Exploring America's Unique and Accessible Gardens

Author: Victor Block
Published: 2025/02/15
Publication Type: Informative
Topic: Disability Travel America - Publications List

Page Content: Synopsis - Introduction - Main

Synopsis: Discover America's unique and accessible gardens, thoughtfully designed to welcome seniors and people with disabilities, offering enriching experiences for all.

Why it matters: This article highlights a diverse array of unique gardens across the United States, emphasizing their accessibility features that cater to seniors and individuals with disabilities. From the underground fruit tree grotto of Forestiere in Fresno, California, to the whimsical literary-themed Bookworm Gardens in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, these destinations offer enriching experiences for all visitors. Notably, many of these gardens are designed with accessibility in mind: Bookworm Gardens features hardened rubberized mulch paths and provides a loaner wheelchair; Topiary Park in Columbus, Ohio, offers scooter and power wheelchair-friendly pathways; and the Forestiere Underground Gardens accommodate visitors using canes or walkers, with alternative routes for standard wheelchair users. These thoughtfully designed spaces ensure that everyone, regardless of mobility, can enjoy the beauty and stories these gardens present - Disabled World (DW).

Introduction

With spring approaching, millions of Americans will soon begin toiling soil and planting seeds in their family plot. The National Gardening Association estimates that members of more than one-third of households in this country are flower gardeners.

Millions more will visit parks and gardens close to where they live, or as they travel, to enjoy some of Mother Nature's magnificent floral displays. Then there are those who will check out an underground grotto where fruit trees bloom, a centuries-old tree trunk which supports a thriving plantscape, and a botanical garden filled with mementos of popular children's books.

Main Item

If you think a garden must be an area where only colorful blossoms bloom, think again. A surprisingly diverse collection of unique gardens throughout the country awaits discovery and exploration by those who appreciate natural beauty, intriguing stories, unusual attractions and touches of humor.

Many of these inviting places are accessible. For example, most paths at the Bookworm Gardens are made of hardened rubberized mulch, and there is a loaner wheelchair on site. People using a scooter or power wheelchair have an easy time rolling on paths that lead through Topiary Park. Even the underground Forestiere site comfortably accommodates visitors with a cane or walker, and there's an alternate tour route for those in a standard wheelchair.

Forestiere Underground Gardens - Fresno, California

One example of a unique garden is a network of tunnels and rooms that were carved out of the soil in Fresno, California.

An Italian immigrant named Baldassare Forestiere came to the Unites States in 1901 planning to become a citrus farmer. Instead, he ended up spending 40 years toiling with a shovel and mining pick to create a large underground garden filled with orange, grapefruit, lemon and other fruit trees. Skylights cut into the ceiling provide sunlight and basins catch and store rain water. Some of the trees growing in this grotto are over 100 years old.

Host Analog, Oregon Convention Center - Portland, Oregon

Those century-old trees are dwarfed in age by the trunk of a host analog Douglas fir tree which fell about 600 years ago and now lies outside the Oregon Convention Center in Portland.

The eight segments of the Host Analog installation sprout seedlings from the state's old growth forests, providing a wild, maintenance-free environment. It's watered every 15 minutes by mist sprayed from an irrigation system.

Bookworm Gardens - Sheboygan, Wisconsin

A magic school bus, fun house and other whimsical features grace the fanciful Bookworm Gardens in Sheboygan, Wisconsin.

Popular children's stories come to life in more than 80 locations, each inspired by classics like Hansel and Gretel and Where the Wild Things Are. The vibrant, playful settings, variety of special events and ever-evolving botanicals are as inviting for adults as they are remarkable for children.

Topiary Park - Columbus, Ohio

The monkey, cat and dogs which inhabit Topiary Park in Columbus, Ohio also entertain youngsters, while their parents are equally impressed by a garden which was inspired by a famous painting.

A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte was created by Georges Seurat, a founder of the neo-impressionist movement in the late 19th century. It depicts a number of Parisians at a park on the banks of the Seine River. Those animals share the seven-acre plot with 80 larger-than-life topiaries and dozens of kinds of trees, and hosts jazz concerts.

White Head Institute Splice Garden - Cambridge, Massachusetts

France also influenced the White Head Institute Splice Garden in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

This imaginative arrangement combines features of French Renaissance and Japanese Zen gardens and is perched on the roof of the White Head Institute for Biomedical Research building. Despite its realistic appearance, all of the plants are made of plastic and the hedges of pieces of steel covered in AstroTurf. Adding to the lifelike look is green painted gravel.

California Academy of Sciences Headquarters - San Francisco, California

Real plants adorn the top of the California Academy of Sciences Headquarters in San Francisco.

A multi-layered soil drainage system and natural irrigation minimize upkeep for the native plants species. Adding to the appeal are contours which when viewed from afar, echo nearby hills. An open-air observation deck provides an ideal location to watch birds and bees attracted by the lush plantings.

Poison Garden - Eureka, California

An unusual botanical enclave with a dark story to tell is the small, private Poison Garden in Eureka, California.

Amy Stewart, who wrote a book about lethal plants, tends hemlock, nightshade and several dozen other killer varieties. Gates prevent curious children and animals from accessing the unusual garden and a tombstone lists names of famous people - including Socrates and Abraham Lincoln's mother - who lost their life after ingesting poisonous plants.

Author Credentials: Victor Block has been a travel journalist for many years, and has written for major newspapers, magazines and travel websites and served as an editor of Fodor's Travel Guides. He is a member of the Society of American Travel Writers and the North American Travel Journalists Association. Victor is a regular contributor of reviews to the Disabled World travel section. Visit Victors's biography for further insights into his background and expertise.