Sonnenberg Gardens

Sonnenberg Gardens is an estate featuring nine distinct gardens and a large Queen Anne mansion with 40 rooms in Canandaigua. The gardens include Japanese, Italian, and rose gardens spread across about 50 acres, with a significant greenhouse complex that housed rare tropical plants and specimens.

Frederick and Mary Clark Thompson established the estate in 1887, converting a farmhouse into an elaborate residence and surrounding it with extensive gardens. The family invested heavily over the following decades to develop the various themed gardens and greenhouse collections that define the property today.

The estate reflects the gardening passion of the late 1800s, when wealthy families collected exotic plants and designed ornate gardens as displays of status and refinement. Visitors can sense this dedication in each carefully designed space, where the gardens showcase different traditions and design philosophies from around the world.

The property is open to visitors from May through October, with guided tours available through the mansion and garden sections. Visitors should wear comfortable shoes since exploring the gardens involves considerable walking across the grounds.

The Japanese garden contains a tea house modeled after an ancient Kyoto structure, along with traditional elements like a torii gate. This garden section reflects the owner's fascination with Far Eastern aesthetics and brings Eastern design traditions into the American context of that era.