Ruth Bancroft Garden & Nursery

Not sure if the Garden D'lights was a holiday special but I saw it on TikTok saying it was beautiful and thought I had to check it out. All of the lights were placed with care and it really made the place such a delight to explore.The staff were so nice and friendly. They guided each car to a parking spot so we don't have to worry or think about where to park. Even though each reservation was only supposed to be an hour, it was so peaceful and beautiful inside that we were walking and roaming slowly for two hours.This place is children-friendly and wheelchair accessible. This can definitely be enjoyed by all ages to bond and discover together.

For the last couple years my mother has gifted the honey and I membership with Ruth Bancroft Garden & Nursery which then gives us reciprocal access to other gardens in their network.We visit Ruth Bancroft a handful of times a year and find it quite enjoyable to stop in to see the incredibly chonk koi swim in their picturesque pond and take a short walk around the beautiful gardens. We love that their facilities and restroom are always incredibly clean and the service is always friendly and helpful.All in all, if you tend to travel like we do or if you're just local to the area, definitely look into one of their memberships!

Saw an advertisement for the light show & had to check it out. The garden's been around for 52 years. I wish I could've met Ms. Bancroft. I can only imagine how proud she'd be. This is a beautiful facility. The seasonal evening light display is highly recommended. We look forward to visiting in the spring. It's a gem to be admired & explored.

I took my Dad to Garden D'Lights 2024 for his birthday. We went on Sunday, December 29th at 5:30pm. I signed us up for the first showing to ensure we got parking. We were the 3rd car into the gate and had our choice of free parking spots. When we arrived the sun was just setting so it was twilight. It quickly became dark.This is a self guided tour so you can start at any path you want and let it wrap you around the gardens. It was hard remembering where we had been so we doubled back a few times. The light display was beautiful. I like how they bounced the lights off the plants. Some of the lights seemed to be dancing.We spent around 2 hours wandering around and taking pictures. Thankfully it wasn't raining, just a tad bit on the chilly side. Around 50's so it wasn't as cold as it could have been. It stoped raining earlier in the day so it was very pleasant. There is no reimbursement or changing of days if it does happen to rain so we were lucky. It was drizzling as I drove to my parent's house in the afternoon. I would schedule coming at the same time again due to the limited parking.The place was crawling with young children and dogs. I'm not sure how those parents ever find there kids who were running around. Most kids stayed whit their parents. Only a few were running around in the dark. There were also a few families with there babies in strollers. They bounced along the uneven paths. Lots of people were taking pictures, probably for next year's Christmas Cards. There were some instagram worthy shots.There were volunteers in lab coats stationed through out the gardens, to answer any questions. It was nice having them in the fork of the road.

My boyfriend took me here as a surprise on one of our date nights. They described the special event on their website as : "See the Garden transform into a dazzling nighttime spectacle illuminated with thousands of colorful lights, art installations, and lasers. Garden of D'Lights is an annual fundraising event taking place on select nights from November 22nd through January 11th."It was my first time at the garden and it was stunning. Garden of D'Lights was festive, colorful and really cool. The crowd was peaceful and full of people of all ages. The staff and volunteers were incredibly kind and knowledgeable. It was fun to see the garden lit up with so many lights. During the day the garden is also a popular wedding venue, and I understand why. It's well kept and very beautiful.

Taking away one star. There have been changes at the garden that are bringing things down. They used to offer classes and those have gone away along with staff, and the staff here are wonderful. We have renewed our membership one more time, but if the person in charge continues to make changes that negatively impact the garden, we won't be renewing again. Sad, because we love the garden. I think Ruth Bancroft would not be happy with the things are going.

What a gem! I grew up less than 5 minutes away from this place and sadly just discovered it. It is so beautiful, walkable and the people working here are so kind. My toddler and I spent an hour and a half exploring the site, the plants and various ponds. It is such an incredible way to spend a morning. We will be back again!

I enjoyed my visit to this garden. Amazing cacti. If only Ruth could see how large some of them have become! There are some unusual ones here. Small garden. Easy parking. Clean bathrooms. I only wish that the street it is on was quieter. You can hear the traffic.

Had a lovely wintry evening stroll thru the Ruth Bancroft garden. Enjoyed watching the colorful lights. Had trouble finding the koi pond which needed more lights and signage to guide the way. I'd advise having more festive colorful holiday decorations and lights to illuminate the trees and plants which would draw more people, hence financial support for this lovely garden.

The Ruth Bancroft garden has captured my imagination since I was very young. I used to visit often and attend guided tours when I was a kid, before Ruth Bancroft passed away. However, I haven't been back ever since she died and seized this opportunity to enjoy the cacti of my dreams once again. As a kid I appreciated the small stuff and the scientific names and other fun facts in the garden. I learned a lot from the tours about all the different types of plants and the organization of the garden. It led to my obsession with plants in a dry, scientific sense. With this garden of delights event, however, they've completely transformed the garden, from not just a place to learn about succulents, but also a unique way to appreciate their beauty. The lights are artistically placed to emphasize the textures of the plants. the person behind the light show seems to have an affinity for the ocean, creating a faux ocean aquarium box out of the greenhouses. The protective frost covers, usually uninviting eyesores, are transformed into beautiful oases of light. check out the garden in the daytime and at night if you have the chance!