I finally went here for the first time and had a nice time walking around the garden. Plenty of flowers to view in August. Lucky day that wasn't too hot and not crowded. While I can't comment on various activities they put on, this is a nice garden that you should take some time to visit and enjoy. If it's hot, bring a water bottle. read more

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One of the highlights of our vacation, from my perspective. Visited with Dear Hubby, Adored Grandson (11), my brother and his three sons (16, 12, 11) in late July. My aunt was surprised that the boys would like a botanical garden. These are well-traveled kids, so it worked well. We'd come up from Sunriver that morning, stopping at Sahalie Falls along the way. By the time we hit Silverton, it was late in the afternoon, and quite hot. We didn't expect to have a lot of time at the gardens, but still wanted to squeeze it in. At the gift shop we picked up cold beverages when we paid admissions. They informed us we could catch the last tram ride of the day - included in the entrance fee. Also, we were welcome to stay until dusk on our own after they closed up the shop. A time bonus! That was great to hear. Very informative tram tour. Learned about the history and mission of the gardens. Also the partnership with the water reclamation district. The Garden enjoys free water and uses it wisely! Their intent is to showcase themed areas with an eye to ideas that home gardeners can incorporate in their own landscapes. Highlights included the children's garden, where the younger boys were rolling down the small hill on top of the Hobbit house. The reflecting pool garden was beautiful in the summer, but would be spectacular when fall colors are on the trees. Water garden was very large, with many water plants, and a sea monster! Boys thought that was really cool. They also had to get into the various water features which were clearly designed for close contact, like the rain curtain. Skinny kids can dart sideways through the streams of water falling from a top bar, or accidentally dunk themselves on a hot, sunny day. Spaces were showcasing edibles and herbs, another for Proven Winners test flowers. One area felt like a lovely backyard setting with a water feature and meandering paths. We lingered for several hours, going back over the areas where the overview tour had highlighted for us. We didn't get a chance to visit the Frank Lloyd Wright house on the premises. Have since learned its the only one in the State of Oregon. Took a lot of beautiful photos at the Garden. Sharing a few here. read more

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You could spend the entire day here and never get bored. The Gardenscapes and fountains are beautifully maintained! The flowers were just starting to bloom, but that didn't stop this place from having many beautiful spots to view. My only complaint is Their aren't many water fountains, but plenty of vending machine for purchase of sodas and drinks throughout, Restrooms are also well maintained and located sporadically along the 5 miles of paths. Speaking to the grounds men he informed us the best time to visit is mid June when the 60,000+ annuals they plant every year begin to bloom so we will be back to check it out. If walking 5 miles is too much for you there is a tram that runs during Season hours that has stops were you can jump on and off. Bring a picnic lunch or grab some sandwiches from the cafe and enjoy this Oregon Gem. It's definitely a must see for anyone. read more

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Was here on Sunday 12/30 and was pleasantly surprised. The parking was crazy but other than that it was a neat little walk through display. Lots of warming areas and plenty of places to stop and get warm drinks. Bring your money because things add up. We found it a good place for snacks but not for dinner. It was crowded but not packed. Lines and the snow tube thing were about 10 min and the beer garden about 3 min. read more

What a wonderful spot on a beautiful day. High point of our vacation. Highly recommended

I came in today to this beautiful garden it's just breath taking how many exhibits it has, all the different flower and trees to herbs and bushes everything is labeled with their name every section has its purpose the one that really cough my eye is the medicinal garden it gives you the name, location, purpose of use which is pretty neat they also have a retail nursery, a compost area a tea herb area and a fun kids garden, they have all kinds of really interesting back story to every area from the first tree plated to the oldest tree.they have ponds and water lands it's huge it has 80 acres in total the gift shop lady was very nice and gave our dog a biscuit treat everyone enjoyed their time there we will be coming back again. read more

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The recent reviews rating one star are NOT warranted. We almost didn't go because of them and would have really missed out. The garden is a work in progress as staff was limited during the pandemic and there was the ice storm in February. However, there is so much to see and flowers everywhere! It was gorgeous and will only get better now that staff is gearing up again. It was a wonderful day and I'm excited to go back to see what else is blooming! read more

This was a terrible experience & horrible place to have our wedding. The staff is inconsiderate, rude, and misleading. There is not one consistent piece of information between the contract, website, and event coordinator. They have no idea what they're doing. They treated us like an inconvenience & complained about everything, start to finish. To start, the event coordinator, April, complained to & refused to give my 80 year grandmother a ride in one of their many golf carts to our ceremony area, meanwhile it was 90 degrees and she is recovering from a back operation. Then, immediately following our ceremony, April and another staff member proceeded to drive their golf carts through our WEDDING PHOTOS with garden guests. You would think after the first time this was done and the wedding party, bride, groom, and family members had to scramble out of the way, they would choose another route. Nope, there is absolutely no common sense or courtesy, as they then did this another 3 times. The event coordinator complained about EVERYTHING under the sun; we asked for very few things the day of our wedding (after paying $4,500 for their services), and she only responded with attitude, disrespect, and absolutely no assistance. She threw a childish fit when my family asked her for assistance moving some decor from the ceremony space to the reception space. Even though it was 90 degrees outside and she was driving an empty three row golf cart, she couldn't have the decency to do her job and offer assistance. For months she assured me that linens were included in our rental, then ONE WEEK before the wedding she emailed me stating they were not, and offered no assistance to resolve the problem she created. We were also told on our tour that we were permitted to purchase our own alcohol and hire licensed bartenders, and were encouraged to do so as means to save money. On the day of our wedding April, the event coordinator, took photos of their OLCCs and the permitted them into the space to serve alcohol. Then, two days after the wedding, guess who emails us to charge $500, claiming the bartenders didn't have proper licensure? They claim their venue space can require different licensure than the state of Oregon even permits individual bartenders to obtain. They also tried to charge us for other absurd things, including men taking off their shirts after the reception? Meanwhile the garden was not even open to the public. Well before our issues with them after the wedding, our bartenders, wedding coordinator, photographer, and wedding guests all made comments about how unpleasant and rude April and the additional garden staff were and how unhelpful everyone they encountered was. One guest asked where the restrooms were located and April responded with vulgar and insulting language, belittling him for not knowing. Thirty minutes before our agreed ending time, April rudely interrupted our reception, demanding our guests to start cleaning up, even going as far to make commands at the bartenders and DJ. Their website clearly states that cleanup services are provided. After all, what was the $4,500 for? After hearing all of this, we attempted to call April and other staff members and left so many voicemails, they all became full. Only to receive petty and rude emails in response demanding money and stating they "only communicate in writing." How could any staff member possibly think this behavior and treatment is acceptable for customers who paid so much for services and the space, let alone on someone's wedding day. Considering how many beautiful places there are in the Willamette Valley for the same prices as the garden, I would literally never recommend the garden as a venue space for ANY event, let alone a wedding. read more

The Oregon Garden is home to the Gordon House. It's the only Frank Lloyd Wright home in the Pacific Northwest that is open to public touring by appointment. Its a modest FLW home, as its a Usonian home, characteristically a home designed by FLW and available to "everyman" utilizing more cost effective materials, rather than a grand home designed for a rich patron. I appreciated the intimate personalized tour. We were able to arrange ours a day ahead of when we were going to be in the area, and our call was returned within the hour. The tour cost $10 a person, a bargain. The tour guides are volunteers, but clearly they do this out of love for FLW and the house. The guide we had was very knowledgeable and passionate about the building and its legacy. The Gordon House is remarkably well preserved for a home that needed to be moved in 4 pieces across Oregon and reassembled in Silverton. It's a must see for any Frank Lloyd Wright fan or architecture buff. By the way, I happened to stumble upon the Gordon House while researching a trip through Oregon. It was like finding a needle in a haystack, as its not particularly well promoted or advertised. As someone who travels specifically to see interesting architecture (there are quite a few FLW fans and a lot of architectural tourists out there) it seems like the Oregon Garden and the Oregon Garden Resort could be doing a better job cross-promoting this unique architectural destination. I suspect it's a missed opportunity for more visitors to Oregon Garden and that many Garden visitors may have no idea its there. read more

My husband, son, and I were planning a trip to Salem, Oregon and we were looking to see what there was to do nearby. My husband found a Groupon (buy one get one free) for the Oregon Garden. Admission is $11.00 and our 3 yr old son was free. The garden was created in 1997 with the Grand Opening in 2001 -- the garden is relatively new but it is beautiful. You pass a Frank Lloyd Wright house (tour $10) before hitting the garden itself. When we arrived, a tram tour (approximately 25 minutes) was getting ready to start. This was actually the perfect way for us to learn about the garden before exploring it on our own. The tram tour guide was witty and friendly. We walked for about another hour and a half and enjoyed it a great deal. Our son thought it was a lot of fun too. Restrooms were CLEAN and although the garden isn't as mature as other ones, it has been done tastefully and with great planning. I was impressed that they had a children's garden -- there was an operating train, a hobbit hole, sand box, and a seating area with a sink. Not many gardens will accommodate families in this way and I thought it was a nice touch. There are several spots to use the bathroom or grab something to drink. We had lunch at the resort (separate yelp review) and then headed home. Altogether, we spent about 3 hours there and it was a great way to spend a Friday morning. Highly recommended! read more

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Maybe my expectations were too high? Until Tuesday, I'd not visited the gardens in many years. Our first visit was only a year or so after they opened, so I was eager to see how they'd grown. The entrance is beautiful. Well tended and colorful. The reception area is pleasant, and the staff friendly. We took the $3.00 tram ride just to familiarize ourselves with the layout, and then walked nearly the entire place afterward. The NW garden was pretty, and there are some interesting sculptures and ponds just beyond the entrance. The Children's garden is a delightful place for the younger set. There are spots that are interesting, but sadly, pretty few and far between. This time of year, irises are beautiful here. Yet, the garden touted as an Iris garden had maybe 3 flowering plants. The rest were bug eaten, dried out, and half dead. On the tram, a "Secret Garden" was mentioned. You have to locate the blue door in the wetland area to find it. We did...and it was standard Home Depot entry door set into a 12 foot wall of a standard backyard fence. It was ho-hum at best, and a disappointment after the buildup we heard on the tram. There was plenty of room to walk around the door. Behind it was nothing more than a few standard garden tools and a wheelbarrow. No "garden," no flowers, no plants, no nothing beyond a little footbridge over one of the streams. In all, this is a garden with HUGE potential. The setting is lovely, and it's easy to see how it could be spectacular...BUT...it needs a lot of work, which means a lot of money, and a lot more staff to bring the dream to reality. Chances are the pandemic had a big effect on it financially. And although I do not remember the exact figures, it seems very understaffed to me. I get the sense it only looks as good as it does because of the efforts of volunteers. Should you visit? Sure! They could use a lot more support than they're getting now...but keep your expectations in check. Compared to the gardens in and around Portland, this one runs at the back of the pack. read more

Oh.my.goodness this place was awesome! Seriously! I'm in Oregon, visiting family and my grandma (step-grandma in law?) said that we absolutely had to go here, so we did. Okay, if you're going to see anything here and are any sort of nerd at all, you HAVE to go to the Children's Gardens. They have a freaking Hobbit hole!! That's right, a little Hobbit Hovel! I, of course, fangirled a bit harder than necessary, but hey. They also have amazing scenery and the coolest wildlife. They had the most adorable little baby ducklings and I wanted to smuggle one in my purse and take it home, but there were too many witnesses. And the gardens themselves are beautiful. We would have walked the entire five miles of paths, but it was way too hot and sunny and I am way too pale to be doing that. Sun and I are not friends. But seriously, if you're in Salem, Oregon and want a nice, peaceful, beautiful walk, go to these gardens. Please. You will be so happy. Oh, and did I mention pets are MORE than welcome :) read more

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We visited several years ago and just visited again this last week. I understand what the other reviews mean that it doesn't look as great now as it did then, but allowance has to be made for the fact that they've been pretty much closed for the last year due to the pandemic, as well as an ice storm that destroyed a number of trees. I didn't feel that it's due to neglect on anyone's part, 2020 was bad for everyone. All things considered I still think it is well worth the very reasonable price of admission, and they need to be supported and encouraged to get it back up to speed for post pandemic viewing. For our part, we will definitely be back! read more

What a disappointment. Some things can't helped like the fallout from our recent ice storm (it looks like the garden was shelled by cannons using tree burst shells), but the rest of the garden looks sad and worn down. Apparently, management changed from the company that runs the Oregon Garden Resort to a joint venture with City of Silverton and some non-profit. Having come here in the past I know what it can look like, and to say it is a shadow of it's former self is giving it too much credit. Oh, and they're still charging $12 a head to get in. read more

The Oregon Garden is one of my favorite spots to walk around and take photos. It's pretty every time of the year, even in very early spring. The garden is in the Silverton, OR area and has paved walking paths, multiple planting areas (or themed plantings) and benches for breaks. There are great photo areas as well with dramatic bridges and other built structures in the plantings. https://www.threegirlsfourtires.com/home/juliaclarkoregongarden read more

Beautiful Place Great customer service in giftshop. Amazingly beautiful gardens, so well kept. Definitely a place to visit when coming to Oregon. read more

We were excited to visit the Christmas lights this year after Covid disrupted the world during the last two years. But it was not the holiday event expected... the first contact was the ticket line lady, who barked at us to get in line! sounded more like TSA at pdx than a helpful holiday elf! We laughed at that point - some people take their job a bit too serious ... okaaay.... Overall we're glad we went because we spent time with family. The lights were beautiful for sure - we can see the hard work done on the displays - Nicely done. We thought with the rather large size of the garden, there would be more to walk through! It was a small feature. We walked along the beautiful path expecting to arrive at the Bazaar that was advertised...more dazzle! brightly lit vendor booths...maybe the wonderful warm smell of elephant ears cooking, to enjoy with our spiked cocoa? Instead it was only a few small vendors, poorly lit, without cheery music, and a poorly staged food tent (not wheelchair friendly), ending at a wooden slide for kids. We gathered under the covered tables to watch the kids and visit with whoever was gathered there. Those tables had the potential to be a festive spot....But the surrounding garden was dark...could've been lit up for a beautiful view even if we couldn't walk through it... We went back & enjoyed live music at the lodge. That was the highlight of the evening. So much unrealized potential at the Oregon Garden! We were not part of the hard-working team that did the work. It wasn't shabby. Sorry to sound unthankful. But we were disappointed to feel as though the effort and money we spent was not worth the visit, other than our family being together. maybe more research could be put into the planning for next year. Check out other "holiday bazaars" around the world and see how lovely it could be at the Oregon Garden. read more

We come here a bit when sun is shining. This year we decided to check out Christmas in the Garden. Big Mistake! Let me describe what we observed as objectively as possible. 1. Parking lot... plenty of people helping in parking lot... too many in fact. The guy at end pointing the next car to spot... was running around yelling at people... which is fine... but when he darts to back of your car, and you stop so you don't run him over... and the car sensor is going off cuz he's hovering over your back bumper yelling why I'm not moving... yeah... let him have a piece of my mind about how he should be thanking me for not blindly following his instructions. 2. Long lines to enter. If the event is so good.. we can deal with the lines. But this was self caused. How? - They have 2 lines ... one for people who need tickets... one for season pass holder, presale tickets, and resort guests. First you can't see the little white sign that says "left - general admissions, right - resort guests, etc". The workers just tell you to go to back of the line... quarter mile down the hill from the check in tent. We had to walk to the front, dig through piles of people to see signs so we can go back there to let people know. You'd think having one person walk up and down to keep thing in order would've been first thing they planned... Second it's pitch dark down the line... no lights with mass of humanity with lots of kids getting bored and cold waiting. Third... guess which line was longer (by a mile)? The resort guest, etc line. Why? They had 8 people sitting there waiting to take your money for new tickets. They had one person on the other side giving you bracelets to enter. Do the math. It's as if "we already got your money (resort guests, presale, season pass holders) so we don't need to help you... we only care about the money yet to be made". 3. Kids everywhere... dinner time. Line is full of parents trying to feed hungry little ones. Why isn't the line moving? Because, people are getting to the front and finding out they have NOTHING! No more pretzels. No more egg nog. They give you brats... that are literally ice cold. Every time they call out an order, 3 different people in back start making that order. I personally observed this... "he wanted the 2 brats without sauerkraut... I already gave it to them". There were 8 brats sitting at pickup with no customers. And there they sit in the cold. No wonder they're ice cold! Gets better... they're bringing in food from the kitchen... a batch happens to come in while it's my turn to order ... so I ask to check if pretzels came in with this batch... "sorry no pretzels". What did I see 15 sec later when I moved to pickup window "who's wanting pretzels with cheese? Here you go these just came in". Even better... I get a hot cup of apple cider as part of order... go over to table to feed kids... took a sip... it's hot water. They'd run out of cider in the machine and was serving water for $4. Nice light display. Really... worth doing one time. But never again... especially when there are drunk adults breaking the Snoopy tree display! "Oh huh huh... can't believe we just did that... huh huh". Yeah we were headed there for the kids... so we got to see this mess too. Group of like 10 adults. I think it was Charlie Brown who got taken out. So now no one else can see it cuz the stand holding up the display is destroyed. Save yourselves the headache... lights are nice but NOT worth the hour drive. Your kids will thank you. read more

My boyfriend and I drove down to Silverton for the Christmas in the Garden event that The Oregon Garden holds after Thanksgiving and for most of December. $5 / adult. I'm giving it 4 stars because I definitely enjoyed the experience, but there are definitely ways that it could have been better. Most notably, yes there were a lot of lights, but the walk through them was rather short. There was a pretty decent walk to the majority of the light / the Christmas Market, but there were only 2-3 small light displays and a rope light to guide your path. They should really consider adding displays along this walk to make the experience longer. If you don't want to walk for 5 minutes to get to the area where you walk through the Christmas lights, there is a tram that you can take. The tram stop actually had a giant leg lamp (a la The Christmas Story movie), and that was pretty unique, Interspersed throughout the light display were tiny buildings with vendors of the Christmas Market selling their crafts. Again, this was a neat idea, but there were very few Christmas craft vendors. It was more like what you see normally during the year at other vendor events. I've definitely been to much better Christmas Craft Fairs, so I expected a little more. Fire pits were located at various stops along the path. There was a section for younger kids to do crafts, a Santa visiting, a number of stands for warm beverages for purchase, and a larger enclosure with heat lamps where they sold foods. (We had dinner prior, so we didn't try any of this.) The day that we went was actually the Oregon Civil War football game, and they had a TV showing the game, which was pretty neat. Checking their website, they host a number of smaller events on different days. This was a fun Christmas activity, and it's a good place to bring the family. read more

The Oregon Garden - Christmas in the Garden light display. - Botanical Gardens Near Me - Silverton, Oregon

Went here for the first time ever a couple of weeks ago, and was very astounded. I honestly didn't know what to expect, but I loved the place. It was so peaceful, so relaxing, and so beautiful. I'm not botanist, so I couldn't really tell the difference between the various flowers and eco-systems and whatnot, but I know what I like, and I liked this. There is a lot of land, plenty of walking paths, and something gorgeous around every turn. There is also a tram ride that goes around the park, that you can hop on and off of, and I highly recommend it to get a feel for what the Garden is like. From the information gathered here, the Oregon Garden also helps with water reclamation and helps make our local environment that much stronger, something I'm obviously in favour of ("I like fun!" and "Cats are furry!" are also in my strongly held beliefs and voiced sentiments, in case "helping our local environment is good" wasn't inane enough for you). Be that as it may, as a walking location, we enjoyed the hell out of it. So much that we went looking for information on becoming members, however, it was next to impossible to find that information at the front desk. All the staff members were busy around the little deli area and didn't seem interested in helping us as we looked about furtively. It was the end of a long day, so we just left, as I'm sure we could have found the information online, but a wee bit of customer service would have been nice. Alas, it was probably a fluke. We'll still be back. read more

We went to the Christmas Light / Winter Market a couple of days before Christmas. It was pleasant enough but I felt that there weren't nearly as many vendors as I would have liked to see. This time of year the garden is pretty dormant so the drive and the hassle to park and the lines wasn't worth the return. We've been there during the late spring and summer and have had much better experiences. I'm sure we'll go again, but will pass on the winter market. read more

sometimes a girls got to treat her self! As well as give props to the inventor of the facial, OMG most glorious experience EVER! A huge thank you to Sarah and the spa @oregongarden for making me feel relaxed, refreshed and glowing! read more

The Oregon Garden - Botanical Gardens Near Me - Silverton, Oregon

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Like many others who share a similar bad review of The Christmas Lights this year we also need to share our experience. This would have been our 4th trip and we will certainly never do it again on a peak night. We pre-purchased skating so had seen in during the day but decided to come Saturday night and was that a big mistake! In the past you could enter below where the former concert area was and you could walk up. That was much better than the new and the not improved system way this year. We got there at 7:00 Saturday. The signs said parking lot full so we had to walk from the church. Our first bad service was a cranky service person telling us we couldn't walk up for our safety. He was in a real bad mood. At the long shuttle line we waited over 5 minutes with lines growing and no shuttles. People started getting anxious and walking up anyway. We decided to chance it past security guards and too many left to start walking up in the "dark unsafe roads" for them to stop us all. At the mid hill shuttle stop they once again stopped this now overgrown large group. I kid you not it was getting ugly when finally one sane security officer led about 75 of us up and at long last few shuttles passed us coming down! Way under prepared for hear crowds. By the time we got to the top it was nearly 45 minutes only to find a line at least 2-3 football fields long for admission. We said heck no and were so disappointed at how poorly managed it was this year. We spent another 30 minutes waiting to get the shuttle down. We did have a nice driver on the way Dow - the one shining light of this fiasco. Next year, Moonstone and OGR if you want this to succeed plus go back to the old way and also figure a better entry system because that 2nd Line was a killer. Oh, I forgot to mention that the upper parking lot was about 1/4 empty by 7:45 and lots of attendants visible but no communication w below to let people up. Nightmare. One couple leaving with us said they came at 5:45, got in at 7:00 and only in 45 and came from Canby with kids and will never be back. Glad we at least didn't deal with the food issues I read about. Sad. Best part of the night - Homeplace pizza and Wonderland after. Oh and we did see the lights from afar. Other than that the Gardens was lousy. read more

About an hour south of PDX, the Oregon Garden has become a favorite mini-escape. It's just far enough to be away, yet close enough to visit often. Dog friendly and just minutes from Silverton's main street. Bring a picnic lunch! read more

The Oregon Garden - Sunset in the Garden - Botanical Gardens Near Me - Silverton, Oregon

Most of the unhappy reviews I'm seeing as I write this appear to have to do with events at the garden. I've never attended a special occasion event there, so I can't comment on them, but I can say that I've thoroughly enjoyed multiple trips that I've made to Silverton to simply enjoy the gardens. The variety of conifers is stunning, and I consider this one section itself to be worth making the drive. I didn't come expecting the gardens of Versailles, instead, you see lots of what makes Oregon special from a horticultural point of view, plus a nice variety of plants from elsewhere in the world. It's really a place to wander, and to get ideas on laying out your own garden, to check out a fascinating (and ridiculously topical) exhibit on landscaping to protect your house from fire, to see examples of container gardening, a grove of massive oaks, medicinal herbs, wetlands management, and a chance to relax. Bring a picnic lunch, take your time, and enjoy. read more

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I'll be honest here: I don't get it. The Oregon Gardens is a great place for an over night stay, if you're looking for a relatively inexpensive place to camp out in a small town. The rooms are spacious and relatively quiet (meaning you don't hear neighbors). Other than that it really doesn't offer much in the way of entertainment. The Garden is basically that: a garden. For starters it's overpriced for a simple "walk through". It can take you easily ten minutes to walk through. While certain sections are manicured beautifully it mostly falls short of anything exquisite. The restaurant isn't anything to write home about either. It's typical over priced venue food. Nothing more. While in the Summer time the brewfest is held here, and some find that fun, it's still $20 entry fee and $4 a beer after that. Keeping with the consistency of the place: it's overpriced. During the winter you can go on up and check out the bar they have with the huge fire place. This is the only other redeeming factor other than the "fairly inexpensive" rooms. My recommendation: only stay here if you have no other option. Only eat here if you like over priced food. And as for the garden. Plant some flowers at home. Save you time and money. read more

It is so sweet, worth the trip. Bit of a walk from the parking lot so if you have an elder with you maybe see if you can drop off then park. The restaurant is quite good. If you eat at the restaurant you can park up top. The whole experience isn't cheap but for a once a year treat it's worth it. read more

Oregon Gardens is a short day trip that has a plethora of amazing gardens to peruse. It is pet friendly and has a pet garden that teaches about pet friendly plants and pet proofing your garden. They also have a few vegetarian and vegan choices in their cafe. read more

The Oregon Garden - Botanical Gardens Near Me - Silverton, Oregon

The gardens were great and the Frank Lloyd Wright house on the property was a bonus. If you are looking for a private getaway, the secluded rooms are outstanding. On the downside, our overall experience was dragged down by the restaurant. The food was OK, but we were expecting it to be on par with the rest of the facility and it came up short in several dimensions. read more

A beautiful garden and do enjoyable. My friend and I went and had a bit of a limited amount of time. I want to go back for a full day! So beautiful! And the volunteers were knowledgeable and friendly. We even had a quick sandwich from the cafe and it was quite good and reasonably priced. Well worth a visit! read more

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My wife and I have been visiting the garden every 4-5 years since its opening around 20 years ago.Unfortunately, we agree with some of the reviewers that it is not as nice as in years past and looks run down and overgrown. Presumably they are having difficulty getting workers to maintain the gardens.Still worthwhile but not as nice as on previous visits. read more

The Oregon Garden is a vast labor of love. It was started in 1997, but opened in 2001. It has the only Frank Lloyd Wright house in the Pacific Northwest. It's a beautiful, contemplative place.... considering it's a suburb of Salem. While one can take a tram tour, it's perfect for walking. It's a Willamette Valley treasure. read more

It takes a lot to get me away from Sunday morning football. It's got to be something pretty awesome. Like watching my guy transform into a mud monster while racing cyclocross. Yet I've missed it the last two weeks and it wasn't for a race. No regrets whatsoever. I've been happy as a clam tromping through the Oregon Gardens. Our first visit this year was early in the summer and our second and third visits were just recently and in that short time the garden changed dramatically. If you stay at the resort you have free admission to the Garden and can enjoy the grounds outside the regular admission hours as long as it is light outside. This way we have had the pleasure of enjoying it in both the morning and evening light. Each time we go we take a different route and make new discoveries within their twenty different gardens. Each garden we enter, I usually proclaim: "this is my favorite garden!" First it's the children's garden complete with tactile and odd looking plants complete with a train and hobbit hole. Then it's the pet garden with pet-friendly plants. We pose in front of the fountains. We admire the koi fish and frogs in the water garden. We were delighted to see that some snuck into our photos from our last visit! We probably spend the longest amount of time looking at the unique acquistions in the (hopefully) soon to be expanded Conifer Garden. We always learn something new when we walk through the ultra-educational Re-discovery forest and we find time to reflect in the sensory garden. We plan our dream garden in the Home demonstration garden and the Market garden. We leave only once we feel fulfilled and usually this is when my boyfriend has filled up the memory card on his camera. (Pictures posted are mine, not his, sorting through 750 photos is a project for another day). The tram tour is a great way to see the garden if you are unable to walk it, or to get some great insider knowledge prior to your walk. I would allot 2-4 hours for walking it. In addition to being a great venue for weddings, The Gardens are home to several events throughout the year including a beer festival in the spring, concerts in the summer and our newest discovery, the Family Harvest Days every Saturday in October. From their website: For $5 on top of admission, there are plenty of activities for kids and adults including pumpkin painting, bowling with gourds and other games, crafts, harvest treats, and free hot chocolate or cider for the kids and a glass of beer or wine for those 21 and over. Don't forget to look for the Golden Pumpkin! We missed the Saturday event but still enjoyed looking at all the scarecrows submitted by the community. This has definitely become "our place". It's about time we ponied up the money to become members and make it official. read more

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To begin with $11 is a high price to just see a garden. I have gone three times on free days and was not impressed. Like others have said here, I was told the garden would mature nicely but have been highly disappointed. It is the home to the only Frank Lloyd Wright house in Oregon, which costs an extra $10 to get in. $21 for a ho-hum garden and a house tour? I'm glad I got in for free. read more

This is a really wonderful, large botanical gardens. As most of the other reviewers have written, this place is very special. Its helpful to first take the free white open shuttle tour to see where to stroll later. To fully enjoy the Garden, DO NOT eat at the Cafe, as the food is mediocre to poor. Instead, eat before or after at Gather in Silverton. You won't regret it. The food was so bad at the Cafe in the Visitors' Center that we had to throw it out in the trash! read more

It was over a decade ago that The Oregon Garden was created. There was a lot about it in the news and when it finally opened the people that had gone there were disappointed. They said it had all been recently planted and everything was small. So - I waited. A decade later I would expect it to have started to take shape in the way the developers intended even though it may still be somewhat immature. So last week, I headed down to Silverton and thanks to Free Public Gardens day, it only cost me the gas to get there. Complete review and photos in my blog: http://www.brianbailey.us/blog/?p=866 read more

We have been visiting the garden since moving to oregon 15 years ago. In that time the plants have matured and the general appearance is much improved. The garden seem to be a mixture of botanic garden (trees, shrubs, and perennials ) and display garden- flower beds and annuals. Our visit was on a July day partly overcast and temperature in the low 70's. Haven't been there is a few years. Totally enjoyed the visit, very quiet and relaxing. Will want to go back more frequently. read more

We got engaged here last year. We'd hoped to have our wedding here but found them so inflexible and unreasonable we just gave up. Came back after Christmas to ice skate. So you get to pay $5 to park... $15 per person to go into the garden and another $10 to skate. This is after we spent $80 for two adult and one child meals in the restaurant. Are you kidding me? Oregon has a thousand beautiful places to go any time if the year. Save your money from going here. Unless you like being being "fee'd" to death. Lost our business and won't ever get a membership again read more

Visited the Oregon Garden for the first time this weekend. It was lovely. Very well kept with friendly, helpful people there to answer questions. Very reasonable to get in. Be sure to take the tram for a narrated tour of the garden. When done, you can easily walk back to the areas you're most interested in. We will be going back and taking friends with us. read more

We have been here twice - unfortunately both times in June. While we enjoyed the gardens, we were disappointed that they do not have a lot of "plantings". By that I mean numerous flowers in the same area for display. We found the flowers were individually scattered and not as colorful as many other gardens we visited. Overall the entire garden - as flowers - seemed sparse - but the time of the year is probably a factor. If you are in the area, I would highly recommend you stopping but I don't feel it is worth a special trip. On a side note - we stopped and had lunch at the garden and was looking forward to a bowl of soup - but they didn't have it since "We haven't had time to pick it up yet?" Note this was at 1:30 - when do they plan on getting the lunch soup? Sounds like they wait until the lunch crowd is gone, pick it up and since they now have leftovers - perhaps get a free lunch? Just wondering. read more