11 June 26-July 2, 2013THE WOODSTOCK INDEPENDENT

Community » REGIONAL TRAVEL 

Sprawledout acrossmore than12 acres inthe city o R o c k o r d ,A n d e r s o nJ a p a n e s eG a r d e n sprovides anescape romthe bustleand chaoso everydayurban living.Te gardensare an unexpected reuge in oneo the largest cities in Illinois.

Te grounds eature a visitorscenter, git shop and a number o pathways leading guests throughstrolling gardens dotted with wa-teralls, ponds, streams and Japa-nese décor.

Te gardens were designed bymaster cratsman Hoichi Kurisu.In 1968, Kurisu, a Japanese im-migrant, accepted a positionas director o landscaping atthe Japanese Garden Complexin Washington Park Gardens,Portland, Ore. It was there hemet John and Linda Anderson.Rockord resident and busi-ness owner John Anderson re-quently traveled to Portland andwas said to have had numerousties with Japanese manuactur-ers. Anderson was inspired byhis trips to the Oregon gardenas well as his excursions to Ja-pan, and he and his wie enlistedKurisu to transorm their landinto a sanctuary.

Kurisu began constructing thegardens in 1978 and returns sev-eral times annually to maintainthe property.

 What can visitors expect?A map with points o interest

will be provided at the welcomecenter. Fish ood also is avail-able or purchase to eed thegargantuan sh that hang outalong pond suraces. As someonewho likes to explore on a whim,I thought it would be easy tonavigate the gardens on my ownwithout looking at the map. Te

map came in handy, in the end,because I’d completely bypasseda section o hidden pathwaysduring my rst walk around thearea.

I ollowed the entryway trail tothe pond strolling garden. Color-ul giant sh lingered around thesurace o the water and waitedor people to drop pellets o shood into their gaping mouths.

Te trail split o to beautiullylandscaped sections o gardenand sights such as the Japa-nese main gate. Whimsical stat-ues and Japanese decorationspopped up among cloud pines,azaleas, irises, magnolias, rho-dodendrons, willow trees androcks, patios, ground lanternsand wooden bridges. Benchesand quiet ountains were discov-ered tucked away in the oliage,inviting passersby to pause ora ew moments o refection andmeditation.

Te Japanese tea and guesthouses were highlights o thetour, although entry to bothbuildings was orbidden. An-other area I really enjoyed wasthe raked gravel garden, wherecrushed limestone was combedinto patterns resembling wa-ter. Stepping stones were placedstrategically across the gravel toallow people to explore the area.But the most rewarding sight, inmy opinion, was the west water-

all, Nishi No aki. Fourteen hun-dred gallons o water circulatethrough the waterall each min-ute, and I ound it to be one o themost scenic and relaxing spotson the grounds.

Tere was a certain mysteryhovering around the property.Select sections were closed o at some o the most interest-ing places – at stone stairwaysleading up hills to high bridges,at winding pathways snakingthrough thickets o shady trees.

 Worth the trip?According to program and

events coordinator Katie Weston,the Anderson Japanese Gardenshave been continuously rankedin the top three Japanese gar-dens in the United States.

I ound the visit a reresh-ing experience, and I agree withWeston when she said the gar-dens provide people with a shortescape rom the stresses o living.

“[Te gardens] are just beauti-ul and give you a sense o peacewhen you’re surrounded by busylie,” Weston said. “When youwalk in [here], everything chang-es.”

Events at Anderson Japanese Gardens

Music concerts are hosted ev-ery uesday evening during theregular season, and a variety o 

classes relating to religion andJapanese art, exercise, cultureand language also are oered.Additionally, a storytime sessionor children and parents is avail-able Tursday mornings.

Things to know before visitingWeekdays are probably the

best time to visit, as I suspect thegardens are quite crowded on theweekends. Te bugs were prettyvicious, so visitors should bringbug spray.

Personally, I don’t think thegardens are a good place to bringyoung children, aside rom thedesignated Tursday storytimesessions. I think many childrenwould be bored ater the initialexcitement o eeding the sh.

For more inormation, visitwww.andersongardens.org.

Far Eas ees Mdwes Rckfrd garde

Roaming WithRhonda

Rhonda

Mix

Hours and ticketsAnderson Japanese Gardens

is open rom 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.to 4 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m.to 4 p.m. Sunday, rom May 1to Oct. 31, at 318 Spring CreekRoad, Rockord. ickets are $8or adults, $7 or senior citizens,$6 or students and ree or chil-dren ages 5 and younger.

Group tours also are available.Proceeds benet the organiza-tion.

Staff writer Rhonda Mix writesabout regional travel destinationsfor The Independent and also main- tains a travel blog at www.mid- westernadventures.com. To suggest your favorite travel destinations in Il- linois or Wisconsin, email rhonda@ thewoodstockindependent.com.

MORE RECOMMENDED

GARDENS

Chicago Botanic Garden1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe847-835-5440www.chicagobotanic.org

Nearly one million peoplevisit the Chicago BotanicGarden each year, exploring385 acres o land eaturing 26gardens and our natural ar-eas. Highlights o the gardeninclude the renowned Bonsaicollection. Te garden also ishome to the Lenhardt Library,which contains 110,000 books.

Morton Arboretum4100 Illinois Route 53, Lisle630-968-0074www.mortonarb.org

Established in December o 1922 by Morton Salt Companyounder Joy Morton, the Mor-ton Arboretum oers 1,700acres o themed gardens, in-cluding a children’s garden,maze garden, ragrance gardenand hedge garden. Te arbore-tum eatures more than 4,100dierent species o auna andmore than 186,000 cataloguedplants.

Olbrich Botanical Gardens3330 Atwood Ave., Madison,Wis.608-246-4550www.olbrich.org

Olbrich Botanical Gardensin, established in 1952, wasvoted by Horticulture Maga-zine as one o the top ten mostinspiring gardens in NorthAmerica.

Te garden is amous or itsTai garden, a git rom theking o Tailand. Te gardenalso houses the Bolz Conser-vatory – a greenhouse con-taining more than 750 plantsand a variety o birds, koi,goldsh, toads and geckos.

Rotary Botanical Gardens1455 Palmer Drive, Janesville,Wis.608-752-3885www.rotarybotanicalgardens.org

Te Rotary Botanical Gar-dens were established by theJanesville, Wis., Noon RotaryClub and eatures more than20 dierent garden styles and4,000 varieties o plants. Someo the gardens depict Japa-nese, Scottish, French, Italianand English themes.

The main gate at Anderson Japanese Gardens welcomes visitors tothis Rockford attraction. COURTESY PHOTO