Fernwood Botanical Garden — Attraction in Buchanan Township

What a local gem! Or even worth a trip if you're bopping around SW Michigan at the wineries or beaches for a summer vacation or long weekend. About a half hour inland, Fernwood would be a cool and mellow retreat from the heat of the beach for a morning or afternoon change of pace in summertime or to tromp around on a rainy day.

I live locally and had been told by several peeps that it was worth a visit. A local yoga instructor said she finds a quiet spot and spreads out a blanket and will spend the afternoon here on a summer day. That got me interested in checking it out.

I finally decided to go on a solo wander and had time the day after Christmas. It was kind of a damp drizzly day so I bundled up, packed a sandwich, a thermos of hot tea, a couple of cookies and a plastic bag to sit on. This place was perfect place for an easy wander with plenty of variation in terrain and benches all along the way and something for everybody inside and out.

The front desk guy was fun and snarky (which I loved and made me feel welcome in a sweet and artsy way) and was super helpful when I asked him to suggest a one to two hour route on which I could dawdle and be alone. I wanted somewhere out of the way and maybe by the river. He thoughtfully highlighted a great route and when I was in the ravine portion I was full on forest bathing blissfully taking in the cold fresh air and studying all the mosses and fungi - all of us moving at glacial speed. I was in total flow all by my lonesome.

I heard bits of surrounding rural noise here and there, but it was distant. Put on some headphones or just get next to the stream or in that ravine and you'll feel transported into a fairyland on a misty winter's day.

A membership will be very worth it for me since I live so close. It'll be a great weekly hiking treat and it looks like they have a great library and special exhibits. I can't wait to see this place in ALL seasons. If winter at Fernwood is so great, the rest of the seasons must be spectacular!

Worth the visit -...

Wow where to start! This place is HUGE. For your first visit you can spend an entire afternoon wandering the grounds, well maintained paths that meander through the woods and along the riverside, check out all of the seasonal specialty areas and normal sites while still leaving half of the place unexplored.

There are signs everywhere and with the river being located where it is, you would have a hard time getting lost. Wear shoes that you don't mind getting a little muddy in case you decide to wander off of one of the main trails (which is totally okay).

Bang for your buck it is VERY hard to beat if you like getting out in nature. There are very well groomed and worn paths with wooden plank bridges that cross streams, old buildings, a watermill and even a pretty respectable outdoor multi level model train area. I have co workers who are single that go there just to chill out. We have taken our daughter there since she was a toddler. I could see this being a really unique date for younger adults, and a wonderful stop in a Michigan wine tour as well.

They have a fun gift shop with locally crafted goods and other unique items, during non-covid times there was a decent but slow and pricey cafe with lighter fares. My advice would be to skip the cafe and just enjoy the outdoors.

If you have little ones, make sure to sign up for the Santa visit in advance. The experience includes a full buffet breakfast, multiple craft tables for kits of varying ages and a Santa that is much, MUCH better than your typical mall Santa.

Fernwood is one of the most unique and wonderful nature places in our area that is open to the general public and is definitely worth experiencing. If you're on the fence at all, DO...

Very unprofessional. I wanted to take my 80 year old mother and my aunt on an outing to lunch and to spend a nice fall day outdoors. After checking the Fernwood website several times for prices, directions, hours, cafe menu etc ; I took the day off of work and my aunt drove to Mishawaka In from Chicago The three of us then drove to Fernwood expecting to have a nice lunch out side and to walk for a bit. When we got there at about 1:35 on a Friday we were told with a smile that the cafe was closed "because there was a wedding being held". We went to a considerable trouble and expense to go to this place...never again. How about a little consideration by posting on your website that the cafe might not be open on any given day due to an event or a lack of staff. This way your unsuspecting visitors could know to call ahead to make sure they weren't going to have to go search through an unfamiliar area to find somewhere to eat. We were not refunded for the entry tickets or given passes to come back another day. To top it off the gardens were disappointing and lackluster. That might have been OK since our main reason to go was to have a nice lunch, but as I have said... that was not to be. It honestly felt like bait and switch. A very unnecessary and...