Really lovely grounds, knowledgeable tour guide, all staff were friendly and helpful. They have a scavenger hunt for kids to earn a prize. It kept my kids interested in exploring all the different areas large and small. Our guide was flexible in letting us come and go as we pleased. Made for an enjoyable visit for both me and my kids. Picnic table located near the parking lot makes it easy to bring a lunch.
Lovely place...a lot of history behind the Mansion. Don't miss the Japanese park and the Buddha statute. You can find some beautiful colorful fishes at the entrance pond near the visitors entrance
Our tour of this magnificent was part of our vacation through upstate New York and New England. We enjoy visiting so many historic homes of the past and Gilded Age. This one is no exception. Although some of the architecture needs some upkeep and maintenance the overall expanse of this huge property makes one wonder how they can manage such an undertaking. Obviously management should be commended. So neat to slip back into time and let your mind wander as you walk the grounds and tour the mansion. We were blessed with a had a picture perfect day. There are gift shops, wine shop, greenhouses, fish ponds and much more to enjoy. Please like my post if you find it coupled with my detailed photos helpful.
Awesome place with a air of old times, nature and fun.
Visiting Sonnenberg Gardens Arts show today. The mansion and gardens are always beautiful as are the works of all the vendors.
Gorgeous gardens, incredible mansion, I could spend days here!
This is a really great place to visit, and easy to get to.
Amazing place to explore. The kids will have a blast!
Gardens were nice, seems like they need more TLC. Guessing funds are limited so doing the best they can, still a great place to visit.
Beautiful grounds. Always a pleasant and relaxing visit. I recommend going for their moonlight stroll series.
Loved it. Amazing.. Also stop at the cafe.. It wear awesome.. Fresh, simple food.
This is one of my most favorite places to be! We come as often as we can! Everything is mesmerising... Everyone i bring here is captivated! Beautiful scenery.. Great food.. Decent pricing... Great service.. Relaxing atmosphere... I recommend everyone come here at least once!!
Beautiful house. Have to come back when the flowers are in bloom
Mansion was beautiful, gardens were great, even the admissions fee was great. They are in need of more volunteers.
Fabulous place its like stepping back in time we absolutely love to visit this lovely estate whether it's for the gardens, or an occasional summer concept or for the fall mystery theater show always a good time.
$14 per person admission really makes this place inaccessible to the general public. A couple bucks a head, or a group rate maybe.
A collection of botanical gardens, formal gardens, historical ruins, historic mansion, and orchid greenhouses make Sonnenberg a nice place to spend an afternoon strolling and sightseeing.
I really wish I could give this a higher review - let's say 3 1/2 stars). We'd gone to Sonnenberg about 15 years ago, and weren't overly impressed. I was hoping that it would be better. It is, slightly, and I see signs of renovation, but in general it needs a lot of work. Many fountains weren't working. The flowers were small (that one I can let go because of the drought). It's nicely laid out, with clear indications of where you are and what you are looking at, and it is quite lovely. The rock garden is very lovely, but again, the main feature from there is a waterfall and fountain, and it wasn't operational. The nicest part of the gardens are the oriental gardens. They were quite lovely, and well maintained.
I will go back, and hope to see even more improvements.
Oh, and a big bonus was the lovely woman at the admission desk. She made sure we got the best price to get in, showed us where we were, explained how to get around, explained about the grant to restore the greenhouse, very nice and helpful.
We enjoyed it even though the gardens weren't so lush. Last winter here was terrible and some plants suffered. Don't let other comments deter you from visiting. They are doing their best to replant and the gardens will bloom again! Our tour guide was entertaining and knowledgeable. The mansion was cool to walk through. You can actually see Canadiague Lake from the mansion balcony.
this was one of the best places i could recommend if you are into plants. very fun to be there :)
This wasn't on the top of my list for my "wine" inspired vacation here in the Finger Lakes, but I am glad I went. Worth paying the small fee to gain access to the grounds. Had a lovely lady give us a ride in a golf cart type of shuttle and she was well informed about the history - wonderful experience. This is within walking distance to the downtown (about a mile) so we parked downtown by our lunch restaurant and hoofed it to the Gardens. This was key since they also do wine tastings at the tasting room under the gift shop. Each week they get in different wines to taste. We were impressed with the selection and the knowledge of the woman who conducted our tasting.
I was biking around Canandaigua looking for a place to test out a tripod I just picked up from a local store (mine of Chinese make broke the day before). Saw this place as a big green square on the map.
I entered from Howell St. I saw a sign that said biking on the grounds was against the rules so I hopped off an started pushing. I saw signs for auto parking and something about wine and a gift shop neither of which interested me.
There was an older woman who was walking ahead of me in the same direction. I continued up the path and walked out onto the lawn in front of the house. As I was setting up the tripod a guy with a volunteer badge drove up on a cart and demanded that I pay admission and I needed a NY State permit to take a picture because I had a tripod.
There were no signs indicatting any type of admission was required, the lady in front of me didn't pay anything. When I pointed this out the volunteer said that people walk there during their lunch at the VA...
** Why if the place requires admision are they selectively enforcing this? **
I later looked up the requirements (attached) for which the State uses for special Photo/Sound recording permits. None of which applied. I was not requesting exclusive access, access to closed sections, or access when the facility was closed. I was not setting up any props(unless hiding my bicycle behind a tree counts...I didn't bring the tree). Nothing in the permit indicates that use or non-use of a tripod is required for or exemption from the permit.
My recommendation to the staff, understand the the rules for the permits you are demanding people use. Plainly post that admission is required and uniformly apply that admission to all visitors. Provide signage that indicates appropriate use and restrictions. Every other park in the city has a basic sign with this information. Even the tiny park with a slide and half a basketball court had the common sense rules about fires, weapons, glass containers. I've never run into restrictions on how I take pictures.
I see no reason to ever visit this place again.
Attended evening walk through the garden. Band was playing. It was my first time at the venue and it was beautiful tour the Mansion which was amazing a definite must do. I highly recommend a visit
Beautiful views and dedicated staff the grounds and mansion are stunning!
So beautiful. I like to try and make sure I get here every summer.
We try to get to tour the gardens at least once each summer ! Love it!
Beautiful home and gardens. Docents were pleasant and informative.
Beautiful spacious grounds. Beautiful historic mansion. Attended the annual Arts in th Parks craft artists juried show which had a wide display of talented artisans.
Proper gardening is simply not happening here anymore. Vertually no flowers this year.
Absolutely beautiful however they were still replanting after the harsh winter we had, but I can only imagine what it s like when everything is in bloom
Fantastic docent lead tour of the Mansion lots of grrrrrr8 fall color in trees
Admissions procedure was ridiculous and slow, we left because the process was comical. Some people were just walking in because the admission booth is in the wrong place. Anyone sharp enough to find the admission booth was penalized with a 30 minute wait to buy a ticket
Lots to see here. The house has been restored beautifully.
We spent about an hr walking the grounds. The mansion is very nice but the grounds need some tlc.
An amazing garden scape. A must visit for any garden enthusiast.
Beautiful property. The garden configuration is worth seeing. Lovely old home with intricate woodwork.
A CNY treasure! A favorite day trip is to arrive in morning, tour the gardens and cap off the day with a consistently excellent later lunch @ the High Noon Cafe right on the grounds, then hit the gift shop on the way out. Best to do seasonally (spring, summer and autumn) to fully appreciate the variety of gardens, and the way the light sifts through the mansion in each season. I'm a patron member and try to introduce Sonnenberg to as many people as I can ... and they are NEVER disappointed! Big shout out to all the tremendous volunteers there: to a person they've always been quite knowledgeable, courteous and helpful.
Outstanding place to enjoy the scenery and for a wedding ceremony.
Wow! What a place with history and landscapes that are breathtaking! One could easily spend hours here wandering though the gardens and historic buildings. There's also wine tasting available featuring New York State wines along with an impressive gift shop. Everyone we encountered was more than willing to answer any questions we had and also in very good spirits. We look forward to our next visit!
While I enjoyed the grounds, I was disappointed by the upkeep of the outside of the mansion. In addition,I found the largest garden, the Italian garden, to be underwhelming to say the least. The structures were in good shape but the plants were small and didn't fill the space appropriately. I was surprised by the presence of weeds within some of the plants. I expected to be blown away and I was not.
It's a miracle that this 1890s mansion survived and is open to the public for tours. The house has been restored and furnished with items from its time period. The docents and volunteers are knowledgeable and show their love for the story of the home. The gardens could use more attention, but are still impressive. I hope more donors support this treasure. If you are in this area, you must see Sonnenberg Gardens.
A well kept garden and a good place to spend the day with your family.
Lovely grounds and mansion. Some portions rundown but that's what visitors' admissions fees and donations are for. The service at the Cafe was very attentive and considerate, especially considering it was almost closing time.
Stunningly beautiful inside and out.
A great mix of history, nature and wonderfully manicured gardens, Sonnenberg will give you hours worth of sights to see and just take in. There s a lot of variance to the outdoor areas rock gardens, rose gardens, Asian zen gardens, old Roman baths, every section has something new.
Had a great dinner. Quick service, good food, great staff. Recommend this place all day long.
A well kept garden and a good place to spend the day with your family.
A place everyone should see in June when the flowers are in their peak high blossom.
Needs help! Site has great potential and wonderful history.
The trees on the site are amazing plants look great green houses and rock garden are very nice. Residence and landscape features are in extreme disrepair. For the amount you pay to get in you would expect there may be more investment.
Very interesting experience. Beautiful gardens and amazing mansion to explore.
Very nice. Only thing g they offer a military discount to active military not to retired military. Most places offer to both.
Beautiful place to visit. Large but manageable space. Mansion is beautiful as well.
Was there today, Friday, September 25, 2020...my first visit and it was a huge disappointment. Lots of weeds and untrimmed bushes. It was so obvious this place hadn t been taken care of in a long time and we were so surprised that we were charged full price to see much of nothing and only the first floor of the mansion.
Sonnenberg gardens is truley the best attraction new york state has to offer.
Great gardens, lots of walking but there is a team. Mansion beautiful .
Have been going here for years. It is a stunning place full of lush gardens and beautiful pathways. It is the perfect place for taking photos for special occasions. My daughter took her senior pictures here and they were stunning. No shortage of places to take pictures in front of. The fountains made of marble, beautiful gardens, or stone pathways. The house is beautiful. Restored and decorated as it would have been when the original owners lived there. With many photos and plaques with it's history. If you get tired or would like a guided tour of the grounds take the tram. There is a small cafe if you get hungry. To fully enjoy it and take in everything it takes about 3 hours.
We went when they decorated for Christmas. It was amazing. I wish they would bring it back.
I love the gardens, to walk and sketch and relax. It is a true treasure of Rochester. Become a member and help support the preservation of a beautiful amenity in or region.
Had a wonderful time at the Sonnenberg Gardens and Mansions
Very cool place to take a tour and wander the grounds. Some areas are a little run down but others are just gorgeous. The mansion was very interesting to go through and some of garden areas were amazing. The Japanese garden with the ponds and different kind of pine trees was beautiful. I thoroughly enjoyed our day there.
Cool spot. We will be back for the summer garden shows.
I rented the Belvedere almost a year ago for a remembrance/celebration of life for my mother. The gardens were a great representation of my mother as she loved gardening and flowers of any kind not to mention how beautiful it is here. There are so many volenteers who work tirelessly to keep the place in tiptop shape. They were all so kind and accommodating. I couldnt have asked for a better place. I would highly recommend spending the day walking around as there is so much to see. They also have a huge wedding/party tent they rent out if your looking for a larger scale event or wedding.
Fill up on beauty, so needed. And the chicken curry
The holiday thing was just okay not much going on really
I visited with my family this past Sunday. This was my second time visiting . My first visit being well worth the drive and entry fee of $40.00 is what made us return the second time so my kid could have a great experience. However, Once we excitedly arrived at the mansion we noticed every door was closed and locked. The lights were on inside and there were a few people inside. We stayed around for a bit to see if the doors would open but they didn't and there wasn't any staff around to ask about entering. I should have really stopped by the entrance and told the person working there about receiving a refund because I don't feel like it is fair to pay around $40.00 to visit there when almost every pond,water feature is not in service and photographers or groups of other "VIP" can warden off the mansion and prohibit paying customers from having a full experience. Upon leaving, there was a couple paying at the entrance and the woman at the gate was informing them that the mansion closed at 3:00 so they should consider visiting there first.. At that comment I was sort of puzzled because we had arrived at the mansion around 2:00 and it was closed. With all that said, I also think that the later months of fall they really should consider offering a lower entry price seeing as though there aren't any flowers or gardens in bloom and there was barely any staff on the grounds anyway.
Unique experience of a Charles Dickens Xmas Special at this historic place in Rochester NY
Very nice time. We really had a wonderful experience. It's worth looking at.
Nice place for a relaxing walk in the gardens. I had the good fortune to be able to sit on the wrap around porch and watch a thunderstorm blow through. Reminded me of growing up. It's also a nice place to sit on a hot summer night.
Beautiful gardens very well kept.
Staff was nice and helpful during our visit,.
Beautiful place but needs some money and TLC put into it otherwise it won't be here for future generations.
Beautiful Absolutely Beautiful !!! Worth going to check it out and recieve history too!!
