Stroll Through Vibrant Themed Garden And Lush Landscapes In Ohio's Secret Garden Park

Cleveland, nicknamed "the Forest City," has outdoor gems like Worden's Ledges, a hidden hiking trail with majestic views. It also has a secret garden tucked away behind a nondescript stone wall, easily overlooked in the midst of the nearby fast-food restaurants and chain stores: Gardenview Horticultural Park.

Gardenview Horticultural Park is like a real-life adaptation of "Secret Garden" — the 1993 film based on the novel of the same title published in 1911 by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Like the garden in the movie, Gardenview Horticultural Park is a gorgeous nature wonderland teeming with flora and fauna, the perfect spot to reconnect with nature and the inner child within us. It's located in Strongsville, a lively suburb in Greater Cleveland area with small-town vibes and modern conveniences. It's 21.2 miles from downtown, or an easy 30-minute drive.

Since the park's main attractions are the flora and fauna, the park is only open between April 1 and October 15. To support the mostly volunteer-run public park, there is an affordable admission fee of $5 for adults and $3 for children 5-18. Children under 5 may enter free of charge. 

Henry A. Ross is the man single-handedly responsible for bringing the park to life with sheer will and dedication. As a child, he was mesmerized by reading about the public parks in Britain and Europe. He might even have been inspired by the novel "The Secret Garden" and imagined to be like an orphaned Mary who discovered an abandoned garden and brought it back to its former glory with the help of her friends. After returning to the United States in 1949 as a 23-year-old World War II veteran, Ross borrowed money to buy a plot of 16-acre land in what is now Strongsville. Having purchased it during the winter, he had no clue that the land had poor soil and no irrigation, which are not ideal for cultivating plants.

When the snow melted, he got to work, hauling truckloads of manure, spreading it three feet deep around the property, and installing miles of drain tiles. After 12 years of working tirelessly, Ross transformed the forlorn, barren land into an English cottage garden of flourishing and blooming paradise. It is filled with thousands of flowers and rare plants and is a sanctuary for various species of birds, like the mallard, grey heron, and other critters. He committed his whole life to creating a green space, a respite from the hustle and bustle of city life to cultivate our inner creativity. One of the trustees, Marla Tooman, described Ross as the modern-day Henry David Thoreau, an American philosopher of Transcendentalism who said, "It is the marriage of the soul with nature that makes the intellect fruitful, and gives birth to imagination."

The park was incorporated in 1962, and Ross continued to work the grounds until he died in 2014 at the age of 88. With the help of a board of trustees, one full-time groundskeeper, Mark La Rosa, and tireless volunteers, the park continues to awe the public as an oasis of idyllic nature. 

After entering the park, you will encounter little yellow arrows, which guide you as you meander through the garden. In the spring and summer, you can see adorable buttercups, blooming daffodils, purple, ball-shaped allium rosenbachianum, the thistle, the national flower of Scotland, that can bloom up to 10 feet tall, and more. Throughout the park, you will encounter delightful resting areas—gazabos and benches where you can rest your feet and still be surrounded by nature. There are theme park areas with different tropical and exotic plants and greenhouses, a lovely stream crisscrossing the park, a lily pond, and many whimsical statues. It's the perfect place to bring a picnic and a book to enjoy a slower pace of life engulfed by the chittering of birds, the scent of blossoms, and lushness and color as far as the eyes can see.

There are other ways to enjoy the park. You can get married in the park for $250 plus $5 per person. You can also do a photoshoot there to commemorate a milestone, like a graduation, anniversary, or pregnancy. The flat fee for any official photo shoot is $150 plus $5 per person. Are you ready for more nearby secret gems? Check out the "Crystal Palace," the first indoor shopping center with vintage elegance. If you would rather hang out in a charming small town, head to the cute and walkable Milan for antique shopping.