A Day at Cornerstone Festival of Gardens

Last week I took my kids to Cornerstone Festival of Gardens in Sonoma and I was surprised how cool and unique this place really was.  I went when they first opened and they didn’t have all the gardens completed, but now it’s complete and the gardens are fun and amazing, and the kids really loved them. I was a little surprised that we were the only ones there to enjoy them, with the exception of one other family. Cornerstone Festival Gardens comprises 20 different gardens, each with a different theme, and each designed by a world-famous landscape architect. They also have the Cornerstone Children’s Garden, which features a bright green arbor, several grapevine trellises that the kids can run through, a sand box, a wide array of colorful bird houses, small huts that the kids can go into, and my daughters favorite, small kid-size Adirondack chairs. Some of the other gardens feature burlap hills that the kids can run on, a huge tube to run through, and a 9-hole miniature golf course. Bring your lunch or buy it there at their café. There’s a picnic area at the Barn Gallery, which is located in the center of the gardens and is surrounded by a seemingly endless lawn. Also, in the center of the gardens are about 300 red, purple and green windmills that blow in the wind, which the kids run to as soon as they see them. While there’s a lot for kids to do here, some of the gardens weren’t really designed with the children in mind, so they definitely need to be supervised for safety’s sake.

Cornerstone Festival of Gardens in open daily from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. At this time admission is still at their winter rates: adults $4 (payable in the café) and children free. This is the best deal in town (short of being free), considering that you can spend the whole afternoon there. They also have a café that offers a few kid’s items, several shops, galleries and spacious garden area for special events.