4 Location 541537 Bonfante Gardens Family Theme Park is located only a few miles from the garlic capital of the world - Gilroy, California. It features kid-friendly rides like a carousel, a swinging ship, a ferris wheel,and a small roller coaster or two.... Basically, it's a theme park for the younger kids, or those who don't like the hustle and bustle of parks like Great America. One of the first things you notice when you walk in is how clean everything is. You're probably used to trash and half-eaten food scattered all over - not here! Bonfante Gardens is a *family* theme park, and so it does things a little differently. So, that's the theme park part. But what about the gardens? Well, the whole park is a garden. Lots of flowers and bushes are set around a pretty man-made lake. There are trees everywhere, including 19 Circus trees - each of them unique. The story goes that a man named Axel Erlandson created them by twisting and somehow grafting togeter several trees to form one large one, with shapes ranging from hearts to baskets, sporting names like The Double Spectacle and The Four-Legged Giant (shown in the photo above). The oldest is over 80 years old. Bonfante Gardens is a much more peaceful place than you'd expect from a theme park. There are rides and games of chance (throwing dimes into glasses, for example), but the overall atmosphere is relaxed. Breathe in and enjoy the fresh mountain air. Take a ride on the Ferris Wheel and get a good look at the forest that surrounds you. Hop onto a small train that'll take you on a narrated tour of the whole park. It's a different place. Younger children will enjoy it, but teenagers may feel bored. Take a look at the official website for information on how to get there, as well as more on the history of Circus Trees: http://www.bonfantegardens.com Note: Admission is pricey - $37 for a general admission, $27 for children aged 3-6 and seniors 65+ years old. A season pass costs less than the price of two individual tickets, so keep that in mind if you plan to return. =) 2005-05-06T14:50:37-07:00 816283797 2005-05-11T17:00:00-07:00 0 16 234533 516197 0 0.0 2005-05-05T17:00:00-07:00 Published 0.0 2005-05-06T14:50:37-07:00 3383 0