A Return to Anderson Japanese Gardens

Now that I'm finished with my spring vacation travel series, before I go on a new adventure this summer and fall, I thought I'd share a few staycations and small road trips we've enjoyed this year.

For Mother's Day we once again met up with my daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren in Rockford, Illinois.  It is about a four hour drive for both of us.  We met here once before in 2021.  Then we had only two grandchildren with one on the way.  You can see that post HERE.

2025

2021

Same Spot!

My what a difference a few years make!  In addition to a growing family, the weather was completely different.  Last time we met up it was cold (in the 50's) and overcast.  We also met during Covid.  You needed a reservation to get into the gardens.  Visiting the Japanese Gardens was actually more pleasant then.  It was so crowded this year, and HOT!  The blinding sun also was not the best for photography.  I got much better pictures on our first visit.

It was so hot, everyone needed water before our excursion began.  The kids got a kick out of this natural outdoor drinking fountain.  I would never know we could drink from it had there not been water cups right next to it.

You can purchase food to feed the ducks, geese, and koi.  They are so friendly.  This one walked right up to me.  He probably thought I had food, but I did not. 

The grandsons love climbing all over the rocks in this garden.  This is the perfect garden to take small children to.  There are so many narrow paths for them to run and explore.  Rocks for climbing are in abundance.  Waterfalls, rivers, bridges, waterfowl, koi, and so much more provides lots of interest for them.

If you're interested in more facts about the Anderson Japanese Gardens, I would encourage you to read my 2021 post where I cover more of the garden's history and highlights.   I don't want to just regurgitate everything here again.  I prefer to focus on our more recent experience.

My daughter, her husband, and all their children.

The Lily-of-the-Valley was blooming when we were there.  Mine at home did not bloom till a month later. 

The kids were excited to see turtles; except, I was the only one who noticed them and then pointed them out for the grandchildren.  Everyone else walked right past them thinking they were statues.

I often wonder what the Japanese Gardens would be like other times of the year.  Both times we were there, it was spring so all their azaleas and rhododendrons were in bloom.  Japanese Gardens aren't known for their flowers, so is it mostly green in the summer?  I don't know.

My daughter was envious of my hat so I let her try it on.  I thought it went great with her dress!

I can't believe how close this goose came to the boys!

Throwing small pebbles into the lake with grandpa.

Although there aren't any sweeping flower gardens in Japanese Gardens there is so much color and interest with all the different types of foliage.

There are many Japanese style buildings throughout the gardens.

It was so hot, my daughter and her children  enjoyed getting their feet wet.

It was exciting to see a mommy duck with her babies!

My son with three of the grandkids. 

The waterfalls are always a sight to behold!

Young love!

They have lots of rocks and boulders in Japanese Gardens.  I love how the delicate blossoms contrast with the hard rock.

After our day at the gardens, it was now time to cool down at the pool.  I dipped in the pool earlier, so I was just enjoying watching everyone else.

 It was a great Mother's Day weekend.  We first met at a nearby park for a picnic lunch before heading over to the gardens.  After the gardens we checked into our hotel then had dinner at Olive Garden.  I hadn't been there in years, and the grandchildren really seemed to enjoy it.  We enjoyed the pool both at night and again in the morning, then we headed out for brunch and said our goodbyes.  It's always hard to say to goodbye, but we have many memories to carry us through till we meet again.

Have A Great Day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!

Anderson Japanese Gardens

Last May for Mother's Day weekend we met the kids and grandkids in Rockford, Illinois.  It was a good halfway meeting point for all of us:   around a four hour drive.  Our first stop was a picnic lunch at the Nicholas Conservatory Gardens, which I wrote all about in LAST WEEK's POST.  After our meal and tour around those gardens, we then got back in our cars and drove five minutes away to our next and main attraction:  Anderson Japanese Gardens.

The Anderson Japanese Gardens is a twelve acre garden that was originally the swampy backyard of Rockford businessman John Anderson.  He was inspired by a visit to the Portland Japanese Garden in Oregon that he hired Hoichi Kurisu in 1978 to transform his yard into the beauty it is today.  In 1998 the Andersons donated the garden to the Rockford Rotary Charitable Association.

Anderson Japanese Garden has been named one of the highest quality Japanese Gardens in North America  by Sukiya Living Magazine since 2004.  And I must say, after seeing it myself, I totally agree.  This is an impeccable, GORGEOUS, Japanese Garden!

Spring is a great time to visit a Japanese Garden.  As most people know, Japanese Gardens generally are not known for their flowers.  Their design is one of peace and tranquility.  Three essential elements are found in a Japanese Garden:  stone (which forms the structure of the landscape), water (representing life-giving force) and plants (which provide the color and changes throughout the seasons).  

In the spring, all the beautiful flowering shrubs and trees are in bloom.  We were so lucky to be there when the azaleas, dogwood, and magnolias were in full bloom.  It was stunning!

There are many Japanese structures throughout the gardens.  The one below is the first one you see when entering the gardens.  It is the "Event Pavilion - Moyoshiba" where many special events such as the "Tuesday Evening Music Series",  the "Japanese Summer Festival", and private weddings are held.

Directly across from the Event Pavilion is the "Garden of Reflection".  This is a beautiful pond filled with large koi.  Because it was spring, we had the joy of seeing baby goslings too!  The grandchildren loved that.

At the far end of the pond there are three Angel sculptures...can you see them?  John Anderson purchased them to honor his parents and his Swedish heritage.

Below is the "Main Gate - Seimon".  It is a formal transition point between the contemporary Garden of Reflection and the traditional gardens.

Across from the Main Gate was the perfect spot to take photos with the gorgeous Azalea Bush and Japanese Maple.

The Anderson Japanese Gardens has many interesting Japanese Sculptures throughout its landscape.

Here is a far away shot of the area we stopped to take photos of ourselves.  What a great photo 

opportunity!  You couldn't ask for a prettier backdrop.

Water is everywhere in this garden!  There are two large ponds, waterfalls, and a creek that runs through the entire garden.

Where there is water, there has to be bridges to cross over the water.  They had so many different types of bridges, as you will see for yourself when you finish reading this post.  My grandchildren loved crossing all the bridges.

A small concrete and wood bridge.

I think our favorite was this little curved wooden bridge.  The grandkids loved feeding the koi.  You can buy koi and duck feed at the entrance to the park.

This is the path to the "Guest House - Sukiya "Andoso"'.  There are large picture windows in front of the house, so you can see inside the house, but you can't physically go inside.  I couldn't get any pictures because right in front of the house is a raked gravel garden which you can't step on or you'll mess it up, and if I couldn't back up into the gravel, I couldn't get the house in my camera view.

Here is the raked gravel garden.  It is composed of crushed limestone.  The raked patterns often represent motifs related to water.  We did have a good chuckle at the duck.  He did not obey the "Stay off the gravel" signs one bit!

Here's my Sweet Alethea!  These gardens have so many dreamy spots to take gorgeous portraits.  Plus we were blessed with a cloudy day so we never had to worry about the harsh sunlight.

I loved how everywhere we walked we saw wildlife.  These ducks were everywhere:  in the grass, in the water, in the woods, and even where they shouldn't be like the raked gravel garden.

The grandchildren LOVED this garden.  My daughter was so surprised how much they enjoyed themselves.  She thought they would be bored.  I said "I think it's because there are so many bridges and secret little places to explore.  The whole garden is like one big "secret garden" because you never know what's around the corner".  The grandkids really loved climbing all the steps, feeding the geese and koi, seeing all the ponds and waterfalls, and walking across all the many unique bridges.

And what perfect timing to take some maternity photos.  A few of you noticed in my "Alethea & Atticus Birthday Celebrations" post that my daughter was expecting again.  She is going to have another little boy mid-September.

This is "Pond Strolling Garden".   There is a small boardwalk that gets you right above the water.

Across the pond is the "Viewing House - Azumaya".  

And this beauty is the "Tea House - Ocha Shitsu".  It is a traditional tea ceremony building.

The largest and prettiest waterfall was Atticus' favorite.  It is called "West Waterfall - Nishi No Taki".  Fourteen hundred gallons of water circulate through the waterfall each minute.  You can get super close to the falls by taking a small stone footbridge, and you can also get a far away view from a viewing deck.

This beautiful wooden bridge is the "Cypress Bridge".

On this pond, the Garden of Reflection is a "Floating Deck".  You can just barely see it on the left side of the trees.  I really loved the placement of the park bench between the two trees.  Such a nice place to sit and relax.

Oh, we so enjoyed our stroll through the Anderson Japanese Gardens.  It was one of those rare, perfect days that I didn't want to end.  Everyone was in a good mood (ya'll know how a grandkid in a bad mood can ruin your travel plans) so we all had a great time.  The beauty of this garden just astounded me.  If you're ever in the area, I highly suggest stopping by!

The Anderson Japanese Gardens are open Monday through Friday 9:00 - 6:00 and Saturday and Sunday 9:00 - 5:00.  The cost of admission is $11.00 for an adult, $9.00 for a child, and children under 5 are FREE!

Have a Great Day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!