It has been so long since I have really been out and able to have a good time! We have never been to Bonfante gardens, it is located in Gilroy. A rarity in the world of ever theme parks and faster-bigger-taller-scarier rides, Bonfante Gardens was created for families. The theme here is botanical, inspired by a collection of extraordinary trees. Also impressive here is the maintenance. The entire park is spotlessly clean and all the rides and attractions are well maintained.
Set among 600 acres of rural countryside in Gilroy, California, Bonfante Gardens Family Theme Park is the brainchild of native Santa Clara Valley resident Michael Bonfante, who sold a successful grocery store chain to realize his dream of creating Bonfante Gardens.
Bonfante Gardens features acres of fun and beauty with over 40 rides and attractions including theme gardens, food concessions, an event plaza, and 19 of the world famous Circus Trees. Bonfante Gardens is geared toward families looking for a more natural day of fun.
I wished I was small enough to get on this ride...just my speed giggle! They had artichoke's blooming right out side of this ride! In the middle of this ride is the ONLY original tree to the park, it is an oak, all others have been brought into the park.
The magnificent circus trees are the most unusual features at Bonfante Gardens. So-called because they once grew at the Tree Circus in nearby Scotts Valley, California, they are the creations of Axel Erlandson, a Swedish immigrant. A natural graft between two sycamore trees inspired Erlandson, but his creations are anything but natural. Of his 70 original creations, 25 survive today and 19 are at Bonfante Gardens. As you walk around, look for the basket tree, four-legged giant, spiral staircase, oil well and others. You won't see anything like them anywhere else because no one knows exactly how Erlandson did it.
This botanical adventure began in Hilmar, California in the 1920's when Axel Erlandson, a farmer by trade, observed the natural grafting of two Sycamores. His first major project consisted of fusing four Sycamore saplings into a cupola that he named the Four Legged Giant; Using intricate grafting techniques, Erlandson wove his wonders with threads of living wood. Straight tree trunks became complex and compound designs in shapes like hearts, lightning bolts, basket weaves and rings.
Erlandson claimed to be divinely inspired and spent over 40 years of his life shaping and grafting the bodies and arms of these full-sized trees. He could control the rate of growth, slowing it down or speeding it up to blend his designs to perfection. In 1945, Erlandson dug and moved a dozen or so of his trees to Scotts Valley where he continued to create more natural wonders.
When this son of the land died in 1964, he left a legacy of 74 spectacular trees, but with no one to care for them, they languished and began to die. In the mid-1970's, a Santa Cruz architect named Mark Primack led a valiant effort to save the trees, even risking arrest for trespassing in order to water and feed the trees. Keeping as many alive as he could, Primack's efforts finally took root when they attracted the attention of tree lover Michael Bonfante who subsequently bought the trees for a theme park he was building in Gilroy.
Due to Bonfante's creative vision, 29 of the remaining coiled, scalloped and spiral shaped Sycamores, Box Elders, Ash and Spanish Cork trees were saved. During the winter of 1984 they were carefully hand dug and boxed, their roots trimmed, then watered and fertilized to revive the trees. In 1985, they were hauled over 50 miles of mountains. More than 20 municipal, county and state agencies were involved in the permitting process and the ultimate move to their final home at Bonfante Gardens.
With a lot of love and a bit of luck, Axel Erlandson's Tree Circus will continue to awe children as well as adults who can appreciate the time and talent involved in creating this tribute to nature.
The photo shows the Double Spectacle sycamore being gently loaded onto a flat bed trailer in preparation for its journey over the hill to Gilroy. The other photo shows the "Four Legged Giant" ready to go on the road in November of 1985 when 29 of Erlandson's creations were moved to a new home in Gilroy, California. All 29 survived the ordeal and are happily situated at Bonfante Gardens Family Theme Park where 19 of the Circus Trees are on public display throughout the park.
It was nice to be relaxed and out in a beautiful garden, enjoying eachothers company. I got sunburned, dork, I didn't wear a hat, and I didn't buy one there. And I was bad and for the first time in MONTHS I ate beer battered french fries with my chichen and fruit salad. So 1/2 healthy! I didn't eat them all, but I should not have any of them! But with all the walking I did today, I am sure that they did not stick to my hips! Giggle
Speaking of walking a lot...it will definately be a pain med night tonight! but it was really worth it!
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