The Basics:
- One-day event held annually in June
- Hidden Gardens Tour website
- Admission charged. Garden Tour raises funds that support Big Sur children’s programs. Buy tickets by mail in advance.
Crowd Factor:
Because attendance is limited and visitors are assigned to different starting points, individual gardens are seldom crowded
Tips:
- The gardens are open for 6 hours. Get to your first stop as soon as it opens so you have enough time to see them all.
- Wear comfortable shoes. You'll be doing more walking than you might expect.
Likes and Dislikes:
The Big Sur Hidden Gardens Tour is popular with gardeners and garden-lovers.
If you don't like gardens, plants and gardening, you will not enjoy this event.
I rate the Big Sur Hidden Gardens Tour 4 stars out of 5. It was so interesting that we ran out of time before we managed to visit all of them.
How to Get There:
You will get a map and instructions when you get your tickets in the mail. Tours start between the Carmel Highlands and Esalen Institute along California Highway One.
Tickets and Reservations:
The Event:
The Big Sur Hidden Gardens Tous is a self-guided tour. The properties open change every year, but might include artist's studios, private greenhouses and other gardens not normally open to the public. At each stop, other activities complement the location, such as quartet performing in the garden of famous musician.
To prevent overcrowding, only a limited number of tickets are issued, so it's best to plan ahead.
Take a photo tour of the gardens I visited.
As is common in the travel industry, the writer was provided with complimentary admission for the purpose of reviewing this event. While it has not influenced this review, About.com believes in full disclosure of all potential conflicts of interest. For more information, see our ethics policy.
