What a nice and relaxing day at Schnormeier Gardens! We went Friday (6/9/23) and the weather was perfect, and around 78 degrees. We had the opportunity to visit in 2020 and so happy we took some time off to visit again this year for 2023! Booked tickets online a couple weeks ago, drove up from Columbus, checked in at the gate, and spent the afternoon enjoying the grounds and gardens. Price is $50 per car, there were only 2 of us but we would have been the same for a full car. The experience was simply breathtaking, tranquil, and fun to explore the 9 gardens and art. The gardens consist of: the Waterfalls Garden, Stream Garden, Serenity Garden, Hofstra Garden, Chinese Cup Garden, Japanese Garden, Meadow Garden, Woodland Garden, and the Quarry Garden. My personal favorites are the Quarry, Stream, Serenity, and Woodland Garden and I absolutely love all the art and the various shapes and sizes of the trees and shrubs throughout. The stroll took us about 2 1/2 hours this trip. Open to the public this season from Jun 1st - Jun 25th, 2023. Located in Gambier, Ohio (Knox County) It's about an hour outside of Columbus. Second visit in three years and hope to be able to return again as it is simply a treasure. For more info visit schnormeiergardens.org read more

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The June tour of the Japenese/Chinese inspired gardens was so much better than I was even expecting!! The self-guided tour of the gardens allowed for literal roaming of the property off path (as there are no official paths). I had thought this would be a drive-through tour to protect the garden space (pricing is by the car load). I thought I would have 1 hour. When I learned I could walk the grounds at my leisure and literally stay as long as I wanted, I was amazed and ended up staying for almost 3 hours tracing and retracing my steps! Thank you, Schnormeier family, for sharing your treasure with all of the public who want to come! read more

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Beautiful landscaping. We toured for the first time with neighbors who knew Mr Schnormeier personally. It was a pleasant surprise to see him riding around the grounds and having conversations with all the visitors. Definitely plan to visit again. read more

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Very cool gardens and easy, picturesque walk. (Probably not suitable for those with mobility issues). Enjoyed the statues and different landscapes. Maybe my expectations were a bit high, but it was definitely worth the trip. read more

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fantastic gardens and art, expect a good hike up and down hills, best place gotta see to believe

I want to thank the Yelpers who wrote reviews of this property, as I never would have known about it otherwise. As soon as I read about it being open to the public on June weekends this year, I purchased tickets online. Apparently, they reduced the amount of cars allowed from years past, and it was very nice not to have large crowds. The home was built by Ted and Ann Schnormeier, and the history is very interesting. The Visitor Center had pictures of the property prior to the renovations and it really is amazing how they transformed it. Although the property does not have marked trails per se, we found it easy to navigate all of the various gardens using the map provided. Visitor tip: sunscreen, water, and comfortable walking shoes are needed here on a hot summer day. The property is pristine in its beauty and very tranquil. There are several beautiful spots to sit and listen to the peaceful sounds of running streams. We loved the tea house and the Japanese style gardens built around the side of the main house. The various volunteers working the day we visited were so gracious, and we enjoyed all of the information they shared with us about the family and the property. read more

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Visited this beautiful private garden with my family for the first time this year. Actually, I had never heard about this place until this weekend. This garden oasis is owned by Mr. Schnormeier and in the month of June every year, he allows visitors enter his gardens from Thursday to Sunday 10am to 4pm. The area is over 75 acres and has a lot of greenery and plants. It was an hour away from our home and served as a nice day out in nature during these times of COVID. There is a welcome center after you park and you can grab a map there. There is plenty of parking available on the lawn there and their is an attendant who helps show you the way. There is no cost of parking or admission ticket to enter the garden. There are two locations of bathrooms as well. The garden features several themed areas like the waterfalls garden and Chinese cup garden. The garden is hilly, so definitely wear comfortable shoes. The garden exudes "peace, harmony, and serenity" just as it strives to do. read more

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Gwen W and I met up to ride together & tour the grounds. I was not familiar with this place at all. I was glad to do it once, but probably won't return. It was a rainy day, and we needed umbrellas for most of it. There are no paths, so you are walking in the grass from garden to sculpture to building to house and back. There is organized parking, and a nice welcome center where you get instructions/directions/brochures. The volunteers are very nice. They also sell some hats/tees. One of the owners was there, as I recognized him from the photos. You can walk around the home but there is no inside admittance. It is very pretty and apparently they sell out every summer, so time is of the essence to purchase tickets (it's by the carload). read more

Me and Anna H. took a day trip to SG to check out the house and gardens. A Frank Lloyd Wright inspired house, cool landscaped grounds, tranquil gardens and sculptures about. I especially loved the Japanese garden and house. The Schnormeier Gardens are only open on the weekends for a couple of months during the summer, so reservations are a must. The grounds are free to roam, however parking was $20 per car, fyi. And, you can't go inside the house because the family owners still live their (one guy said it has been totally renovated and shows no signs of FLW at all...?). The day we made the trek it was super dreary grey outside and a steady lite rain all day, which made appreciating the historical significance an general beauty a bit more difficult to grasp. If you're an architecture/urban development/history buff like me, this is definitely a place to stop and check off your to-do list! read more

Schnormeier Gardens - (6/19/2021) - Botanical Gardens Near Me - Gambier, Ohio

went with my friend last minute and i was amazed by the absolutely breathtaking views. i can't wait to go back next year.

NOTE - THE GARDENS ARE ONLY OPEN TO THE PUBLIC DURING WEEKENDS IN JUNE. The Schnormeier Gardens are the creation of Mr and Mrs Schnormeier on the grounds of their home outside Gambier (note - Mrs. Schnormeier passed away within the past year). In the past, the gardens were open to the public only one weekend a year (typically the first weekend of June). Due to the demand and crowds, this year (2019) the gardens were open Thursday thru Sunday during all 4 weekends in June. A friend told us about the gardens and the four of us drive up together. There are 8 or 9 separate gardens with different themes (Japanese, rock gardens,etc.) with a number of ponds and some walking trails in the woods. You could easily spend 3-4 hours walking (all self-guided) and enjoying the gardens and scenery. And this was all created by Mr. Schnormeier. Mr. Schnormeier was actually there the day we visited and I had the pleasure of meeting them. Parking and admission are FREE. The gardens are fabulous. SO - MARK YOUR CALENDARS and WATCH FOR THE 2020 SCHEDULE. read more

My girlfriend and I are fond of doing day-trips in and around Ohio, and we've had some fun ones over the past couple of years...but yesterday's trip to Schnormeier Gardens is certainly one of the most memorable. As the previous reviewer mentioned, they're only open to the public on Sundays in June, so it's definitely more of a plan-to-go situation than just finding things on a whim. We were lucky to have a beautifully hot and sunny day for our visit, and when we arrived around 10:45, there were already around 100 cars in the parking lot -- we had no idea it was such a popular attraction, given that it is fairly rural (though not too far from both Mt. Vernon and Kenyon College). Fortunately, there were signs asking people to respect social distancing, and most visitors tended to do so. Schnormeier really is a wonderland of various garden installations, including numerous bronze sculptures, lily ponds, waterfalls, and rock formations, while the 75-acre site also includes a replica Japanese teahouse, and a Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired house. Indeed, the Wright influence is very obvious throughout the grounds, to the extent that the gardens are less *inspired* by Wright as a meticulous copy of his style. I don't mean "copy" in a negative sense, by the way; it might be better to whip out the 50-cent word "verisimilitude," as the entire estate feels designed to be verisimilar, and it never veers into ersatz. The experience is certainly worthwhile, and since admission is free, there's truly no reason not to go. An added bonus is that while there are footpaths, most of the estate is covered in beautifully well-manicured lawn, which is a joy to walk through barefoot. Overall, Schnormeier might end up as an annual June tradition for us. read more

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Not a restaurant. Just a beautiful garden and residence of the Schnormeir family. Only open on a few day in early summer. Worth the trip if you love beautiful gardens. read more