Wegerzyn Gardens MetroPark
Wegerzyn Gardens MetroPark
4.5
8:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Monday
8:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Tuesday
8:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Wednesday
8:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Thursday
8:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Friday
8:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Saturday
8:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Sunday
8:00 AM - 10:00 PM
About
Stroll through formal gardens and the delightful Children's Discovery Garden. Every season has something special to offer. Home gardeners will find a wealth of design ideas, wonderful plants, and cultivation techniques suitable for the Miami Valley. Also walk the Marie Aull Nature Trail and Swamp Forest Boardwalk and discover the scenic Stillwater River corridor.
Duration: 1-2 hours
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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.
4.5
76 reviews
Excellent
42
Very good
30
Average
3
Poor
0
Terrible
1
Local50
313 contributions
May 2018 • Couples
This has always been one of our favorite places to go. The gardens are always beautiful and meticulously maintained. Something has changed. The gardens were full of weeds, and in some areas you couldn’t tell where the weeds ended and the flowers began. The grass was cut but no one bothered to trim around anything. We were appalled by how horrible everything looked. There was also trash lying around and there were trash cans within a few feet. The area around the fountain and arch/arbor is hideous - it used to be beautiful. So sad that it is looking so bad. What happened??? Probably won’t go back.
Written 25 May 2018
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.
Butmomwhy
Saint Louis, MO273 contributions
Jun 2018 • Solo
I was looking for a spot to spend an hour while waiting for a friend to arrive at the Dayton International Airport, and found this little gem. Beautiful walk along the Stillwater River, and small but beautiful gardens, and a nice walk through the woods on a well marked, well kept path.
Written 24 June 2018
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.
rhondalowry67gto
Dayton, OH19 contributions
Sept 2018 • Family
This is a wonderful place for weddings, family reunions, to fish, learn about flowers, let the kids play and learn in their own area. The walk ways are paved. Bring a camera! Spring is awesome with the blooming flowers, you don't know whitch way to look there is so many. It's free to the public. In the summer there is water sports for the children to enjoy. Pick nic areas too.
Written 14 April 2019
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.
D9093KMmicheleb
22 contributions
Sept 2015 • Couples
Wonderful place even for adults. All the plants are tagged, lots of places to roam and play. Take clothes that can get wait as no child will be able to resist ducking under the waterfall for some fun. Or, playing in the sand boxes so shoes are an issue too!. Big City Garden in little Dayton. We are so lucky.
Written 5 January 2016
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.
MidwstrnTrvlr
Illinois152 contributions
Aug 2015 • Family
I came here with my daughter because she needed a place to run while we were on vacation. I found this park on the Internet and thought she could run along the river trail while I looked at the gardens. I'm so glad we came here! The gardens were fabulous! I had been lacking inspiration in my home gardens lately, but now I have several ideas I want to implement from these gardens. A true artist designed these areas and kudos to everyone who keeps them weeded, trimmed and growing beautifully. Truly worth the time to come take a look. I made my husband and son come back with us later, just to show them how beautiful it is. (And to convince my husband to help me turn a corner of our yard into something similar. :^)
Written 8 August 2015
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.
Hoosiergadabout
Indiana410 contributions
Jun 2015 • Solo
It would seem that a master plan for gardens be more easily realized when planned with a home in mind. In these instances, the house and the garden are seen as one – or the extension of one another. However, that can’t always be the case; and often gardens on a small and grand scale are created entirely independent of any building. It would be fair to describe the WEGERZYN GARDENS METROPARK as a successful example of the latter situation.
Created through a consortium of property bequests, municipal agreements and private and public funding, Wegerzyn Gardens opened “officially” in 2006 operating under the auspices of the Five Rivers Metroparks. The Gardens are open year round with the exception of Christmas and New Year’s Day when the facility is closed. The Gardens are readily accessible from East Siebenthaler Avenue, provide ample parking for visitors in nearby lots, and share acreage and a property footprint with the Dayton Playhouse.
The Gardens are designed to be “garden rooms” and in proportion to the overall size of property which comprises them. The Gardens on-line information describes these rooms as private sanctuaries “with each garden room having its own unique design and feel”. Visitors will therefore discover such entities as a Woodland Garden, Reception Lawn, Victorian Garden, English Garden, Federal Garden, Memorial Garden, Arbor Garden, Plazas, a Garden Green and a Children’s Discovery Garden – not to mention a Swamp Forest, Prairie, and a small lake. The Gardens run contiguous to the Stillwater River.
The concept of garden rooms has its antecedent in the elements of classical and formal gardening both in the United States and in Europe. Perhaps, the one authority that comes to mind is Edith Wharton (1862-1937), a late 19th and early 20th century author, master house builder and gardener herself. Her country home and gardens in Lenox, Massachusetts (The Mount) began in 1920. Wharton believed that gardens themselves should be architectural compositions, divided into rooms, and planned in concert with the house and the natural landscape. Wharton had considerable influence on both American residential and classical garden design and it seems apparent on the visionaries and developers of the Wegerzyn Gardens as well.
There are many elements of a classic garden including pedestal urns, French planting boxes, classic columns, trellage, pea gravel walkways, obelisks, and fountains. The overarching principle of classic gardens is simplicity and symmetry. The objective of classic gardens would appear to be to bestow a sense of harmony from each individualized garden (and the aggregate whole) on the viewer.
The Wegerzyn Gardens succeed admirably well in adhering to these classic garden principles considering that there is really no anchor dwelling that argues for the gardens’ existence. One will encounter many of the elements described above. Transitioning from one garden “room” to another was easy and frequently the next garden space was framed in trellage of a size and proportion that created a sense of anticipation.
There was no skimping on plantings and floral presentations throughout the Gardens although at times there was a sense of plentitude – too many plants and flowers, the result being that the eye could not take it all in comfortably. Given the amount of space to work in however and an apparent need to showcase so many plantings, this deficiency seemed minor indeed. The long allee (or lane) achieves a sense of space, proportion and isolation for the stroller necessary to this aspect of classic gardens.
There is a Children’s Discovery Garden set off by shrubbery and hedge borders that nestles in the overall design of the Gardens. Families with small children who were frequenting the children’s garden seemed to be having a wonderful time judging by the happy squeals and chirping of children at play absorbed in their own private garden world. The noise level from this area while a testimony to the importance of providing private space for children did drift into the main gardens grounds and was to this reviewer’s mind a very slight detriment to the enjoyment of quiet perambulation. Additionally, parents shouting after their children to “come back” and “stay with mommy” in the other areas of the Gardens reinforced that there were magical spaces for children to explore and that visitors would not always have a quiet landscape. Such are the concessions that any visitor must make when visiting public spaces such as the Gardens.
The Wegerzyn Gardens are a sampler of what classic principles can be when thoughtfully considered and presented. Whether one is a horticulturalist, garden club member, backyard small scale flower lover, or balcony container planter, the Wegerzyn Gardens are certainly a destination that one should not miss when in the Dayton area. “Go to your room” – garden room, that is and soak in the beauty and tranquility of this Dayton Metroparks site.
Created through a consortium of property bequests, municipal agreements and private and public funding, Wegerzyn Gardens opened “officially” in 2006 operating under the auspices of the Five Rivers Metroparks. The Gardens are open year round with the exception of Christmas and New Year’s Day when the facility is closed. The Gardens are readily accessible from East Siebenthaler Avenue, provide ample parking for visitors in nearby lots, and share acreage and a property footprint with the Dayton Playhouse.
The Gardens are designed to be “garden rooms” and in proportion to the overall size of property which comprises them. The Gardens on-line information describes these rooms as private sanctuaries “with each garden room having its own unique design and feel”. Visitors will therefore discover such entities as a Woodland Garden, Reception Lawn, Victorian Garden, English Garden, Federal Garden, Memorial Garden, Arbor Garden, Plazas, a Garden Green and a Children’s Discovery Garden – not to mention a Swamp Forest, Prairie, and a small lake. The Gardens run contiguous to the Stillwater River.
The concept of garden rooms has its antecedent in the elements of classical and formal gardening both in the United States and in Europe. Perhaps, the one authority that comes to mind is Edith Wharton (1862-1937), a late 19th and early 20th century author, master house builder and gardener herself. Her country home and gardens in Lenox, Massachusetts (The Mount) began in 1920. Wharton believed that gardens themselves should be architectural compositions, divided into rooms, and planned in concert with the house and the natural landscape. Wharton had considerable influence on both American residential and classical garden design and it seems apparent on the visionaries and developers of the Wegerzyn Gardens as well.
There are many elements of a classic garden including pedestal urns, French planting boxes, classic columns, trellage, pea gravel walkways, obelisks, and fountains. The overarching principle of classic gardens is simplicity and symmetry. The objective of classic gardens would appear to be to bestow a sense of harmony from each individualized garden (and the aggregate whole) on the viewer.
The Wegerzyn Gardens succeed admirably well in adhering to these classic garden principles considering that there is really no anchor dwelling that argues for the gardens’ existence. One will encounter many of the elements described above. Transitioning from one garden “room” to another was easy and frequently the next garden space was framed in trellage of a size and proportion that created a sense of anticipation.
There was no skimping on plantings and floral presentations throughout the Gardens although at times there was a sense of plentitude – too many plants and flowers, the result being that the eye could not take it all in comfortably. Given the amount of space to work in however and an apparent need to showcase so many plantings, this deficiency seemed minor indeed. The long allee (or lane) achieves a sense of space, proportion and isolation for the stroller necessary to this aspect of classic gardens.
There is a Children’s Discovery Garden set off by shrubbery and hedge borders that nestles in the overall design of the Gardens. Families with small children who were frequenting the children’s garden seemed to be having a wonderful time judging by the happy squeals and chirping of children at play absorbed in their own private garden world. The noise level from this area while a testimony to the importance of providing private space for children did drift into the main gardens grounds and was to this reviewer’s mind a very slight detriment to the enjoyment of quiet perambulation. Additionally, parents shouting after their children to “come back” and “stay with mommy” in the other areas of the Gardens reinforced that there were magical spaces for children to explore and that visitors would not always have a quiet landscape. Such are the concessions that any visitor must make when visiting public spaces such as the Gardens.
The Wegerzyn Gardens are a sampler of what classic principles can be when thoughtfully considered and presented. Whether one is a horticulturalist, garden club member, backyard small scale flower lover, or balcony container planter, the Wegerzyn Gardens are certainly a destination that one should not miss when in the Dayton area. “Go to your room” – garden room, that is and soak in the beauty and tranquility of this Dayton Metroparks site.
Written 17 June 2015
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.
Quintin G
12 contributions
May 2019
This is one of the go to spots for senior pictures and prom pictures. The garden is exceptionally kept and very accomidating to everyone.
Written 3 February 2020
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.
Dayna S
62 contributions
Sept 2016 • Family
We took a road trip to the gardens to find some good (and different) photo ops for my daughter's senior pictures. Wegerzyn Gardens did not disappoint! It's a beautiful place with some great photo spots - lots of beautiful flowers, archways, and fountains. The children's discovery area was even quite beautiful. There is also room to hike and bike, although we did not have time to browse any further. I would love to go back and just plan to hike and explore some more. Admission and parking are both free!
Written 5 September 2016
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.
GPS2008
Topeka, KS40 contributions
Jul 2016 • Couples
Three formal gardens enchant with their layout. Benches are strategically placed for relaxation and mediation on the beauties that surround you. A woodland path meanders through new and old growth forest. Be careful to stay on the path...poison ivy is abundant. Another one allows you to explore a swampy environment...with mosquitoes, of course. The kid's garden is delightful and if you are old enough, you can taste a variety of garden vegetables and herbs - or introduce your children to them and the water feature is a great place for the little ones to cool down on a hot summer day. Plan to spend at least an hour or two to really explore and relax.
Written 13 July 2016
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.
merge1
Europe46 contributions
Aug 2015 • Friends
This is one of the smaller metroparks, but for gardeners in particular it is a delight. I drop by every so often to walk through the formal gardens, catch some Shakespeare in the park or see how the perennials are doing. As a gardener, I always get some ideas (and often feel a little bit shown-up). It's a great place to take a little stroll, hang out with the kids, catch your breath.
If you want a substantial hike, this is not quite the right place for you, but as gardens go, this one is a charmer.
If you want a substantial hike, this is not quite the right place for you, but as gardens go, this one is a charmer.
Written 23 January 2016
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.
Seeking a restaurant for a large group of gardeners, 50 or more, between Wegerzyn Gardens and Cox Arboretum. Are traveling to both places by bus and need lunch recommendations. Thanks!
Written 20 January 2019
Golden Nugget serves breakfast as well as lunch. Closes at 3:00 is only drawback
Written 30 January 2019
The time I went was in October. I believe the fall to warmer months because the flowers and fooliag are great to see. And it being a littlw warmer gives you and your family the option to walk around the grounds. Dayton Playbouse community theatre has shows al year round to check out. Hope this helps.
Written 25 March 2017
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