Alta Vista Botanical Gardens — Attraction in Vista

I have grown up in Vista & never have heard of or been to the Alta Vista Botanical Gardens... Bringle Terrace Park yes.

Today my family & I decided to go take a look after not having the time to drive to encinitas SD Botanical Garden.

Lots of parking

I was surprised to see that this was not a free space, it does cost $5 per adult & $3 per child.

It was worth it...

The kids were exited to see hidden play areas around every turn. Super fun for kids who have imagination & are up for being on an adventure. Large cement cylinder tunnels, Dino dig excavation site, Alice & Wonderland-esk hidden tea party, tortise corner, pond with lily pads, a lovely walk all around. The trails are on a hillside & I definitely recommend taking your time, a slip here & there was our experience but with all of the excitement I'm sure it could have been avoided if we slowed down & truly walked.

Paths are well marked & well maintained. All paths are dirt other than a main path that leads from the parking lot to a picnic table overlooking the gardens. I do not use a wheelchair myself but would think this specific area it to be suitable for wheelchair use.

Zen garden for stacking rocks, painted river of rocks of encouragement & goodess, desert garden, fruit garden... etc

Restrooms are limited but present (portable)...

Thank you to the maintenance team who keeps this place looking as beautiful as it does. It looks like it takes a ton of hard work & please note it was much appreciated today. Thank you for creating a peaceful place to...

Pssst, there is a place in Vista that is wonderful, but nobody knows about it. Alta Vista Botanical Gardens is one of Vista's well kept secrets. Heck, I lived in Vista for at least 15 years before I had heard of it. It is kind of a magical little hillside garden with lots of wonderful art that is nestled on top of a hill in Brengle Terrace Park. There is plenty of parking, restrooms, picnic tables, walking trails, interesting plants and a few ponds. And of course being on top of the hill the views are great. It is terrific for a family outing with the kids since there are play areas complete with dinosaurs and dragons. And, it's a beautiful place to take a date. With all of the nice little nooks it is also a terrific place to have some portraits taken, but if you are a professional photographer wanted to do that they do have a required fee, so ask at their office. The gardens are on city property, but they unfortunately do not receive funds from the city. So, fees for photography and a $5 admission goes towards paying for the expenses it takes to keep up this beautiful section...

Accessibility: there are disabled parking spots actually inside this park (see photos). Besides this, there are tons of other, non-disabled parking spots directly inside the entrance of the park, and right outside the park. Most of the park is on hilly, dirt ground, not great for wheelchairs or anyone who has a difficult time walking.

Experience: I paid five dollars per person to enter (I wish it was per car but I guess that's how they keep the park running). I came on a Sunday and there were other people there but not that many. I actually never crossed by anyone closely on any trails. It is definitely a beautiful park with great views of Vista, but I recommend coming later in the day, maybe two hours before sunset, so there is more shade from the trees. During the middle of the day it gets super hot and there isn't as much shade when the sun is directly overhead. There are drinking fountains with water in a few places around the park which is super cool, and they have bathrooms (porta potties) and trash and recycle bins all over. Very cool place,...