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Gardenwalk Buffalo
1 review for Gardenwalk Buffalo
Every year the people who live in the city of Buffalo open the gates to their gardens and invite in the world.
Gardenwalk is held the last weekend of July. It's quite an amazing event. I've gone for the past few years and this year saw the biggest crowds I have yet experienced which was both a good thing (good to see all the interest in this event) and a bad thing (long lines to get into gardens and having to rush through as you were otherwise holding up everybody else).
Gardenwalk literally stretches from one end of the city to the other. Most are centered in the Allentown district which is a neighborhood of houses mostly built between the late 1800s and the early 1900s. Just taking the time to look at the beautiful architecture is worth the price of admission. Except there is no price of admission. The Gardenwalk is free. Even the map of the Gardenwalk is free.
What some people have done is nothing short of fantastic. The one garden that sticks in my mind featured a stone pathway lined with flower beds which opened into a backyard space that featured a dining area with a moss covered table, a small bar, a koi pond with waterfall and huge glass flowers and a water wall that filled the air with the sound of rain. That especially was nice as it created a momentary illusion of coolness on a day that was one of the hottest on record. The garden itself contained various types of ferns, lilies of all colors, and collections of vibrantly colored flowers that reminded me of some firework still-life.
My favorite neighborhood was Johnson Park. Many of the buildings in this cul-de-sac were built before the Civil War. Like the previously described garden, each garden we toured here was like a work of art. It actually makes no sense trying to describe the gardens. You have to experience them first-hand. I highly recommend making plans for next year's Gardenwalk. Word of advice - come as early as you can. Once the lunch hour passes, the crowds can get crazy.