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    Recommended Reviews - Rail Trail

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    8 years ago

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    Hakone Estate and Gardens - Side view of main Hse

    Hakone Estate and Gardens

    4.1(599 reviews)
    67.7 mi

    My friend and I were looking for something to do on our day off and we decided to visit Hakone…read moreGardens. After hearing about a coworker who had her wedding here I was excited to visit. The drive up to the gardens is beautiful at this time with all the trees being red & orange. Entrance fee is $12 per adult but we just so happened to visit on Santa Clara County Resident's day. After showing ID, our admission was free; what a nice surprise! The gardens were small but had many different areas to enjoy; there was a beautiful pond with fish, waterfall, tea ceremony room, bamboo garden, bonsai exhibit, and more. There are a lot of nice benches to soak it all in. It's the perfect escape from the city!

    Somebody as Hakone Gardens needs to update the website and social media better when the cherry…read moreblossoms bloom. I drove 45 minutes to Hakone Gardens recently at the end of March and found out that most of the cherry blossoms were gone. I was like whaaaa....I usually go during the end of March and they would be in full bloom. Apparently, they bloomed earlier this year. I was looking forward to seeing the wonderful pink color all around. Anyways, Hakone is still a treat to walk around and is very nice when the flowers are blooming. I love sitting near the beginning of the trail and looking at the ponds, bridge, koi fish and all the trees. It transports me to Japan without the airfare and passport. Parking can be difficult on busy days and will be waiting for awhile for someone to leave. Gift shop is cute and there are many cute finds in there. Admission is now $12 but parking is still free.

    Photos
    Hakone Estate and Gardens - Bridge at night

    Bridge at night

    Hakone Estate and Gardens - Smile: it's free therapy. A happy soul is the best shield for a cruel world

    Smile: it's free therapy. A happy soul is the best shield for a cruel world

    Hakone Estate and Gardens - Sakura

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    Sakura

    Forestiere Underground Gardens - Skylight looking up from below

    Forestiere Underground Gardens

    4.8(597 reviews)
    55.5 mi

    This place blew me away. I had Rhanda (I think that's the spelling) as a guide and she was SO…read moreterrific. This is a historical landmark and she walked me through every room with great detail on the origin story and the rooms we were in. One of the best tour guides I've had. I have never experienced anything this - you have to really appreciate the amount of work, design and detail by Baldassare Forestiere - truly a feat! Very grateful the family makes this available for tours. Highly recommend if you appreciate gardening, architecture, art, engineering etc. They also did a great job of reminding me of my appointment and following up afterwards. If in Fresno area, this is a don't miss!!

    My family along with our cousins and aunt decided to tour the Forestier Underground Gardens. It was…read moresuch a gem to visit. The gardens were built in an unexpected park of Fresno and these is a lot of history behind them. Parking was somewhat difficult but once you enter, the staff were very kind, organized, and positive. Our tour guide Raul was super sweet and provided a lot of history regarding the gardens and the family who built them. Raul had my 3 young boys engaged and interested. He answered all my questions and was so open to conversation. You could tell Raul was proud to be there telling all of us how the Gardens came to be. The Gardens are very interesting. I've never seen anything quite like these. The smell of all the citrus trees combine with the natural cooling underground was amazing and made the tour comfortable. If you have any time i do recommend visiting these secret gardens.

    Photos
    Forestiere Underground Gardens - Placing a pin in home state.

    Placing a pin in home state.

    Forestiere Underground Gardens - Aquarium

    Aquarium

    Forestiere Underground Gardens - Bedroom quarters

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    Bedroom quarters

    UC Santa Cruz Arboretum & Botanic Garden

    UC Santa Cruz Arboretum & Botanic Garden

    4.3(65 reviews)
    67.7 mi

    My husband and I wanted a little change of scene from the usual work routine/commute, so we went…read moreoff to visit Santa Cruz. Since more people are out and about, we thought that UC Santa Cruz' arboretum would be just the change of scene we needed without the stress of the crowds/traffic. The arboretum was a decent size and can easily satisfy your curiosity in a few hours if you take the time to walk and read about the plants. They have several different "gardens" within, some based on plant type and some based on the countries the plants are native to. There are certain parts with more tree cover/shade than others, depending on the garden and the type of plants they have. The gardens were large enough, for the most part, to avoid running into people. There were several benches spread out throughout the gardens that were perfect to sit and relax at. There weren't too many animals or birds, but there were lots of small lizards around. Parking was easy to find and plentiful. The lot can be considered pretty small and is on a dirt road. There is a donation box to donate to the upkeep of the gardens, and there is a small gift shop (closed unfortunately when my husband and I had visited).

    We wandered our way up to the gardens during late July 2025. We have been here before during the…read morespring and (as my pics show) the gardens are in full bloom at that time. Not so much in July. Still a nice walk, but the best time is definitely in the spring.

    Photos
    UC Santa Cruz Arboretum & Botanic Garden - Everyone wanted to see!!!

    Everyone wanted to see!!!

    UC Santa Cruz Arboretum & Botanic Garden - Lizards!

    Lizards!

    UC Santa Cruz Arboretum & Botanic Garden - Getting a nice lecture to accompany smells and view

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    Getting a nice lecture to accompany smells and view

    Dry Creek Garden - Iris Garden:  white and light purple irises

    Dry Creek Garden

    5.0(4 reviews)
    76.6 mi

    This review is for the IRIS GARDEN AT DRY CREEK GARDENS (DRY CREEK PIONEER REGIONAL PARK) in UNION…read moreCITY, located at 500 MAY ROAD. Note the Iris Garden is only open during very specific times of year. I believe the Iris Garden is a subset of gardens in the Dry Creek area. For 2026, their web site ( www dot ebparks dot org slash parks slash dry-creek-pioneer ) says the Iris Garden is open "from April 23 to May 15, 2026, Thursdays through Sundays, from 10am to 4pm" We loved our visit to this garden! So many flowers, all kinds of flowers, not just irises, succulents, too, so much color, lots of bees to watch, a few butterflies, birdhouses with birds chirping in them and flying in and out, tables and chairs available so bring a snack or lunch. I saw the main person who maintains the gardens talking with some visitors who had questions. Parking was plentiful (our visit was on a Sunday afternoon), there's a single restroom near the parking lot, walk up the hill's dirt path, and you'll see the fenced garden above. There are chairs outside the gate and a few parking spaces. There was a lady in a wheelchair visiting the garden, so the garden seems accessible. We saw a few cows on the hill above the garden and bees were rolling around in the orange poppy flowers. We saw some woodpeckers on a pole next to the walk up/down the hill.

    I love this garden so much and come here often during the spring and summer time. I love it so much…read moreI tried to reserve the space here for a baby shower and turns out they don't allow reservations in the garden at all. What a bummer! You would think since there are tables and space that they would allow reservations, it would also be very lucrative! Very disappointing in that sense, but hopefully in the future it changes because it truly is a beautiful and magical spot.

    Photos
    Dry Creek Garden - Iris Garden:  trailing roses with chain link fence behind it and a couple parked cars

    Iris Garden: trailing roses with chain link fence behind it and a couple parked cars

    Dry Creek Garden - Iris Garden:  yellow and purple iris with brown border.

    Iris Garden: yellow and purple iris with brown border.

    Dry Creek Garden - Iris Garden:  two purple irises.

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    Iris Garden: two purple irises.

    Rail Trail - gardens - Updated May 2026

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