Oahu Urban Garden Center

Good master gardener classes. Tried to volunteer assisting in growing and grafting fruit trees several years ago though person in charge feared new volunteers. They used to provide great fruit trees to the community and now none. The place fell apart during Covid and never really opened up again. Too bad as it used to be really vibrant and much better for the community.

Oahu Urban Garden Center is the best place to take kids. I have an after school iPad Photography class for a handful of kids and was looking to bring them somewhere different. I initially was gonna take them to a botanical garden like Wahiawa Botanical Garden but there's so much waivers and permissions that you need just to go there. They said that I needed a consent form signed by the department of education superintendent. I thought that was kind of ridiculous so I started to look elsewhere. It just so happened the our kindergarten classes went on a field trip to Urban Garden Center. So I asked one of the teachers and her kids loved it. I called them and they were perfect. And I didn't have to get a crazy consent form signed. The lady I spoke to on the phone was so nice. She was so accommodating and she was excited for us to come and visit. They just had a single waiver form for each child but that was easily filled out by parents with the field trip form. With the waivers she sent me the map of the garden as well as a scavenger hunt that students could do. On the day of the field trip kids were so excited. All of us had never been there. The entrance is located in the Home Depot parking lot. It's kind of hidden. It's a beautiful place and very well designed with sections for each type of plant. I gave each student a map and then they help choose where we were going to explore and take pictures first. We started in the rose garden. So many different types of roses and so beautiful. We kept walking around and the kids kept taking pictures of all the different areas. They loved it. One of the kids said "this is the best field trip ever!" Great place to explore. If you haven't given it a try, you should check them out.

This garden is wonderful!There is a lot of parking available. You must check in at the office. Write your name down and they give you map a visitor tag to wear. There is no entry fee, but they will accept donations if you want.One portion of the garden was closed for repairs or renovation or something. But I don't feel like I missed out on anything because everything else I saw was great.There's a sundial, hedge maze, plumeria field, butterfly garden, caterpillar tunnel, gazebo, grape vine garden, and much more. I spent more time here than I was expecting. I would definitely go again.

This place is so awesome for all ages! It is a wonderful place to explore (acres of land!) and get lost in. AND the best part is that it is FREE!!! You sign up at the office,get a badge that you have to return and you're off to have a blast!As a teacher, I loved the concept of having a urban garden to promote things like self gardening, pollination and outdoor fun!My sons and I went here for a play date on a little rainy day but it was still fun! My sons had a blast roaming around and my 3 year old enjoyed the scavenger map that the office provided. Our favorite gardens were the ABC and pizza garden.As a precaution, make sure you bring water, snacks, bug spray, sunblock and clean clothes. It is just one awesome big backyard so get ready to get dirty! I saw parents pushing tricycles but just let your little ones roam. A mom brought her stroller and she just ended up leaving it by the office so she could run after her kids .

Nice place to just walk around and enjoy the scenery of assorted trees and other plants. I was here with my friend who signed us up for the how to plant and take care of your hanging orchid.

it's been a long time since our visit so I'll just go over whatever I remember. My kids and I came to visit with a friend and her children. She made sure to warn us of mosquitos so we wore long sleeve, pants and bug spray. We both rode in separate cars which wasn't a problem as far as parking goes, lots of room available. I honestly would have never come if it weren't for her suggestion as I'm not one to admire gardens, or flowers. I guess I just brought the kids along for the "educational" opportunity. Upon entry, it is free but they do accept donations, every little bit helps. You can see the garden from the H1 right before Home Depot so I knew the general area of the location. If you're passing Home Depot on Kam Hwy going town bound, it'll be right after the Home Depot parking lot. I want to say my kids had a good time but I got bored very quickly. I will admit there were lots of beautiful flowers to admire and catch photos of but other than that I was not engaged at all. There were different themed sections to explore. The area open to the public isn't all that big so it doesn't take much time to go through.This really isn't a fair review because this isn't how I like to spend my free time. On my travels over my lifetime I've seen enough of the beauty that nature has to offer so going to a tiny garden here on Oahu (born and raised) just doesn't do anything for me. I'm pretty much over Oahu and our small town things so honestly that is JUST MY OPINION. Definitely don't let my opinion keep you from enjoying this garden at all, especially if that's what you love.

I've been passing this place for yrs as I drove to work or Sam's Club and finally decided to check it out. Mom and I got here around 9:30am on a hot summer day. We spent 2.5 hrs here just walking thru each section and enjoying the gardens. The staff here is very nice and friendly. Some workers will even tell you about the plants and herbs when you pass them in the gardens if you get lucky.Would be nice if there were more and better plant name plaques throughout the gardens. Some were faded or broken and some was non existant.I got excited when I saw grape vines but fyi season is during cold months Nov-March so have to go back for a future visit.Beautiful Rose Garden. Even tho it says Children Garden its fun for adults too esp Boardwalk Garden, Pizza Garden, Butterfly Garden and Alika Rabbit. Great shady bench to take a break at in the Amphitheater b4 venturing back.Find a shady spot on a bench under a tree or even in the gazebo and take in the scenery of the beautiful flowers and fruit trees. There was even a moment when I forgot I was in Pearl City surrounded by freeways and buildings. Located behind Home Depot and next to the Public Storage. Their entrance is the same entrance as the Storage place. Pass Home Depot stop light and it's right after the bus stop or you can go into Home Depot and drive thru the parking lot.Follow the signs to the parking and office where visitors sign in and can grab a map.If you've never gone b4 you should if you have gone b4 in the past yrs go again they may have new and different things. Plus its FREE my fav price, why wouldn't you go.Check their website for more info along with workshop and plant sale days.For all agesNo flower and fruit pickingRestrooms and water fountainFirst aid on the groundsSunscreen a mustWater a mustSunglasses...yesHat if you're a hat personUmbrella if needed for sun and rainBug spray just in caseShoes is bestSnacks/picnic lunch sounds good to me just take out what you carried in.

Mommy and Daddy friends, are you running out of places to take your kids this summer already? Here's one to add to your lineup that's FREE!FREE admission to "SECOND SATURDAYS IN THE GARDEN" from 9a-12noon!(FREE admission Mon-Fri 9a-2pm too)FREE PARKING. WEAR: Hat, sunscreen, bug spray, and bring water and snacks for the kids! It's HOT!Don't let the price fool you, this is a cute outdoor garden where kids can run around looking at all sorts of interesting foliage. We took about 45 minutes to walk through but you can have picnics here if you bring your lunch. If it wasn't so hot, we would have stayed longer. Our visit went something like this...First we walked into the garden under the RAINBOW. I don't know why, but the kids thought this was fun...(they are easily amused)http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/kBLVYS7v991qS21SCUATHQ?select=VEDjmFw2bIH1XoRpJ23Yjw#x3QyeKIUhNEU39Ywa1LrOgTheir favorite garden was the PIZZA GARDEN, which was growing all different things that you would put on a pizza (onions, basil, tomato, peppers, even pineapple). They hopped on the "pepperoni" stepping stones!http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/kBLVYS7v991qS21SCUATHQ?select=VEDjmFw2bIH1XoRpJ23Yjw#7bVrgZlT3buflB0rd3iagwThey also loved crawling through the CATERPILLAR TUNNEL!http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/kBLVYS7v991qS21SCUATHQ?select=VEDjmFw2bIH1XoRpJ23Yjw#s27YAchfedHlyuPTuz9QowThe CHILDREN'S GARDEN reminds me of a page in Petter Rabbit.http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/kBLVYS7v991qS21SCUATHQ?select=VEDjmFw2bIH1XoRpJ23Yjw#WaDmXBUxxCpi_4K_W_4B5wThe BOARDWALK GARDEN was a path featuring all kinds of tropical flora/fauna, and lots of mosquitos!http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/kBLVYS7v991qS21SCUATHQ?select=VEDjmFw2bIH1XoRpJ23Yjw#CvQ-FfDpvUCz2obQJ66CsAI think it was in this garden that we even came across a cacao plant! I tried to explain to the kids that this is where chocolate comes from, like in the song from Dora, "bate bate choco-latte", but the kids didn't believe me.http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/kBLVYS7v991qS21SCUATHQ?select=VEDjmFw2bIH1XoRpJ23Yjw#rB28mG0zdVSsBX9L6Qa2ywMy favorite garden was the MAZE GARDEN, which is small enough to let the kids go in by themselves. The entrance and exit are next to each other and because the maze is on an incline, you can see your kids the whole time. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/kBLVYS7v991qS21SCUATHQ?select=VEDjmFw2bIH1XoRpJ23Yjw#pceIr7kI4XKCkZZx-KHR1wDuring the "Second Saturday in the Garden" there are all kinds of extra things going on like gardener workshops, "ask a Master Gardener a question" booths, demonstration tables, and a nice little plant sale. Thanks Adam and Shandis for putting this on my radar! Mark your calendars for the 2nd Saturday of the month and I'll see you there! Check their website for details, directions, etc: http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/ougc/

My three daughters loved this place. There were so many fun things to explore and see. They enjoyed the rose garden and the children's garden. They also had fun in the maze.

The Healthy Eating workshop was very informative! Deanna and Lehua did an excellent job educating us on nutritional facts and "MyPlate" benefits. And the pineapple salsa was delicious!We also enjoyed visiting the variety of plants especially the xeriscapes!