Gilroy Gardens

Family amusement and nature park

Gilroy Gardens Family Theme ParkPreviously known as Bonfante Gardens (2001–2006)

Location| 3050 Hecker Pass Hwy. Gilroy, California, United States
Coordinates| 37°0′19″N 121°37′41″W﻿ / ﻿37.00528°N 121.62806°W﻿ / 37.00528; -121.62806
Status| Operating
Opened| June 15, 2001
Owner| City of Gilroy, California
Operated by| Gilroy Gardens, Inc. a 501(c)(3) organization
Operating season| Late March–Early January
Area| 536 acres (35 acres used for theme park)
Attractions
Roller coasters| 2
Water rides| 6
Website| Official website

Gilroy Gardens Family Theme Park, often shortened to Gilroy Gardens, is a horticulture-themed amusement park located in Gilroy, California, United States. Designed and built by Michael Bonfante, the park originally opened as Bonfante Gardens in 2001. The 536-acre theme park (217 ha) is owned by the city of Gilroy and operated by Gilroy Gardens, Inc. a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization; it features over 40 rides and attractions and is known for its Circus Trees, created by Axel Erlandson.[1]

## History

[edit]

The park was founded by Michael and Claudia Bonfante after selling their Nob Hill Foods supermarket chain to build the tree park. The park was constructed gradually over a period of 25 years. Before it became an amusement park open to the public, it was known as Tree Haven, and was a commercial plant nursery, as well as a recreational facility for employees of Nob Hill Foods. The park opened to the public in June 2001 as Bonfante Gardens. The name was changed to Gilroy Gardens in February 2007.[2] The park features 19 rides, 27 attractions and six gardens. The most well known garden features 24 Circus Trees that were grown and shaped with multiple trunks, basket-weave patterns, and hearts by the late Axel Erlandson.[3]

Starting in 2004, the park began its annual holiday celebration, Gilroy Gardens Holiday Lights.

The park struggled with financial difficulty and low attendance during the first two years of operation. It closed early for its first two seasons and the park's management debated whether to open the park at all for the third season. Paramount Parks began to manage the park on contract starting with the 2003 season.[4]

Cedar Fair (now Six Flags) acquired Paramount Parks from CBS Corporation in June 2006 and continued the management contract to operate Gilroy Gardens.[5] On December 31, 2021, the contract to manage the park expired after both parties decided not to renew the contract.[6] Gilroy Gardens Inc., the nonprofit that owns the park, began operating the park on its own for the 2022 season.[6]

The city of Gilroy purchased the park on March 5, 2008.

Mid-March 2020 saw the park get shut down on grounds of COVID-19 pandemic. It reopened mid-to-late May 2021, and since then it has been restricted to California residents and adhering to strict measures like social distancing and wearing masks.

One of the famous Circus Trees at Gilroy Gardens[7]

## Attractions

[edit]

### Roller Coasters

[edit]

Name  | Opened  | Manufacturer  | Model  | Description  | Thrill Level

|
|
|
|
|

Quicksilver Express Mine Coaster  | 2001  | Morgan |  | A mine-themed roller coaster.  | 4
Timber Twister Coaster  | 2001  | Zierer | Medium Tivoli  | A rattlesnake themed roller coaster.  | 3

### Family Rides

[edit]

Name  | Opened  | Manufacturer  | Model  | Description  | Thrill Level

|
|
|
|
|

Apple & Worm  | Unknown  | Zierer | Unknown  | Children's caterpillar ride around a giant apple core.  | 1
Artichoke Dip  | 2001  | Morgan | Junior Seastorm  | Artichoke ride around a coastal live oak tree.  | 1
Banana Split  | 2001  | Chance Rides | Pirate Ship  | Banana-shaped swinging ship ride.  | 3
Balloon Flight  | 2001  | Bradley and Kaye  | Balloon Flight  | Balloon ride.  | 2
Big Red Engine Co.  | 2001  | Venture Manufacturing  | Unknown  | Children's firetruck ride.  | 1
Bonfante Railroad Train Ride  | 2001  | Chance Rides | Train ride  | 2 ft (610 mm) narrow gauge[8] train ride around park perimeter.  | 2
Bulgy The Goldfish  | 2001  | Unknown  | Unknown  | Children's fish ride.  | 1
Claudia's Carousel  |  |  | Carousel  | Children's carousel.  | 1
Illions Supreme Carousel  | 2001  | Brass Ring Carousel Company  | Carousel  | Modern fiberglass carousel inspired by the original built in 1927 by M.C. Illions  | 1
Paddle Boats  | 2001  | Bonfante family  | Paddle Boats  | Duck shaped paddle boats.  | 2
Panoramic Wheel  | 2001  | Zierer | Ferris Wheel  | Mini Ferris wheel.  | 2
Pit Stop Racers  | 2001  | Ramagosa  | Unknown  | Children's race car ride.  | 1
Rainbow Garden Round Boat Ride  | 2001  | Hopkins Rides | Raft ride  | Raft ride though flower gardens.  | 2
Sky Trail Monorail  | 2002  | Morgan | Monorail  | Monorail ride through Monarch Butterfly Greenhouse. Audio tape still refers to the park as "Bonfante Gardens"  | 2
South County Backroads  | 2002  | Morgan | Track ride  | Car attraction featuring two tracks: one side themed to the 1920s cars, and the other themed to 1950s cars.  | 2
Strawberry Sundae  | 2001  | Morgan | Junior Chair-O-Plane  | Spinning strawberry ride.  | 1
Tubs-O-Fun  | 2001  | Chance Rides | Teacup ride  | Children's "tea cups" ride.  | 1

### Thrill Rides

[edit]

Name  | Opened  | Manufacturer  | Model  | Description  | Thrill Level

|
|
|
|
|

Garlic Twirl  | 2001  | Morgan | Teacups  | Garlic-themed "teacups" style ride.  | 3
Mushroom Swing  | 2001  | Zierer | Wave Swinger  | Mushroom shaped swing ride.  | 3

Other Attractions:

* Bonfante Falls (formerly Pinnacles Waterfall)‍--‌Bridge behind an artificial waterfall.
* Oak Park Playground‍--‌Children's play area.
* Lakeside Splash \- Water playground and slides for children (introduced in 2024 replacing Bonfante's Splash Garden)
* Water Oasis‍--‌Water play area aimed at smaller children (introduced in 2014 replacing Pinnacles Rock Maze.)

Former Attractions:

* Pinnacles Rock Maze‍--‌Artificial maze resembling caves found at Pinnacles National Park.
* Bonfante's Splash Garden‍--‌Water play area, opened in June 2005, closed 2022.

## Mascots

[edit]

Gilroy Gardens has two mascots, Gil and Roy. Gil was introduced in 2007, and Roy in 2013.[9]

The park also uses seasonal mascots for its Great Big Boo and North Pole Nights events.[10][11]

## See also

[edit]

* San Francisco Bay Area portal
* Trains portal

* Tree Shaping: Creating with living trees structures and art

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Betsy Malloy. "Gilroy Gardens". About.com Travel. Archived from the original on July 10, 2014. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
2. ^ Bonfante Gardens to Be Renamed Gilroy Gardens Family Theme Park (Feb. 26. 2007), prnewswire.com
3. ^ "Landscaping – February 2015" Archived 2015-12-26 at the Wayback Machine (Feb 2015), iaapa.org
4. ^ "Bonfante theme park in the black". Morgan Hill Times. Archived from the original on 2011-07-14. Retrieved August 30, 2010.
5. ^ "Properties". Cedar Falls official website. Archived from the original on August 18, 2010. Retrieved August 30, 2010.
6. ^ a b Wolverton, Troy (June 28, 2022). "Gilroy Gardens is no longer being managed by Great America's parent company". San Jose, California: Silicon Valley Business Journal. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
7. ^ "Hidden Gems: Circus Trees of Gilroy Gardens". California Now. March 30, 2018. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
8. ^ "Crown Locomotive Roster (15"-24" Gauge)". trainweb.org. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
9. ^ "Park History and Timeline | Gilroy Gardens". www.gilroygardens.org. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
10. ^ "The Great Big BOO at Gilroy Gardens Halloween". www.gilroygardens.org. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
11. ^ "North Pole Nights | New Immersive Holiday Celebration at Gilroy Gardens". www.gilroygardens.org. Retrieved July 9, 2023.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gilroy Gardens.

* Official website
* Gilroy Gardens at the Roller Coaster DataBase

* v
* t
* e

Gilroy, California

Education|

* Gilroy USD
* Christopher HS
* Gilroy HS

Landmarks|

* Gilroy Gardens

Culture|

* Gilroy Garlic Festival

History|

* Gilroy Garlic Festival shooting (2019)

This list is incomplete.
Gavilan College, which houses Gilroy Early College Academy, is near but not in the city limits.
Gilroy Yamato Hot Springs is in the area but is outside the city limits.

* v
* t
* e

Amusement parks in California

Amusement parks|

* Belmont Park (San Diego)
* Castle Park (Riverside)
* Funderland (Sacramento)
* Pacific Park (Santa Monica)
* Rotary Storyland & Playland (Fresno)
* Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
* Scandia Amusement Park (Ontario)

Theme parks|

* Adventure City (Stanton)
* California's Great America (Santa Clara)
* Children's Fairyland (Oakland)
* Disneyland (Anaheim)
* Disney California Adventure (Anaheim)
* Gilroy Gardens
* Knott's Berry Farm (Buena Park)
* Legoland California (Carlsbad)
* SeaWorld San Diego
* Sesame Place San Diego
* Six Flags Discovery Kingdom (Vallejo)
* Six Flags Magic Mountain (Valencia)
* Universal Studios Hollywood (Los Angeles)

Water parks|

* Aqua Adventure (Fremont)
* Dry Town Water Park (Palmdale)
* Drop Zone (Perris)
* Roseville Golfland Sunsplash (Roseville)
* Island Waterpark (Fresno)
* Knott's Soak City (Buena Park)
* Legoland Water Park (Carlsbad)
* Raging Waters (San Dimas / San Jose / Sacramento)
* Sesame Place San Diego
* Six Flags Hurricane Harbor (Concord)
* Six Flags Hurricane Harbor (Valencia)
* Splash Kingdom Waterpark (Redlands)
* Splash Pad Park (Oakland)
* Wet'n'Wild Palm Springs

Family entertainment centers|

* Alpine Slide at Magic Mountain (Big Bear Lake)
* Blackbeard's Family Entertainment Center (Fresno)
* Boomers! Parks (Irvine / Livermore / Modesto / Palm Springs / Santa Maria / Vista)
* Fiesta Village Family Fun Park (Colton)
* Golfland Entertainment Centers (Anaheim / Castro Valley / Milpitas / Roseville / San Jose / Sunnyvale)
* Golf 'N' Stuff (Norwalk / Ventura)
* John's Incredible Pizza Company (Bakersfield / Fresno / Modesto / National City / Newark / Riverside)
* Mountasia Family Fun Center (Valencia)
* Mulligan Family Fun Centers (Murrieta / Palmdale)
* Scandia (Sacramento / Victorville / Fairfield / Rohnert Park)
* SpeedZone Los Angeles

* v
* t
* e

Cedar Fair

Note|

* This template includes links that were solely Cedar Fair prior to the Cedar Fair-Six Flags merger.

See aslo: Template:Six Flags for anything after the merger (2024).

Former parks|

* Geauga Lake
* Gilroy Gardens
* Knott's Camp Snoopy
* Knott's Soak City (San Diego and Palm Springs)
* Star Trek: The Experience
* Wildwater Kingdom (Ohio)

Other amenities|

* Dinosaurs Alive!

Key people|

* Matt Ouimet
* Dick Kinzel

Miscellaneous|

* Incidents at Cedar Fair parks

* v
* t
* e

Paramount Parks

Former properties|

| Amusement parks|

* Bonfante Gardens
* Paramount Canada's Wonderland
* Paramount's Carowinds
* Paramount's Great America
* Paramount's Kings Dominion
* Paramount's Kings Island
* Terra Mítica

|

Water parks|

* Crocodile Dundee's Boomerang Bay (Paramount's Carowinds)
* Crocodile Dundee's Boomerang Bay (Paramount's Great America)
* Crocodile Dundee's Boomerang Bay (Paramount's Kings Island)
* Raging Waters
* Splash Works
* WaterWorks

Other|

* Star Trek: The Experience

Proposed properties|

* Paramount Murcia
* Paramount Movie Park Korea
* London Paramount

* v
* t
* e

List of tourist attractions in Santa Clara Valley

Arboreta & gardens|

* Arizona Cactus Garden
* Chinese Cultural Garden
* Edenvale Garden Park
* Emma Prusch Farm Park
* Hakone Gardens
* Japanese Friendship Garden
* Overfelt Gardens
* SJ Municipal Rose Garden
* Stanford Arboretum
* Villa Montalvo Arboretum

Cultural|

* American Musical Theatre of SJ
* Cantor Center for Visual Arts
* Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph
* Choral Project
* De Saisset Museum
* Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library
* Gurdwara Sahib
* Hammer Theatre
* Ira F. Brilliant Center for Beethoven Studies
* MACLA
* Mexican Heritage Plaza
* Montalvo Arts Center
* Villa Montalvo
* Opera San José
* Pacific Art League
* SJ City Hall
* SJ Flea Market
* SJ Improv
* San José Museum of Art
* sjDANCEco
* Symphony Silicon Valley
* Triton Museum of Art
* Viet Museum
* Villa Mira Monte
* Vivace Youth Chorus

Event venues|

* California Theatre
* CEFCU Stadium
* Earthquakes Stadium
* Excite Ballpark
* Frost Amphitheater
* Levi's Stadium
* Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts
* Mountain Winery Amphitheatre
* PAL Stadium
* Provident Credit Union Event Center
* San Jose Center for the Performing Arts
* SAP Center
* Santa Clara Convention Center
* Shoreline Amphitheatre
* San Jose Civic
* San Jose McEnery Convention Center
* Sharks Ice San Jose
* Stanford Stadium
* Stevens Stadium

Events|

* BayCon
* Cinequest Film Festival
* FanimeCon
* Further Confusion
* SJ Bike Party
* SJ Holiday Parade
* SJ Jazz Festival
* Silicon Valley Comic Con
* Stanford Jazz Festival
* Christmas in the Park

Historical|

* Circle of Palms
* Hotel De Anza
* Hangar One
* History Park at Kelley Park
* HP Garage
* Japanese American Museum
* New Almaden
* Peralta Adobe
* Portuguese Historical Museum
* Rengstorff House
* Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum
* SJ Museum of Quilts & Textiles
* Winchester Mystery House

Parks & trails|

* Almaden Quicksilver County Park
* Alum Rock Park
* Anderson Lake
* Bay Area Ridge Trail
* Calero Reservoir
* Castle Rock State Park
* Coyote–Bear Park
* Coyote Creek Trail
* Ed Levin Park
* Joseph D. Grant County Park
* Guadalupe River Trail
* Henry W. Coe State Park
* Kelley Park
* Lake Cunningham
* Los Alamitos Creek Trail
* Los Gatos Creek Trail
* Plaza de César Chávez
* Rancho San Antonio
* Rosicrucian Park
* St. James Park
* Sanborn County Park
* SF Bay Trail
* Shoreline Park
* Stevens Creek Trail
* Uvas Canyon
* Uvas Creek Preserve
* Uvas Reservoir
* Vasona Park

Tech & education|

* Apple Park Visitor Center
* Children's Discovery Museum
* Computer History Museum
* Googleplex
* Intel Museum
* Lick Observatory
* NASA Gift Shop in Silicon Valley
* SJSU
* SCU
* Stanford
* The Tech Interactive

Shopping|

* Eastridge
* Great Mall
* Oakridge
* PruneYard
* San Antonio
* Santana Row
* Stanford
* Valley Fair
* Westgate

Theme parks & tours|

* Billy Jones Wildcat Railroad
* California's Great America
* Gilroy Gardens
* Happy Hollow Park & Zoo
* CaliBunga Waterpark

Vineyards & wineries|

* Byington Vineyard
* J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines
* Mountain Winery
* Picchetti Brothers Winery
* Savannah–Chanelle Vineyards

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template