School Visits to Untermyer Gardens
At Untermyer Gardens, students can learn about local and global history, gardening, mythology, biology, and more. We offer private tours to school groups led by trained docents with a wealth of knowledge to share. Our docents are experts in the history of the garden and are regularly kept up to date on what's blooming in the garden.
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The Untermyer Gardens Conservancy offers school tours guided by our volunteer docents. At Untermyer Gardens, students can learn about local and global history, gardening, mythology, biology, and much more! We offer private tours to school groups led by trained docents with a wealth of knowledge to share. Our docents are experts in the history of the garden and are regularly kept up to date on what's blooming in the garden.
History tour: Recommended for students in seventh grade and higher. Highlights the history of the estate from its origin in 1862, through each of its three owners, emphasizing its world famous heyday in the Untermyer years, its dramatic decline after 1940, and the remarkable restoration efforts that have been ongoing from 2010 to the present day. There will be an emphasis on Samuel Untermyer and his wife and their place in early 20th century history as well as discussion of the remarkable architecture of the gardens.
Adventure Tour: Recommended for students in third through fifth grade. An exchange about plants, mythology, architecture, and sculpture oriented at our younger visitors! You can Choose from three tours offered in rotation: Walled Garden, Vista through the Ruin Garden, and Temple of Love through the Dell. Walled Garden: Learn about Artemis, Medusa and the sphinx, why the Walled Garden is built like a fortress and the ancient symbolism of its four canals. Learn about the secret histories of plants: trees from the weeping beech to the monkey puzzle tree, aquatic plants like papyrus and lotus and their place in Egyptian history and then we can stop to smell the roses. Spend a moment finding the mosaic sea creatures on the bottom of an abandoned swimming pool. Vista through the Ruin Garden: Count the steps on the Vista while peeking at the old Color Gardens. Learn about the ancient Roman columns and how they were made. Identify the geometric shapes of the new Ornamental Vegetable Garden. Admire the ancient oaks in the Rhododendron Walk---alive, decaying and dead. Explore the Ruin Garden, with its hidden alley, secret grotto, graffiti covered walls and restored unicorn. Temple of Love through the Dell: The Temple of Love is a feast for the eye with multiple water courses and rock formations. Many weeping plants echo this form. Walk through the tulip forest and see the giant twin tulips. See the restored Dell fountain and learn about the Old Croton Aqueduct weir. Climb back up to see the ruined Sundial Garden site and the Rock and Stream Garden with its Mughal throne surrounded by water and the anthropomorphic spruces.
Mythology Tour: Recommended for students in fifth through seventh grade.The Mythology Tour illuminates the international inspirations that are incorporated into the art and architecture of the gardens. From Indo-Persian architecture, Asian symbols of protection, and a British coat of arms, Untermyer Gardens is a trip through the stories of the world!
Sensory Tour: Recommended for students in Pre-k through second grade. Our docents will engage the youngest students by using their senses to experience the garden. This tour will take place in the Temple of Love and Rock & Stream gardens. Students will feel the grass as they roll down the gentle slopes in the cherry bowl, listen to the different sounds of the water in the stream and over the waterfalls, stop and smell the flowers, and of course see all the different colors in the garden.
History tour: Recommended for students in seventh grade and higher. Highlights the history of the estate from its origin in 1862, through each of its three owners, emphasizing its world famous heyday in the Untermyer years, its dramatic decline after 1940, and the remarkable restoration efforts that have been ongoing from 2010 to the present day. There will be an emphasis on Samuel Untermyer and his wife and their place in early 20th century history as well as discussion of the remarkable architecture of the gardens.
Adventure Tour: Recommended for students in third through fifth grade. An exchange about plants, mythology, architecture, and sculpture oriented at our younger visitors! You can Choose from three tours offered in rotation: Walled Garden, Vista through the Ruin Garden, and Temple of Love through the Dell. Walled Garden: Learn about Artemis, Medusa and the sphinx, why the Walled Garden is built like a fortress and the ancient symbolism of its four canals. Learn about the secret histories of plants: trees from the weeping beech to the monkey puzzle tree, aquatic plants like papyrus and lotus and their place in Egyptian history and then we can stop to smell the roses. Spend a moment finding the mosaic sea creatures on the bottom of an abandoned swimming pool. Vista through the Ruin Garden: Count the steps on the Vista while peeking at the old Color Gardens. Learn about the ancient Roman columns and how they were made. Identify the geometric shapes of the new Ornamental Vegetable Garden. Admire the ancient oaks in the Rhododendron Walk---alive, decaying and dead. Explore the Ruin Garden, with its hidden alley, secret grotto, graffiti covered walls and restored unicorn. Temple of Love through the Dell: The Temple of Love is a feast for the eye with multiple water courses and rock formations. Many weeping plants echo this form. Walk through the tulip forest and see the giant twin tulips. See the restored Dell fountain and learn about the Old Croton Aqueduct weir. Climb back up to see the ruined Sundial Garden site and the Rock and Stream Garden with its Mughal throne surrounded by water and the anthropomorphic spruces.
Mythology Tour: Recommended for students in fifth through seventh grade.The Mythology Tour illuminates the international inspirations that are incorporated into the art and architecture of the gardens. From Indo-Persian architecture, Asian symbols of protection, and a British coat of arms, Untermyer Gardens is a trip through the stories of the world!
Sensory Tour: Recommended for students in Pre-k through second grade. Our docents will engage the youngest students by using their senses to experience the garden. This tour will take place in the Temple of Love and Rock & Stream gardens. Students will feel the grass as they roll down the gentle slopes in the cherry bowl, listen to the different sounds of the water in the stream and over the waterfalls, stop and smell the flowers, and of course see all the different colors in the garden.
Details:
To book a tour, complete this form and we will confirm and answer your questions. Limited numbers of school tours are available for the 2022/2023 School Year. Contact Trish Lindemann if you have questions.
Our standard tour is for those without physical limitations. It requires some stamina and the ability to traverse stairs and uneven, unpaved terrain. We can customize your tour based on the physical capabilities of your group, and can offer a stairless tour, and a limited stair tour. While our standard tours are 90 minutes, we can give a more limited 60-minute tour. Only the upper terrace of the Walled Garden is wheelchair accessible; its paths are stonedust.
We offer school/camp tours Monday through Friday generally between mid-April and late October. If you wish to cancel your tour due to inclement weather, we will try to work with you to reschedule it. There is no cancellation fee.
We allow 1 chaperone per 10 students/campers. Additional chaperones are welcome to join for $12 per person.
At this time, we only offer tours in English but we are happy to work with tours that bring their own translator. However, please remember that translators are often unfamiliar with garden and plant vocabulary.
Our driveway and parking lot are not designed for school buses either for parking or for dropping off. We ask that buses drop off students and chaperones at the North Broadway entrance and then find street parking nearby.
We do not have a gift shop or cafe. Your group is welcome to picnic in our picnic area, which is on a small, rocky hill, but we cannot reserve picnic tables for you. One table is easily accessible from the path; the others are on the hill. Public restrooms are located near the garden entrance.
For an idea of what is in bloom in the gardens in any month, please visit our Facebook or Instagram accounts.
Our standard tour is for those without physical limitations. It requires some stamina and the ability to traverse stairs and uneven, unpaved terrain. We can customize your tour based on the physical capabilities of your group, and can offer a stairless tour, and a limited stair tour. While our standard tours are 90 minutes, we can give a more limited 60-minute tour. Only the upper terrace of the Walled Garden is wheelchair accessible; its paths are stonedust.
We offer school/camp tours Monday through Friday generally between mid-April and late October. If you wish to cancel your tour due to inclement weather, we will try to work with you to reschedule it. There is no cancellation fee.
We allow 1 chaperone per 10 students/campers. Additional chaperones are welcome to join for $12 per person.
At this time, we only offer tours in English but we are happy to work with tours that bring their own translator. However, please remember that translators are often unfamiliar with garden and plant vocabulary.
Our driveway and parking lot are not designed for school buses either for parking or for dropping off. We ask that buses drop off students and chaperones at the North Broadway entrance and then find street parking nearby.
We do not have a gift shop or cafe. Your group is welcome to picnic in our picnic area, which is on a small, rocky hill, but we cannot reserve picnic tables for you. One table is easily accessible from the path; the others are on the hill. Public restrooms are located near the garden entrance.
For an idea of what is in bloom in the gardens in any month, please visit our Facebook or Instagram accounts.
