The Garden Door
The Garden Door
4.5
7:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Monday
7:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Tuesday
7:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Wednesday
7:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Thursday
7:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Friday
7:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Saturday
7:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Sunday
7:00 AM - 7:00 PM
About
The Garden Door was designed and is maintained by the Door County Master Gardeners. TGD is nestled behind barns at the UW Peninsular Ag Research Station, which is located a few miles north of Sturgeon Bay on Highway 42. Enter at the south driveway and go straight back past the barns. The entry gate is on your left. TGD is the only free public garden in Door County. It is open from dawn until dusk every day. Enjoy the double kaleidoscope, fairy garden, and meditation tunnel. Wander and enjoy the tranquility. Please consider making a donation in one of the donation boxes to help the Master Gardeners maintain these gardens!
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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4.5
98 reviews
Excellent
74
Very good
20
Average
4
Poor
0
Terrible
0
Kari C
7 contributions
Jun 2022 • Family
Oh my gosh what a little gem this place is! Even my boys ages 21 and 7 enjoyed it! Beautiful flowers, a fun path, and interesting garden objects. It didn't hurt that it was a beautiful day. Our favorite was the kaleidoscope. Plus, this is free will donation so super affordable. We will definitely go back.
Written 1 July 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We are so glad that you visited! We created a couple of new garden beds this year, so it's been very interesting. Our Master Gardeners work incredibly hard to maintain the gardens, hundreds of volunteer hours are logged in each year!
Written 2 July 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Tigerman777
936 contributions
May 2017 • Solo
First of all, I had to laugh when a woman on TA said the Garden Door is easy to find😀. When using my google map app, the final supposed road was nothing more than a long driveway, which caused me to pass it, making it necessary to turn around. Once entering the grounds, just drive straight until you see a sign that says "STOP! Pesticides in Use! There is a small gravel parking area to leave your car on the right. You'll see the entrance to the Garden on the left. The gardens are free to view, but a donation is appreciated to help fund the necessary things. Kids are allowed, but please keep very ones very close to you. The first thing you will see straight ahead is basically a large black gyroscope with two kaleidoscopes directed toward a small flowerbed. Beautiful for adults and kids alike to play with. The gardens are BEAUTIFUL!!! I may have as brown a thumb as you can get, but I sure appreciate the work that goes into these gardens!!! There were many beautiful flowers blooming when I was there in mid/late May, but my favorites were the tulips. There is a goldfish pond to enjoy the little guys. The monarch garden is a wonderful thing for late summer to see the monarch butterflies up close and personal. There are several beautifully inlaid benches to admire through the gardens. I especially loved the gorgeous blue glassworks flowers (I wonder if they were made by the magnificent Popelka Trenchard glass studio in Sturgeon Bay) on the terraces. It was AWESOME to have this place all to myself when there: rare solitude in Door County😀. In conclusion, go, absorb the surroundings and admire and appreciate what you're seeing, smelling and hearing. It is VERY worthwhile to stop here. Next time I will go late June very early in the morning to avoid crowds.
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Written 23 May 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
eggychick
Egg Harbor, WI2 contributions
Sept 2012
From the road you can't tell, but hidden away is The Garden Door a place to explore with free admission. Maintained by the Door County Master Gardeners, there are many features and different varieties of plants. Perfect for visitors of all ages. Be sure to bring a camera!
Written 29 October 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dani-Wisconsin
Baraboo, WI29 contributions
May 2013 • Family
I am so glad we stopped here on our recent trip to Door County. It is a bit off of the main road so don’t get discouraged and drive back there. It is definitely worth stopping and they have great signage up to get you to the right spot. Our home spot was in Sturgeon Bay and we were headed up to Washington Island. This was the perfect stop where my 2 year old could walk around, wear out some energy and enjoy the beautiful flowers, coy pond and fairy house. They had a cool kaleidoscope setup when you first walked in with flowers which was cool to see. The highlight of this stop was the fairy house nestled between a couple of trees. There was a mini bird bath, bench and little hidden animal statues that my toddler LOVED! She kept wanting to go back in there to explore and hang out on the bench. All plants are labeled and this is a nice change from the normal hustle and bustle of the peninsula. Beautiful spot to relax and enjoy the outdoors!
Written 28 May 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jane F
Rockford, IL118 contributions
Aug 2014 • Couples
We've been to Door County many times, but this was our first stop to The Garden Door. We've tried to visit before, but our GPS refused to locate it. TGD is a treasure that's 'hidden in plain sight' just north of the Hwy 42/57 split on the east side. Look for the UW Peninsular Agricultural Research Station sign, which is larger than TGD sign.
As others have said, this is a wonderful, free garden maintained by volunteer Master Gardeners. We enjoyed the different types of gardens (sun, shade, water, perennial, annual, Fairy, grass, just to name a few) and took pictures so we had ideas for our own yard. They also have a QR Code you can snap for plant identification-although the document was a couple years old.
We will definitely go again another time of year to see the changes in the garden. We'd love to see their website updated, as we have sent the link to some of our friends as a travel suggestion.
As others have said, this is a wonderful, free garden maintained by volunteer Master Gardeners. We enjoyed the different types of gardens (sun, shade, water, perennial, annual, Fairy, grass, just to name a few) and took pictures so we had ideas for our own yard. They also have a QR Code you can snap for plant identification-although the document was a couple years old.
We will definitely go again another time of year to see the changes in the garden. We'd love to see their website updated, as we have sent the link to some of our friends as a travel suggestion.
Written 31 August 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Becky Z
North Miami, FL82 contributions
Sept 2013 • Family
This garden is a colorful hidden gem, very pretty and tranquil ~ be sure to bring a camera! A must for any gardener....Located just past Sturgeon Bay on Hwy 42, be careful not to miss it as there are not many signs. You'll be glad you stopped!
Written 11 March 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Paul H
Portland, ME129 contributions
Sept 2013 • Family
The Garden Door is a lovely floral/decorative garden located just north of Surgeon Bay. Open year round (although a lot more interesting spring to fall than in winter!) there is a lot to see and it makes a great spot for a picnic with some newly installed tables. Don't neglect to see the Garden Next Door which is located to the north of the Garden Door. The GND is a set of community garden plots for the master gardeners including plots that are maintained together with youth groups.
Written 30 September 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
travelhappy1177
Raleigh, NC101 contributions
Aug 2013 • Couples
This is a cool, free place for the botanically inclined to wander for an hour or two (and get some great photo ops!). We enjoyed checking out these beautiful cooperative gardens with a wide array of interesting flowers, shrubs and vegetables. There are some creative facets such as the fairies' and gnomes' miniature gardens. Being from out of state, I especially enjoyed the fact that many of the plants were labeled. I wish that even more of them could be labeled, because we wanted to research so many that were unfamiliar to us. There is some good educational information on vegetable gardening, and it would be great to see them continue to develop this portion of the garden. The students' vegetable garden was unreal!! Great place!
Written 8 September 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
mellerbroek
Roscoe, IL102 contributions
Hidden gem! So many little nooks and crannies to explore... particularly enjoyed the human sundial. Our 2 year old daughter loved Mr. Toad's Abode! If you're driving through north, it's on your right shortly after the stop lights where the highways split. Stop for a few minutes, it's free and completely worth it!
Written 21 September 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
amcd44
MN12 contributions
Aug 2013 • Couples
My husband and I visited the Garden Door last week - I took over 100 photos. This is a MUST see for anyone even slightly interested in gardening, flowers, or beauty and nature in general. Definitely worth the stop - free, a delightful stroll through some paths, butterflies, bees, herb sampling, fantastic ideas to put into my own gardens at home - the most cool thing???? A Fairy VILLAGE!!! Agree with a previous review, that it is easy to miss so watch closely for signs right outside of Sturgeon Bay on Hwy. 42.
Written 19 August 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I had asked about weather or not there is an admission fee and no one has responded.
Written 25 June 2023
Are the gardens wheelchair accessible?
Written 6 May 2023
No, I am sorry dogs are not allowed.
Written 7 September 2022
The Garden Door in Sturgron Bay WI is open year around. It’s a beautiful place in winter but the parking lot may not always be plowed quickly after a snowfall. However the driveway at the Peninsular Agricultural Tesearch Station ( where the Gareden is located) is always plowed. You can always hike in during winter. However, it’s a beautiful, quiet place to visit most any day of the year. our website has photos from all seasons. Come visit.
Written 13 September 2018
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