Fodor's Expert Review Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Garden
The Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Garden is the creation of its namesake and famed landscape designer Beatrix Farrand. An ever-present Narnia vibe begins on the drive up through the woods to the hilltop locale: leaf blowers keep the large mossy granite rocks free of leaves and needles, to magical effect. Even before entering on the Spirit Path, lined with Korean funerary statues, the garden’s earthy pink high wall is entrancing as it resembles walls in Beijing’s Forbidden City. The English-style main border garden has many colorful annuals; one side is more shaded so bed heights vary, adding whimsy to the symmetrical space. In smaller garden spaces nearby, you can rest on a bench, step through a pagoda, look out on Little Long Pond, and contemplate more Eastern sculptures, from seated Buddhas to guardian animals. An easy forest trail leads to the large terrace—with commanding extended ocean views—that fronted The Eyrie, the Rockefellers’ massive summer “cottage,” until it was... READ MORE
The Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Garden is the creation of its namesake and famed landscape designer Beatrix Farrand. An ever-present Narnia vibe begins on the drive up through the woods to the hilltop locale: leaf blowers keep the large mossy granite rocks free of leaves and needles, to magical effect. Even before entering on the Spirit Path, lined with Korean funerary statues, the garden’s earthy pink high wall is entrancing as it resembles walls in Beijing’s Forbidden City. The English-style main border garden has many colorful annuals; one side is more shaded so bed heights vary, adding whimsy to the symmetrical space. In smaller garden spaces nearby, you can rest on a bench, step through a pagoda, look out on Little Long Pond, and contemplate more Eastern sculptures, from seated Buddhas to guardian animals. An easy forest trail leads to the large terrace—with commanding extended ocean views—that fronted The Eyrie, the Rockefellers’ massive summer “cottage,” until it was torn down in 1962.
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