The Berkeley Rose Garden

The Rose Garden in Berkeley has everything for everyone.It has at least two pergolas where you can soak up the sun and read or spend time with someone to enjoy the view.It also had hiking trails for those who want to explore.For those who want to play sports, there are tennis courts, basketball courts, and soccer fields. Lots of picnic tables surrounded by lush greens for gatherings or just to eat al fresco.You can see the Bay from the street between the gardens when the weather is clear. Beautiful relaxing place to be.

When living in the Berkeley/Albany area a number of years ago (2017), I made time to come and explore The Berkeley Rose Garden alone. I chose to walk to the garden, and on my walk decided to come up with a different approach for viewing the flowers/vegetation in the spirit of staying mentally engaged. I came up with: when I see a flower, identify the color and any color patterns (such as speckles, stripes, or different coloring at a petal tip). I applied this approach for the duration of my visit.As an on foot visitor, I found the garden easy to access. It was quiet so I had ample time by myself trying to come up with specific shades/hues of colors to describe the roses to myself. The layout was such that it was easy to navigate between the rows and not lose sight of where I was in the garden. A few small birds hopped around the bottoms of the flower plants. A fun outdoor experience.

Wow, I really love this place!Free, beautiful, and as it plus it smells really nice.The roses are labeled with their species name so you can tell what kind of rose it is. Street parking is free, thought it can get crowded. Make sure you come in season so they're in bloom!

Beautiful roses!! I can just imagine what this place would look like at the height of the season. We came late in the afternoon on June 15th and the roses that were left were beautiful, but many of the plants had already reached the end of their season. Still, it's fantastic that this park is here and it's absolutely free for anyone who wants to enjoy it! I had just been to the Rose Garden at Golden Gate Park two days before and this place seems bigger than that, but maybe it's because the Berkeley Rose Garden is tiered. Regardless, this is a must visit for anyone who loves flowers. I only wish more of the roses had some scent; seems that the original rose scent has been bred out of modern day roses!

What an awesome free park! I found this location on yelp and ordered some food to go and brought it here to eat. The park is very clean with lots of benches to eat. The views were amazing and it was quiet but also nice to watch people play tennis. Lots of different varieties of roses however when we went, it wasn't in season so not a lot of roses present. The park was still very fun and beautiful however. Also lots of parking everywhere!

This garden is a good size and the view is quite pretty from afar (see photo). The large steps remind me of an Egyptian pyramid. During the Fall, most roses are gone replaced by rose hips and dried leaves.It's free and there are tennis courts across the garden and very clean bathroom. There's also a big park across with good hiking trails. Recommended when it's in season!

Free to visit, so you can't really complain. Plenty of street parking most days. This is a great place to take a casual stroll down the rows of roses. Good photo opportunity as well. When I visited, there was somebody tending to the gardens with a leaf blower so it was good to know that the garden is well taken care of even though I didn't like all that dust in my face. I would definitely come back to visit when the roses are at their peak.

Great hidden gem. I heard about this place randomly and decided to take a drive. Great little hike (stairs galore), but rises all over to take your mind off it and give your legs a break :=). Lot of the blooms were dormant when I went, but I could clearly see the beauty in the location. I also loved seeing the cards telling the rose variety. Lots of families out sharing the experience with their children. Very nice opportunity. Met some nice gentlemen who shared info about the rose garden and the park across the street. Great day.. will try again in a few months to see different variety of roses. There are also gems courts in the garden area. There were lots of budding tennis stars doing their class... it was very cool. Also, I thought it was cool that there were lots of dad's with their kids running up the stone stairs... the kids will sleep well tonight. Nice location... pretty views, and of course the roses smell delightful.

Keep Your Rose CleanBuilt in 1933 and opened in 1937 as a product of the Works Progress Administration (which was part of Roosevelt's "New Deal"--which was neither "New" nor a "Deal," but I digress...) the Berkeley Rose Garden is a 3.64-acre park nestled in one of Berkeley's nicer neighborhoods. The Good:*1,500 Rose bushes and 250 varieties *Picnic areas*Restrooms*I love the multi-level amphitheater-style layout of the garden. *As promised, lots and lots of roses!*Free street parking but watch the signage as some of the parking is resident permit parking. The Meh*Aforementioned restrooms were closed when we visited on a Sunday, so I'm not sure if that's SoP or a SnAfU?*The park, as a whole, is in dire need of some TLC; everything is overgrown, and some walkways are completely covered up by the overgrowth, rendering them useless. *The water feature running thru the middle would be a really nice touch, but it too was a big mess Hill of plywood and other debris. The Ugly:*Park is adjacent to a tennis court, so you'll get to hear some nice yelling and souts of encouragement from Richard Williams, Juniors over there...TLDR: Nice place to visit if you're in the area, but it's not worth going out of your way. If you're looking for a truly superlative Rose Garden, I highly recommend San José's Municipal Rose Garden as an alternative suggestion.

What a gorgeous place. We have been loving the Morcom Rosw Garden in Oakland so really wanted to check out the Berkeley rose garden. What views on top. Breathtaking. Clearly can see golden gate Bridge on a clear sunny day Beautiful garden with amazing smelling roses and such raw nature around it filled with trees and greenery!Beautiful for any age and deadly sunsets here I can only imagine!