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Forestiere Underground Gardens
Categories: Local Flavor Arts & Entertainment Botanical Gardens Local Flavor, Botanical Gardens [Edit]
5021 W Shaw AveFresno, CA 93722
(559) 271-0734
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
28 reviews for Forestiere Underground Gardens
28 reviews in English
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Review from Loc H.
12/15/2011 1 Check-in Here
A MUST DO IN FRESNO. i mean it.
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Review from Delaine Z.
Fresno, CA
2/2/2012
There are a few things you need to know going into this: Fresno is very hot in the summer; the ground in Fresno is hard pan and clay; immigrants from all over the world have come and made their home in Fresno.
Baldesiere Forestiere came from Italy to plant an orchard and make his way. Being that the ground was hard and the temperatures hot, he decided to dig out an underground home where he could stay cool and comfortable. His goal was to have an underground house where he could eventually bring a wife.
My parents, having "immigrated" to Fresno via Arkansas, lived across the street from Sr. Forestiere. As he would dig in the cool of the evening, my dad would walk across Shaw Ave, at that time a narrow two-lane country road, and sit and chat with him and help dig a bit. Using picks, he slowly worked his way through the earth, creating rooms. My dad heard many stories and was fascinated by this man who wanted a cool place to live. -
Review from Mona W.
2/2/2012 1 Check-in Here
Forestiere Underground Garden is a very interesting place to visit but probably not as beautiful as it sounds. It is not really a garden but rather, an underground house. It is still impressive though. The entire structure is built by just one man.
I wouldn't say this is a must see but if you happen to be in Fresno and have a couple hours to kill, Forestiere is a worthy visit. They have tour every hour on the hour. The underground house is significantly cooler than the surface so it won't be totally unbearable even under those unforgiving central valley summer heat. -
Review from Amanda A.
Newman, CA
11/27/2011 1 photo
Smaller then we expected, but definitely an intriguing sight.
My husband loved this place and the history behind it. If you are mechanically or architecturally minded, I am sure you would be intrigued by this place.
When we went quite a few section were under constructions with plans of expanding the exhibit. I am looking forward to going back and seeing the sections we didn't get to see! -
Review from Gerry U.
Fresno, CA
10/10/2011 1 Check-in Here
10+ years ago when I first moved to Fresno, I did what any tourist would do and researched things to do and local attractions. The Underground Gardens consistently were mentioned in every visitor's guide I came across. Of course, I never went.
Fast forward to the present. My sister was coming to visit and she wanted to see things "uniquely Fresno." She sends me a link of "Things to do in Fresno." Not surprisingly the Underground Gardens are mentioned. I decide I've put it off long enough and decide to take her there.
It's very easy to drive past the place since you can pass the beat up sign out front in the blink of an eye. I didn't realize where it was until I saw all the cars parked outside on the side of Shaw Avenue.
Upon entering, we were greeted by one of the employees, and she directed us to follow the group down some stairs into the underground complex. We were just in time for the next tour.
After paying admission we were told to make our way to a larger room where they have chairs set up assembly style so the tour guide can give a brief history of the Underground Gardens. The story in itself is beyond fascinating, but when you finally begin the walking tour, and actually see the scope of labor performed to create this phenomenon, you can't help but shake your head in amazement.
Anyone new to Fresno should take the time to see this wonder. Don't put it off. -
Review from Joann L.
Rowland Heights, CA
6/3/2011
Unique. Cold in the winter (bring a jacket!), but I can see how it would be a great place to escape the heat in the summer. Staff is friendly and knowledgable. A must see if you are in Fresno.
Unlike another review, the entire place is kept quite well. The restrooms are spacious and clean. -
Review from Onarrez B.
New Iberia, LA
10/15/2011
If you are an architecture student or seeker of the unique and fantastic, then the Underground Gardens is a must. Be sure to bring comfortable shoes and a camera--you'll need them. The tour is about two hours and packed with interesting and amazing tid-bits. The most astonishing part of the tour is the creativity and passion Mr. Forestier envisioned for his life-long project.
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Review from Christine L.
Hemet, CA
8/3/2010
What an awesome little gem that the city of Fresno gets to call their own!
Only an hour tour but it is enough time to really enjoy the grounds. We had an awesome tour guide that gave us an excellent history lesson and was able to answer all of our questions.
From walls/tunnels carved out by hand, to his underground trees, and his "aquarium"...Baldassare Forestiere was a true visionary!
Educational and beautiful this tour is one you want to stop the car for. -
Review from Jillian P.
Montgomery, PA
8/26/2010
Listen,
How many people do you know that dug out a mansion underground?
The man created a small underground aquarium with a viewing window. What have you been doing?!?
Worth checking out. It's also a nice break from the heat. -
Review from Sarah J.
Merced, CA
5/19/2010 2 photos
Way different than what I expected but pretty darn awesome no matter what you are expecting it to be and I recommend it to everyone if they are in the area.
Not alot of parking but very easy to find. -
Review from Aaron M.
8/13/2007 5 photos
Fresno doesn't have a whole lot of "local flavor", so when in town, I'll take every bit I can get. Forestiere Underground Gardens are fascinating, and they've just re-opened after being closed for the last year.
From outside, the gardens look pretty deserted. As our group gathered around the chainlink fence, we wondered if we were in the right place, or if they were even open. As a tourist destination, they could use some help repainting the signs and making it look a little more inviting.
Our tour guide was Baldessare's great nephew. He's charming, sweet, and a wonderful storyteller. He made our tour group feel special, filling us in on family secrets, from hushed divorces to hiding trucks in the caverns during the prohibition era. The tour takes a little over 45 minutes.
The gardens themselves are absolutely incredible. One man, with ZERO training in architecture, engineering, or anything else, started with a root cellar, and just kept digging. Maze like passages weave underground connecting little rooms together. This is unlike any underground spelunking I've done before, everything feels light and airy thanks to the many shafts in the ceiling that let in sunlight, filtered through the leaves of citrus trees and other plants.
There's not a lot to do in Fresno, especially on hot summer days. I highly recommend checking out Forestiere's incredible underground gardens.
Current schedule:
Saturday tours start at: 10:00am, 11:00am, 12:00pm, 1:30pm, 2:30pm, and 3:30pm. Sunday's the same, but there's no 3:30 tour. Since they just opened last week, the schedule seems to be tentative for summer of '07, so be sure to check before coming. If the timing changes, please let me know and I'll update my review.
The cost is $10 per adult, cash or check only. Discounts for seniors and kids.Listed in: Why Fresno Doesn't Suck
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Review from Rob B.
Modesto, CA
7/15/2011
Beautiful experience, though the tour was a little short. Glad I went but don't know if I'd return.
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Review from Rinky N.
East Bay
12/10/2006 1 photo
Forestiere Underground Gardens is world famous --although most
Californians have never heard of it.
Baldessare Forestiere was a Sicilian immigrant who was born in 1879 and came to America in the early 1900's to start a citrus empire.
Instead he spent 40 years building a "habitable underground oasis" with fruit trees and grapevines.
Seeing is believing.....you'll be totally amazed at this wonder of the world. You'll never have that creepy feeling of being underground.
The house is filled with skylights. The skylights also served as openings where the many fruit trees could peek out.
The rooms are small but cozy. Nothing grand but you sense that the family that lived here, lived in comfort.
The tours are still given by family members.
NOTE: Forestiere Gardens is CLOSED until SUMMER 2007 while renovations are done.
Check the website for photos and more info.
http://www.forestiere-... -
Review from beck l.
Fremont, CA
8/4/2009
This is a great place to stop on your way to King's Canyon or Yosemite. The garden is uniquely lovely and is a reminder what you can accomplish once you get off the computer. My sweetheart was reluctant to go but was very thankful afterwards.
It is close off the highway (exit Shaw). No need for GPS! We used old fashioned historic landmark signs from the highway to guide us.
Waiting for our tour to start, we j-walked for drinks and AC at the In'N Out right across the street, and then proceeded to our 2:30 tour. The tour takes about an hour offering you some history about Fresno and about Forestiere. The 81 year old owner (the nephew of the original creator) loves working on the garden and there is a good chance you can meet him.
If you love gardening, want to see some place special and memorable, be sure to stop here. -
Review from Shantay D.
Fresno, CA
8/18/2009
About 5 years ago I was so excited to visit these gardens. I planned a trip for my daughter and I. About halfway through the tour, my daughter needed to use the potty.
When I entered the bathroom, I was disgusted beyond belief. Feces covered the walls, floors, and toilets. My daughter started crying, and I almost vomited. It was the most horrible sight I'd ever seen. We immediately left. I have not returned. I never plan to return.
Visiting the Forestiere Gardens was one of the most traumatizing experiences of my life. -
Review from Jason S.
Fresno, CA
4/11/2010
Man buys "farmland" that turns out to be rocks.
Man "discovers" Fresno is a beast in the summer.
Man wastes rest of life punishing himself for these errors in judgement by digging and connecting holes in the ground and planting several trees and vines.
and oh yeah, tops it off by failing to leave a will.
Just think what could have been if they had not lost 90% of the land.
Lemme guess. More holes in the ground. Tisk tisk.
They dont even sell it as a vision of a green alternative to mcmansion life. But then again, vision wasnt the strong suit here.
As unimpressive as the website pics. Avoid at all costs.
If you do one thing in Fresno I recommend the Cat Haven. Endangered and big cats up close, rescued and living out their days in the foothills 40 mins east on the 180. -
Review from deb n.
Palo Alto, CA
8/12/2006
http://www.underground.../
Hokey and touristy but in Fresno, there isn't a lot to do so checked it out. When you drive out to find it, you don't see it because it is underground. All you see is a dry dirt field and some tree tops. You meet outside a chain link fence with the other people who are wondering if they are in the right place too, a guide comes out to meet us, take our $8. Since everything is underground, it is nice and cool, great to escape the Fresno heat, then you see how this guy put so much effort and time to make this a liveable and enjoyable space. Fruit trees are his skylights, fish pond, kitchen, bedrooms, and corridors. I would not go out of my way to check it out but it is fine if you are bored and have nothing to do in Fresno. -
Review from Amelia J.
Oakland, CA
9/8/2009
If you love:
California history
Kitsch
Industrious Sicilians
Beating the Valley heat
Gardening
Or any combination of the above, you need the tour this place! -
Review from Bob W.
Sierra Madre, CA
8/29/2008 5 photos
http://www.underground.../
I like to find out of the way historical places to explore, found this thru a Discovery Channel program and took the drive up Highway 99 to Fresno.
Rinky A's review has a brief history so I will not go into it.
In the summer it gets HOT in Fresno, but he underground nature of the tour gives someone a break from the heat.
My tour was in the spring so the temp was not too bad. You wait outside of a fence while you wait for your tour guide to collect everyone and begin.
The tour is a hoot lots of interesting facts since your tour guide is one of the Forestiere family members you get the inside scoop.
Check the web page ahead since they have different hours depending on the seasons.. Tours can also be canceled due to weather. -
Review from Thomas G.
Clovis, CA
10/27/2010
This is one of those classic Fresno things that you always drive past, but never do and it was totally worth the spot. Neat piece of our history. Since it's family-owned they're always working on expanding the scope of the gardens.
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Review from Andrew A.
Morgan Hill, CA
6/17/2011
I really enjoyed my time at the Forestiere Gardens. I was at the Comfort Inn Fresno on Shaw Ave and it was recommended I visit this tourist site. I enjoyed the history. It can get alittle chilli so you may want to bring a jacket. Thank you to the Comfort Inn Fresno, CA for your recommendations.
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Review from Jim T.
Hayward, CA
9/6/2010
This short tour is a great way to escape the heat (which was the creator''s motivation) and is a unique stop in Fresno. The remaining underground tunnels and garden are interesting and worth the visit.
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Review from Monica M.
Tustin, CA
7/13/2010
I found this in a list of things to see in Fresno. My boyfriend and I visited Forestiere Underground Gardens on the spur of the moment. We were impressed. It's amazing what a man with a pick and shovel can accomplish in 40 years.
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Review from Art O.
Los Angeles, CA
12/23/2009
We had stopped by this place on the way home from Yosemite, back in 1967. I thought it was boring as can be, being only 10 years old. As I look back, this guy was more than an engineer! Grafted a citrus fruit tree with something like 10 different citrus fruit varieties! Remember this is coming from a brain of a 10 year old. So, correct me if I'm wrong. Nonetheless, this is a great place to visit.
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Review from Sky Y.
San Jose, CA
7/10/2010
Neat place to visit. It was actually quite different than what I was expecting. The tour guide did a good job with giving everyone useful information about Baldasare Forestiere and the gardens and really did keep everyone's attention for the duration of the tour. This isn't the type of place to visit if you're looking for action packed entertainment, but it's worth the visit if you're looking for something unique to learn about.
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Review from Dusty E.
San Jose, CA
11/7/2010
This was well worth seeing. I'm at a loss to explain the few negative reviews of it. My husband and I had a great experience here. More and more of what's left of this place (five acres out of the original 80) is being restored and opened to the public. It's an extremely unique place, with an extremely unique story. Are you intrigued by eccentric people? Then check out what this guy built with his bare hands over a period of 40+ years. Absolutely amazing.
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Review from Danielle B.
Fresno, CA
4/19/2009
This place is amazing! I've lived in Fresno all my life and have never been here until I had to go for a school paper. Such an interesting story and amazing to see in person. The tour guides were very informative. Adult tickets are $12 and check their website because their tours are always changing times.
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Review from S R.
San Francisco, CA
10/1/2010
probably the only thing like it in the country. it is a large underground house dug by hand in the late 1800s or early 1900s. if you've ever almost died of heat exhaustion and tendinitis trying to dig even a small hole through central valley hard pan, you will appreciate this unreal feat. built so that house is cooled naturally with breezes even in scorching summer heat. all sorts of plants that have been grafted together so you have several types of fruits growing on one tree, etc. this is truly a treasure and the most interesting thing to see in fresno. it is owned and run by a family and i think they do a great job in general, but it is not commercialized at all and the main entrance could use a facelift. i think if they somehow were able to invest some money into it, they would get more visitors and be more self-sustainable.
