Quarryhill Botanical Garden

Quaint and very taken care of garden. Great for all ages easy to walk. Very calming environment. Great for picnic! Would go back!

Not a botanical garden. Nice natural setting though with walking trails. It should be renamed.

I am sure this would be a great place to go when we are no longer in drought. Silly me expecting to see all kind of flowers, thinking with the amount of rain we have had recently, this garden would be a true oasis. Got there and it was green, brown and more brown. Call ahead if you expect to see some flowers as advertised on the website or else save your $$.

Boy if you want a place to just chill and relax, this is it. Incredible landscape abound, waterfalls, easy walking paths or hidden one’s around that you traipse through, waterfalls, ponds and if you strike it lucky — there will be a bench for you to sit and just enjoy.
I wish I lived closer as this would be great to just grab your book and read some place. Picnic benches and easy parking.

Great place to hike. The lady welcomed me with info about the place and was very helpful and nice. I enjoyed myself.

A non-​profit organization dedicated to the preservation of local flora & fauna. Docent led tours. The garden is not modeled after highly precise & mathematical European gardens. Much more realistic and demonstrative of the surrounding wild terrain.
Go to the website (
) to see hours, admission price, etc…
Worth a 2 hour visit if you’re a nature lover.

Admittedly, the entrance threw us off a bit but the staff was incredibly nice about helping us figure that out. The gardens are quite nice; it’s not structured the way a typical garden is and the assortment seems to not really make much sense, however it’s not a puzzle to be figured out. It’s a gorgeous assortment of plants and trees and the staff is great at pointing out the best spots on the self guided tour.
The only thing I’d say is walk with some water. They do have water fountains available throughout the park but given how hot it gets and even though it might not be much of a «hike», definitely have some sort of water with you.

I Purchased a groupon for 2 adults, only $ 10. Two for the price of one! That is how I heard about the garden. I haven’t visited any other gardens but I enjoyed my visit here. The employee at the welcome center was very friendly and informative. We were provided with a map of the garden and it included numbers of different trees/​plants you could stop and read about. I would defiantly suggest good walking shoes and appropriate clothing for the climate. There are many bees if that is a concern. There are also benches for you to stop and sit or even have a picnic at depending on what you are going to the garden for. Most of the plants and trees were from China, Japan, etc. Going in early August most things were bloomed but not all. I think the garden and all it has to offer is beautiful and worth the visit! A hidden gem in my opinion.

Quarryville Botanical Garden is an underrated destination in the Sonoma Valley. It’s a short drive from Benziger Winery with its biodynamic vineyards&tram ride, along with Jack London State Park. It’s only $ 10 admission, and the rigorous hike in the Wilderness Garden are worth it. You’ll feel the burn, along with fiery ecstasy. There are numerous picnic tables&drinking fountains (that also water the plants) along the way.
It’s a challenge to go uphill until you reach the Arbor&the tasteful Memorial Fountain. The path to the Tibetan Buddhist prayer flags is a challenge, especially if you end up doing a roundabout. Its payoff is an amazing view of the valley below&Sonoma Mountain. The Upper&Lower Ponds are a place of serenity, with its Japanese moon bridges&a primordial redwood from China. Don’t miss the picnic spot tucked in a former quarry pit, illuminated by the midday sun. Near the gift shop there’s a beautiful garden of China roses.
Quarry hill doesn’t duplicate the typical Asian gardens (like the Hakone Estate Garden&Portland’s Japanese Garden, or Portland’s Lan Hsu Garden) It’s about emulating the Asian wilderness, with Empress trees&other rare species. Nirvana in a garden.

Beautiful gardens, with unique and amazing botanicals from China. Lots of walking trails to explore, and beautiful spots to sit and see the view of the valley or just meditate on the beauty.

On my last review, I said that we will definitely go back after Spring to experience it while flowers are in bloom. It was so much more nicer this time :) The smell of the flowers were great also! The gift shop was open this time so it was nice to check out the products they offer.

Came here for the day last week for my Birthday and it was a LOVELY day. The grounds here are beautiful and I especially loved the ponds with waterfalls. Can’t wait to go back!

Having first heard about the Quarryhill Botanical Gardens through Groupon, we went there yesterday, Tuesday, April 21^st, and were pleasantly surprised at the the beautiful conifers, flora, landscaping designs, layout, views, trails, paths, ponds, waterfalls, etc., etc. etc. Although it only cost us $ 10.00, as we saved $ 10.00, when reading a sign near the end of our adventure through the beautiful gardens, we found out the gardens are free to seniors on Tuesdays. Since we had already given the Groupon code to the docent when we arrived & having enjoyed the trek through the nearly 30 acres of magical & peaceful beauty, we just felt the volunteer who took our Groupon number must have thought we looked a little younger than 68 & 65, so we didn’t question the fact that she should have told us that Tuesday was a free day. When we asked about a nice Italian Restaurant in the area, Della Santina in Sonoma was suggested & we absolutely loved the meal there after our walk. Kudos.

This is a 25 acre sanctuary where exotic and endangered plants are featured. Their collection of maples is impressive and we purchased one of the wood sculptures by local carver Bruce Johnson. Later we shared al fresca lunch next to a big Lilly pond.

A great place for some exercise and nature. As others have said, there are some steep hills so if you have any mobility issues ask about the accessible trails at the visitor center. The place is not that big so with some rest stops you can make it around in about 2 hours. I was taking photographs and stopped twice just to relax, so I was there 4 hours. Parts of the trails are not shaded, so be sure to bring a hat and wear sun block. There are many benches and picnic tables to stop and relax, sometimes hidden down side paths, so they are worth exploring. I can see how it could be disappointing in the summer when not much is blooming if you’re not into rare plants, but even then it is a nice relaxing place to walk off some wine tasting calories. I went in spring and saw lots of things blooming. Bring a picnic to enjoy in the gardens or on the shaded tables near the parking area.

I wish I could give two reviews. A 5 and a 1. I’ll give them a 3 for somewhere in between.
5 — for the garden itself. The garden is beautiful and the venue is so magical and quaint. Visit as a guest and botanical garden. I will definitely keep going as a patron.
1– for any potential brides and grooms considering this place for their wedding. Yes our wedding was gorgeous and yes we all had a blast. But it was DESPITE the venue managers. The place is pricey but we chose to get married here because the site fee would be contributing to the wellbeing of the garden. so in the end, we still feel good about it, but only after alot of deep breathing and thinking about the big picture, etc.
Because their top priority is the garden (which is totally expected and fine) — they make it loud and clear that you are NOT important to them AT ALL… even on your actual wedding day. Need a shady, cool place to wait before entering ceremony? Their empty office? Not a chance. Your vendors need wifi? Nope. not sharing. Ask them for a glass of water when visiting with your planner a few weeks before — you’ll get a sigh and eyeroll. They REQUIRE a wedding planner and will not communicate with you directly at all. or correction, will not respond to your emails or calls but will happily email you directly. but don’t you dare write a response directly!
It was very sad, but again in spite of this — we had a lovely time — so after our wedding we tried to meet with them to just talk over some of the things that we think went wrong, mostly to smooth things over, hug it out, so we can have the fond memory of our wedding not have any bitterness to it… but they were «too busy.»
It really breaks my heart to think we want to be lifetime patrons of this place and the managers of the garden just have such unemotional, uncaring and cold attitudes about such a big day in our lives.
I think they should stop hosting weddings there, take it off of Here Comes The Guide and any other wedding venue listings, and people should not consider it a wedding venue — because it really isn’t. It’s a beautiful garden with amazing flowers and plants, but not for any bride that wants to feel special on her day.
Take the risk if you absolutely LOVE the property, but I don’t know if it was worth the emotional distress we went through dealing with the staff. I’m happy to go into more detail with anyone that wants to discuss. Send me a message via Unilocal

We definitely had a great time here, even in the Summer when much isn’t in bloom. This massive property is gorgeous with lots of trees from China, Japan and other areas of Asia. It’s not a small garden, either. There is a map and the property has about 2 miles of garden trails.
You’ll also see a few sculptures, two beautiful and scenic lakes, and other lovely sites. and even might catch a glimpse of the large family of wild turkeys roaming the property.
The gift shop is nice and quaint. There are also picnic tables to eat (bring your own food). We saw a family have a tablecloth, chips, wine and sandwiches which triumphed our fancy Subway. So you could go either way with that.
I recommend going in the Spring. Although there are plants that bloom at different times of the year, July probably isn’t the best month to make the trip here. It’s not a free park.
The terrain is fairly simple. Most people can walk it There are a few steep parts, but you can avoid them if needed.
The summary of tips: Wear sunblock and bug spray, bring water, bring a picnic, visit in the Spring for your first trip. Wear shoes that can get dirty. Look for a deal on Yipit.

Gosh, I can’t believe I haven’t heard of Quarryhill Botanical Garden until now. Keep in mind that the «hill» in their name rings true. It is hilly & those not comfortable with walking inclines should take note. There were large sculptures sprinkled throughout the garden. There were also benches & picnic benches in some areas. Wish we knew that so we could have eaten our picnic lunch while in the garden. It was serene, pretty & we were often alone on the trails so it felt like our own private garden.

A hidden treasure in Glen Ellen. Lots of walking, not a lot of people when we went in early fall. Very natural with many duplicate Asian only species. Will definitely return!
This is not a good place for people that have mobility issues, lots of hills. I would recommend for children, as there are fun little paths, bridges and stepping stones.

The beautiful plants and flowers are well worth the Groupon I had for a group of four. The paths are gravel and stable but some parts are steep. Beware if you have small children or older members in your group. If you are offered the ride up on the golf cart I suggest you take it to save some energy for your tour.