of cacti of all kinds. I've been here…read moreabout 3-4xs times now, and it's always lovely to just walk around. It's definitely a beautiful greenery backdrop for photos as I did a photoshoot for a client here a few months ago. We took a bunch of photos here, and then we walked over to the Quad for an outfit change and a change of scenery. We saw *the* Robert Downey Jr. at the Quad that day! That was awesome! :D I usually come here on a Saturday or Sunday and just park at the medical clinic, which is basically right next to this spot.

This review is long overdue from 2020; I for visited this spot in 2016 or so and loved it so I…read morebrought my husband here during the Covid shut down in 2020 and we took a nice walk, it was awesome to check it out, explore the vacations cacti and spend some time in nature. Parking can be difficult. Overall a great and well kept garden e

Such a beautiful spot... great venue with wonderful staff…read more The food was amazing we had a celebration of life there and couldn't be happier with the service

This is a nice place to come and walk around for about 15 minutes. I love gardens and they had a…read morewalkway adorned with roses and roses in a courtyard with a fountain. There is a restaurant but it's kinda pricey. I think this place is more for special events but they have a couple of artist stores there. I even saw a cat roaming around, maybe he lives there. For a garden I wouldn't come out of my way for it but it's worth stopping by if going to the nearby Stanford shopping center