Sonnenberg Gardens & Mansion State Historic Park — Attraction in City of Canandaigua

I recently visited Sonnenburg Gardens, and while there’s clear potential in the location, the experience was underwhelming, to say the least. Let’s start with the good ; The Mansion. The architecture is undeniably beautiful and romantic , with plenty of historical charm. You can tell there was once grandeur, but now it is furnished with rummage sale knickknacks and inappropriate furniture . With an interior makeover it could be spectacular. Rather than feeling like a well-preserved piece of history, it felt more like was thrown together. For the most part it’s in decent condition; the highlight is the main two story reception room with mezzanine, and Tiffany style original light fixtures and oak woodwork. As for the gardens, I was thoroughly disappointed. The formal gardens were overrun with weeds ( not native plants, but actually weeds ) instead of plants, and the boxwoods were dying. I can appreciate naturalistic, native planting but this was not that . It’s like they gave up a few years ago with the gardens. It’s especially heartbreaking because you could tell these gardens had once been something special. The rose garden, for example, was nearly devoid of roses, a situation that had several visitors commenting on the lack of blooms. The roses that were present were all diseased with , blight , dieback , and rot . There was just an overall sense of neglect—something that shouldn’t be the case for gardens with such a storied past. I understand the region’s drought issues, but it doesn’t explain the lack of proper irrigation , design , and care. One of the most glaring disappointments was the Temple of Diana. It’s little more than rubble now, and a full recreation would be necessary to restore it to its former glory. The pools, which could have been stunning, were filled with algae, and again, there was nothing blooming. For a garden lover, this was particularly disheartening. That said, the greenhouse was somewhat of a highlight ; a charming ruin , with cacti that are probably a hundred years old , pushing the top of the glass panes from the ceiling. The cactus room and orchids were the only parts of the visit that gave me a sense of enjoyment. ( Shoutout and kudos to whomever is taking care of those! ) If they could focus on revitalizing the greenhouse and applying that same attention to the rest of the gardens, it would make a world of difference. Overall, as a whole , Sonnenburg Gardens and Mansion has immense potential, but it’s stuck in a state of disarray. It feels like it needs a visionary—someone with both the resources and commitment to bring it back to life. Until that happens, I wouldn't recommend visiting unless you're okay with seeing a garden in ruins. One must bring a sense of imagination and low expectations to enjoy what it once was and what it could be again; bring an expansive viewpoint and look past the roughness if you venture here. It would take a massive effort to bring it back to what it could truly be, and frankly, I don't see myself returning until that vision...

On July 14, 2022, my husband and I visited Sonnenberg Gardens. We hadn’t been there for at least 20 years. I am an advid gardener and was looking forward to getting new ideas. When we arrived at the ticket gate and proceeded on the path into the gardens, we noticed how unkept it was. Weeds, overgrowth of plants abounded. We proceeded to the area where the gift shop is, and again the gardens were not pruned, overgrown with weeds, not thinned well.

This disappointment continued throughout all the gardens. The Japanese garden was not pruned, and the water feature was more like a mucky swamp. The paths were very difficult to manuever- uneven, root filled and rocky

The rose garden looked like there was a mass kill of roses. Most of the roses were not blooming, and most were obviously struggling. The beds were not well edged, and some of the climbers hadn’t been deadheaded in a long time- hence no flowers.

The classic perennial garden hadn’t been thinned in a long time, and spent flower plants were not pruned back. It was overgrown, not mulched, and was a mess.

I can say the same things about the rock garden- but add that the water features were dry making it apparent that there is definite maintenance issues.

The mansion however, was in good shape and seemed to be cared for.

The grassy lawns were mowed, but weedy. The brick walks were weed infested and in places uneven. The need to go up and down stairs to reach the various gardens should require stair rails and making sure that they and the walkways are clear of leaves, branches, and other debris

Need to hire- seek out volunteer organizations like the boyscouts, garden clubs, colleges that have environmental science (ESF), agricultural sciences (Cobbleskill, Morrisville, etc) to assist in restoring the gardens. Also civil engineers to restore the water features and reinstall the fountains. NYS considers this a historic site. This state loves to spend money on very foolish things, but once a place is designated a historic landmark/ tourist attraction, NYS should make sure its treasures are maintained with no...

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...