Gilroy Gardens (Bonfante Gardens)
add photosGilroy Gardens is located in Gilroy, Calif. and is California’s only horticultural theme park featuring more than 40 family attractions including six majestic gardens, educational exhibits, rides and the world famous Circus Trees.
$13 off admission with a coupon from http://www.sfbayfun.com/coupons.html
32 Reviews for Gilroy Gardens (Bonfante Gardens)
28
391 family found this helpful
"Skip Gilroy Gardens and find somewhere fun to take your family"
I don't know anyone else who has been to Gilroy Gardens, so I don't know if our experience is typical or unique. When we went, all of the rides for the smallest children were non-operational for one reason or another. The admission price is steep, but luckily we had received free admission tickets from a relative. We did not enjoy the day we spent at Gilroy Gardens, and do not plan to return, nor can I advise anyone to add it to their itinerary.
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1 family found this helpful
"Gilroy Gardens is a blast!"
We recently spent a Sunday at Gilroy Gardens amusement park and botanical gardens and had a wonderful time! Our kids are ages 3yrs and 6yrs old and loved it. The lines weren't long at all and the rides are geared towards younger children. There were only two rides my 6yr old couldn't ride due to the height requirement (48 inches). It was a warm day and my kids also enjoyed the two water play areas. Be sure to pack bathing suits and towels for playtime at those two areas. My kids both said they liked Gilroy Gardens better than Disneyland... We will definitely be going back.
0 families found this helpful
"Perfect for families with young kids"
Perfect for a day trip! Lots of rides preschoolers and young children can enjoy. Be aware that infants are not allowed on many of the rides, so one parent will spend a lot of time standing around. The water play areas are great fun, and the gardens are absolutely gorgeous!
1 family found this helpful
"Fun but crowded"
I took my 3 year old to Gilroy Gardens this past fall. We had a great time, but there were so many people! It made waiting in lines hard for the little ones. But we had fun nonetheless. There were tons of rides, including a train, carousel, and so much more!
1 family found this helpful
"Perfect for parents and young kids"
This park has got to be the cleanest amusement park ever. With the uniquely shaped and twisted trees, and various topiaries parents are just as likely to be captured by this place as the kids. The rides are perfect for the little ones and the food is pretty good. They have a great aviary where the birds can and do land on you, making for the perfect photo op!
1 family found this helpful
"Shaped trees"
Besides being a theme park, this Gilroy Gardens is famous for their animal shaped trees. Check them out at Christmas season, when it's all lighted up. The weather is cooler as well at that time of year. Gilroy is hot in the summer time. But then, the water play there will keep the kids cooled off.
1 family found this helpful
"Fun with the Family"
This is one of the nicest and most beautiful family theme parks, with nineteen old-fashioned rides and twenty-seven attractions, and hundreds of acres of gorgeous gardens and thousands of mature trees, from tropical plants in a giant greenhouse to trees grown into animal and other fanciful shapes, called the “circus trees.”
Among the charms are a 1927 carousel, a rock maze, a butterfly house, a monorail, the Quicksilver Mine Coaster, a swan ride, a miniature car ride, and some carnival games. My grandchildren’s favorite rides are on the miniature antique roadsters; they “drive” Chevy Corvettes and Model Ts on a winding route through tunnels, forests, and gadens.
The Splash Garden is a water play area with a water-sprayed teeter-totter, spinning water wheels, an 18-foot-tall tree house with platforms of cascading water and a slide, tip-over buckets of water, a squirter station (look out!), and more bubbling fun, fabulous on those very hot summer days in the valley.
Dining outlets are reasonably priced and offer barbecue, tacos, pasta, deep-fried artichokes, orange freezes, and more. Although teens will likely be bored, grade-schoolers, parents, and grandparents love Bonfante Gardens. This is a place to linger for the day to enjoy the birdlife, the flowers, the water features, and the lovely garden settings.
2 families found this helpful
"Nice for smaller kids"
This is a nice family style amusement park that is good to bring the grandparents too as well. It does, however, go to a certain age (6?) where the older kids could get a bit bored. They have cute rides based on foods, a butterfly garden, nice play structure, and it can get HOT in the summer. The food there is okay, so I also recommend eating before you get there. Definitely a fun visit for toddlers on up.
1 family found this helpful
"Clean, safe, fun amusement park"
We've been to Bonfante Gardens a few times over the years. They absolutely love going there. It would not be a great place to bring older kids, they would be bored. My kids love the roller coaster rides and the banana split (no thanks for me!). The park is clean which I appreciate and not too crowded during weekdays. We prefer arriving when it first opens, eating a picnic lunch, and then going on 1-2 more rides before heading home. It's also best in the spring or fall when the weather is cooler. There are food concessions in the park and stores to buy souvenirs. Worth going to if you want to take younger kids to an amusement park. P.S. The gardens really are beautiful and the trees interesting (even the kids are amazed at the trees!).
1 family found this helpful
"Nice but once is enough"
It's a nice activity for young kids, the rides are fun and there are quite a few options for little ones (around 2-3) which is nice. However, it does get *really* hot there so you really need to make sure everyone is well hydrated and after one time there we were pretty much done.
5 families found this helpful
"Gilroy Gardens-Perfect for young kids!"
This is a GREAT place to take the family if your children are under age 10. It's an agricultural based theme park, without all the crappy kid toy branding. (NO Dora, Disney, or Nickalodeon rides) All (most) of the attractions are based on fruits and vegetables (Strawberry Ride, Garlic Ride, and yes, even an Artichoke ride! etc.)
- All of the rides are quite gentle and geared to the under 10 set
- The grounds are beautifully landscaped. It feels like you're walking around in a secret garden -There's TONS of natural shade throughout the park. Look for the "circus trees" throughout the park --There's a cool story behind them!
-The concessions actually sell healthy snacks!
-the restrooms are VERY family/Kid friendly (clean)
-No loud booming "soundtrack" blaring throughout the park,
-The water features are really great on a hot day, bring a change of clothes, the kids are going to want to play in the splash area. and Gilroy can get very hot.
-It's not too large, and can easily be "done" in 1 day. Locals like us often go just for the mornings. Gilroy can get VERY hot in the afternoons during the summer. Bring lots of sunscreen for the kids.
It's about a 40min. drive south of San Jose, and a BIG favorite with local families who have young kids. Many have season passes.
Their policy is no outside food, but they are pretty relaxed about carrying in "snacks" (translation: a small packed picnic lunch) for the kids. --Just don't try to roll up to the main gate with a full on Coleman cooler in tow.
-Check the newspaper/on line for coupons. And purchase you tickets ahead of time (online) the ticketing booths can be really slow at the main gate.
ENJOY!
'13
1 family found this helpful
"Good for younger kids (under 7)"
Gilroy Gardens is a quaint amusement park - - the kind of amusement park that was around before Disneyland. It has plenty of fun things for kids to do, but is really fun for kids age 7 and under. You will find no real "thrill" rides here for teens. There is also plenty of educational things to enjoy - - the park is built to celebrate agriculture, and so, has many exhibits, movies, and displays celebrating such.
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