Mid-Hudson

Innisfree Garden

https://www.innisfreegarden.org/

362 Tyrrel Road

Millbrook, NY 12545

Phone: (845) 677-8000 Email: [email protected]

Hours: Wednesday to Sunday, 10 AM to 5 PM; After Columbus/Indigenous Peoples' Day they are only open on weekends. The last open day of the season is in November. Check website for information. Open on Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, and Columbus/Indigenous Peoples' Day.

Admission: $10, Seniors $5, Children (5-15) $5, Children 4 and under are free.

 

Historical Description:

The Innisfree Garden was created by Walter and Marion Beck from 1930 to 1960 and was held as a private garden. In 1960 it was taken over by the Chair of the Landscape Architecture program at Harvard University, Lester Collins, and was then opened for the public. It was created in the styles of a Chinese Garden and Walter Beck described his garden as a ‘cup garden,’ the inside of the garden holds a 40 acre glacial lake which represents the inside of the cup. The surroundings of the lake is the cup itself. 

 

The Site:

This 150-acre public garden of Chinese landscape art is one of the most beautiful places in the Hudson Valley. Surrounding a huge 40-acre glacial lake are plants, rocks, waterfalls, streams, and terraces all creating a beautiful garden that is awe inspiring. Most of the plants are native to the area and all the rocks come from forests in the area. On a beautiful day, the Hudson River Valley doesn’t look more majestic than at Innisfree Garden.