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Plan Your Visit!

Here’s all you need to know about visiting Ithaca Children’s Garden

The Garden has reopened! As always our top priority is the safety of our guests, staff, and volunteers. For our reopening to be successful we will need the full engagement and support of the community. Please read through our Know Before You Go: Guest Guidelines before your visit to the Garden!

  • Every person is welcome.
  • ICG is free and open to all, dawn to dusk, 365 days a year.
  • ICG is wheelchair accessible.
  • Potable water is available April-November.
  • Wheelchair accessible porta-potty and rustic restrooms available.
  • Pack a change of clothes for your young ones just in case.
  • Well-behaved dogs on leashes allowable in some areas of the Garden. Children have the right of way.
  • Planning a visit from out of town or bringing a group? Please let us know so we can communicate any important updates and register your visit.
  • ICG offices are a 10-minute walk from the Garden so you may or may not encounter staff when you visit the Garden.
  • Respect yourself – Respect others – Respect the environment.
  • Sign the guestbook. Include your city and state, how many in your party, and how we can get in touch if you want to stay in the loop.
  • Please be gentle around animals, insects, and plants.
  • Dogs are not permitted in the Kitchen Garden, wilder areas, or as posted.
  • Pack a snack or picnic if you wish to stay a while.
  • Carry in, carry out. Please take all trash with you.
  • No smoking in the Garden or within 20′ of entrances.
  • Observe all posted signs.
  • Respect your child’s time and experience. Let your child lead you.
  • If you see someone in a turtle shirt, feel free to ask them questions – or call our office if you need assistance.

Ithaca Children’s Garden welcomes all members of our community to participate in all programs and activities offered by Ithaca Children’s Garden regardless of ability. We encourage all members and volunteers of Ithaca Children’s Garden to support an inclusive and welcoming environment for everyone. Learn more about ICG’s Inclusion Policy and/or submit an accommodations request here.

Small child holding a broken umbrella in front of the honaz tube.

Explore the Garden

Read up on our latest COVID-related updates

Bees & Hens

In addition to the wide variety of birds and insects that naturally flock to the Garden, ICG is home to a collection of hens and honeybees that are assets to the Garden in both an ecological and educational way.

Bulb Labyrinth Memorial Garden

Designed in partnership with the Ithaca Childbearing Loss Network, the Bulb Labyrinth Memorial Garden is a sanctuary fostering hope, love, peace, and remembrance.

Kitchen Garden

Cultivated and cared for by campers, visitors, TUF teens, and volunteers alike, it’s no wonder the Kitchen Garden remains bountiful year after year. Sampling is highly encouraged!

Troll House

Built from straw and complete with a living roof, the Troll House is the perfect playspace for children to let their imaginations explore.

Two children lean out of a window.

Bird Habitat Garden

ICG’s Bird Garden invites children to flap their “wings,” peer out the birdhouse window, dig for delicious worms, and listen for bird calls.

Kid's Kitchen

Where Garden education meets hands on practice to create some wholesome and undeniably delicious memories!

Story Walk

Stories come alive like never before as you stroll through nature.

Wetlands & Bioswale

Full of surprises and lively discovery, this hidden gem of the Garden is not to be missed.

Hands-on-Nature Anarchy Zone

In this space of the Garden, kids truly reign supreme. With a wild assortment of materials and plenty of room to get creative, imaginations run wild and nature play comes to life!

Rice Paddy Pond

Visit the rice paddy pond to search for tadpoles, bullfrogs, and koi fish or to watch the rice grow right in front of your eyes.

Wildflower Meadow

Follow the winding path through the Wildflower Meadow to discover an untamed and ever changing collection plants and insects.

Village Green

Step through the Garden’s gates and be welcomed by the expansive Village Green, the heart of the Garden and a hub of activity year round.

Gaia The Turtle

As the official face of ICG and a symbol of Mother Earth, Gaia sits by the Garden’s southern entrance to welcome visitors from near and far.

Recycled "Green" House

While this green house may not function like your typical greenhouse, it’s assuredly not a Garden attraction to be missed!

TUF Farm Stand

Run on a weekly basis by the TUF Teens, the Farm Stand is the perfect spot to get uber fresh, youth cultivated produce and ice cold drinks all summer long!

Faces of Philanthropy

Why do you love & support The Garden?