Gilroy Gardens: Fun Rides & Amazing Views (Wordless Wednesday Linky)

I received media passes to Gilroy Gardens so I can share my thoughts on the theme park. Thoughts are my own. And as always, my Wordless Wednesday posts aren’t exactly wordless. 🙂

wordless-wednesday

 

Last month, my family and I had the opportunity to visit and enjoy an afternoon at Gilroy Gardens. Even before I was given passes to the theme park, my family has always enjoyed our visits there. That’s why it’s always in our list of places to go to whenever our Saturdays are free.

Gilroy Gardens

Gilroy Gardens is a basically a theme park in a garden. The park’s entryway makes you feel like you’re going into a forest, except that it’s so beautiful and it’s not scary. Just like any theme park, they have a Park Map that will help you as you go around. In case you don’t get one when you purchase your tickets, you can simply go to the Welcome Center across the Carousel and get one.

Gilroy Gardens Entrance and Park Map

As you enter the main park, past that beautiful wooden walkway, you’ll see an educational kiosk which shows visitors a timeline of the history of the park.

Gilroy Gardens 03

For this visit, we decided to go through the park in a clockwise direction. First few rides we saw were the Illions Supreme Carousel, Strawberry Sundae, Banana Split, and Bulgy The Fish. But the first ride we actually went into was the Pitstop Racer because my son loves cars!

Gilroy Gardens Racers

 

One of our favorite rides in the park is the South County Backroads Garden. We get to ride in a vintage-inspired car (there are 2 lines for 2 different types of vintage cars), be taken around the garden and feel like you’re in the countryside. There are waterfalls, ponds, gas stations, and a tunnel — all with amazing flora and fauna in the background.

Gilroy Gardens Backroads Garden

Gilroy Gardens also has entertainment and gaming kiosks where you can win a prize if you reach your goal. But even if you don’t win, you’ll still get a consolation prize. And after an afternoon of fun, it’s great to sip on an icee! They also have stands around the park for some snacks and drinks so you’ll never have to worry about getting hungry or thirsty with all your activities!

Gilroy Gardens Kiosks and Icee

Our last stop for the day is the Train Station. It isn’t really a stop since we’ll be going around Gilroy Gardens aboard this nice train. They have 2 stations, one on either side of the park, where visitors can board/unboard. While waiting, your little one can dance to some tunes that they’re playing at the station. If you don’t want to wait too long though, I suggest you board the Train on the Redwood Junction. I think fewer people go line up at that station compared to the Coyote Junction.

Gilroy Gardens Train Station

We left Gilroy Gardens with big smiles on our faces. We enjoyed the kid-friendly rides and all the spectacular sights they have to offer. Maybe you can add it up on your list of places to go to when you’re in the Bay Area!

For pricing and all other information, check out GilroyGardens.org! They have lots of other rides that have not been featured in this post.

I received media passes to Gilroy Gardens so I can share my thoughts on the theme park. Thoughts are my own.


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Comments

Gilroy Gardens: Fun Rides & Amazing Views (Wordless Wednesday Linky) — 35 Comments

  1. Looks like you had a great time! Gilroy Gardens kind of reminds me of Santa Land in New England or Centreville in Toronto.

  2. I’m from the Bay Area and have never heard of Gilroy Gardens. thanks for the review!

  3. Wow, this theme park looks absolutely amazing! We have a similar theme park here in Virginia – it’s not just a place for entertainment, but beautiful scenery, as well.

  4. i’ve never heard of a theme park inside a garden!! It makes it less dramatic for the kids, in my opinion! i adore the little race car carousel!! i wish we had something like that here 🙁

  5. I have never heard of Gilroy Gardens family park, looks like a really fun place to visit. I love the little cars the kids were riding on, and it looks like they have games almost like what they have down the boardwalk..I hope you and your family enjoyed themselves. I will have to check them out see if it’s close to us.. 🙂

  6. I am from Ohio, but I know of Gilroy! We love following the Garlic Festival and developed our love of pickled garlic because of this wonderful town 🙂 This park looks like a good time, but sadly, my kids are all grown…glad you had such a great time with your beautiful family!

  7. This place looks like a super fun family day! I used to live near Gilroy, wish I would have gone to visit!

  8. Thanks for the review. I am always looking for new places to visit and I love that Gilroy Gardens is outdoors. Looks like fun!