Lost in the Garden

Special events such as tea ceremonies and July’s Japanese Summer Festival offer authentic cultural experiences, no passport required. There’s also a gift shop where you can buy saki cups, rice bowls and Japanese-inspired decor, plus an airy restaurant, Fresco, serving seasonal cuisine made from fresh, local ingredients.

The gardens brim with waterfalls, benches, bridges and verdant backdrops, creating ideal spots to sit and savor or ignite a new interest.

Designed by master landscape architect Hoichi Kurisu, Anderson Japanese Gardens features a classic 12th-century pond, rock gardens, and serene views framed by sculptural gates and bridges handcrafted by Japanese craftsmen. The site provides a peaceful setting for classes in arts.

Check out the Riverfront Museum Park downtown, which features the Discovery Center Museum, the Rockford Art Museum and the Burpee Museum of Natural History. The city’s symphony orchestra and dance company also perform on the museum campus. About a mile from Anderson Gardens, find Nicholas Conservatory and Gardens and its 85-year-old rose garden. 

3 more Illinois Gardens to tour

• Washington Park Botanical Garden, Springfield 
  Open year-round, the free garden features a conservatory with exotic tropicals, plus greenhouses with plants from Africa, Asia and South America. Outside, themed gardens focus on shade perennials, peonies and roses.
• Quad City Botanical Center, Rock Island
  This center caters to kids (adults welcome), complete with a child-size version of the Mississippi River, a cottage garden with a playhouse and a pollinator garden. Inside, discover a sun garden and tropical atrium with coconut and cocoa trees.
• Chicago Botanic Garden, Glencoe
  Stroll through 100-acre woodlands and past lakes around 27 themed gardens, including native endangered species plantings. See planters created by Illinois artists Charlotte and Daniel Ward of Longshadow Gardens in Pomona.