Van Vleck House & Gardens — Attraction in Montclair

I recently visited Van Vleck House & Gardens with high expectations, hoping to enjoy a picturesque garden filled with vibrant flowers and capture some memorable photos. However, my experience turned out to be extremely disappointing, and I feel compelled to share my honest review.

First and foremost, the lack of flowers in the garden was incredibly disheartening. It seemed as though they had forgotten to cultivate any vegetation at all. The absence of colorful blooms and lush greenery left me wondering if I had stumbled upon a neglected patch of land instead of a well-maintained garden.

To add insult to injury, the staff members I encountered were rude and unhelpful from the moment I arrived. The coordination team, in particular, demonstrated a complete lack of professionalism. The exorbitant fee of $300 for any 2-HOUR photo session felt unjustified, considering the dismal state of the garden. What made matters worse was the constant presence of an overbearing lady shadowing us throughout our visit. It felt intrusive and completely unnecessary. They tell you that you can not stay 1 min beyond the 2 hours and ask that you promptly leave the garden.

Furthermore, the restrictions imposed on visitors were incredibly frustrating. It was explicitly stated that no access to any buildings was allowed, making it impossible to seek shelter or explore any indoor areas. The absence of food and drinks was also a major inconvenience, leaving visitors without any options for refreshment or sustenance.

Communication with the coordinator lady proved to be a real challenge. She rarely responded to emails, and when she did, her replies were vague and unhelpful. Even attempting to contact her by phone proved futile, as extension 7 went unanswered on numerous occasions. This lack of responsiveness and poor customer service only added to the overall disappointment and frustration of my experience.

In conclusion, my visit to Van Vleck House & Gardens was a complete waste of both money and time. The lack of flowers, restrictions on access, unaccommodating staff, and poor coordination left me with a bitter taste in my mouth. I would strongly advise potential visitors to reconsider their plans and explore other garden options that provide a more enjoyable and...

I came on a sunny day off to take personal photos and enjoy beautiful flowers and drove about 40 mins to get there. Well I sure chose the wrong day as there was incredibly loud and noisy maintenance going on which was what I assumed to be a wood chipper and other guys up on the trees cutting down branches. I have no idea why the gardens would be opened on such a day to completely ruin any peace and quiet. Plus when I got there I realized it was a lot smaller than I thought and there is not really much to see. There are some cute little pathways and the center of the park has the nice fountain but other than that it didn't take me more than maybe 10 minutes to see whatever they had to offer. Again the whole while I am trying to enjoy some solitude and peace and quiet this place was incredibly noisy. Please do not open your garden on a day you're going to have noisy activity going on. It completely destroys the point of going to a garden. I did need to use the bathroom and found the staff at this center nice as they let me go through a staff door to use it when I couldn't access the main entrance. Thanks to the clean up crew. Yeah they literally blocked the main entrance to the guest center. Again, that garden should not have been open on this day or at least delayed until they finished the work. It was simply a waste of my time to be there and quite a major...

I learned about this place via Instagram. I've lived near Montclair for a long time and never heard anyone talk about this place. That might be a good thing since it was not crowded when my partner and I went there on a Sunday afternoon. Very peaceful spot. Beautiful flowers everywhere. If you love nature, then this is a must. The garden is not big. My partner and I ended up staying here for about 45 minutes. It can take about 15 minutes to see the place. There were many outdoor seating areas. So we stopped, sat, and talked for a bit. There was a family there taking professional photoshoot and a young lady taking graduation pictures with her family. I'm sure those pictures came out amazing. My partner and I did not attempt to go inside the house. We weren't even sure if it was open. Because the garden is small, the free onsite parking lot is also small. We parked on the street right next to the garden. All and all, I have nothing negative to say. It's free to visit but donations are...