Located in Lakewood, Washington State, Lakewold Gardens is a non-profit estate garden covering 10 acres that is one of foremost tourist destinations near Seattle. Famous architect Thomas Church designed the place with beauty in mind and today it is a great place for people who love exquisite plants, flowers, scenic beauty, and history. Lakewold Gardens also offers a lot more and you can visit any time as it is open throughout the year.
The history of the gardens is no less interesting than the place itself. A significant part of what is known as Lakewold Gardens today was once owned by the wealthy Emma Alexander in the 1900s. She later bequeathed the property to her son and his wife and, in 1918, the Alexander family purchased another piece of adjacent land and combined the two.
The land was given its name of Lakewold Gardens by Major Everett Griggs and his wife, Grace, who bought it from the Alexander family in 1925. The name is derived from a middle-English word “lake-woods”. Thirteen years later, the land was sold to G. Corydon and Eulalie Wagner. They were fascinated by the unique plants and thus started collecting more plants of different kinds and hired Thomas Church to plan the landscape.
In 1987, the property was donated by Mrs. Wagner to the Friends of Lakewold, a non-profit organization and since then, the organization has preserved the gardens and made them better. It is the mission of Lakewold Gardens to preserve its historic value and curate a wide range of beautiful and rare plants.
The organization responsible for the wellbeing of this place takes great care of it by keeping not only the gardens up to date but also the house, and now it is a place where people from all over the world come to learn about nature while enjoying the beautiful scenery filled with flowers.
The staff and board of directors consist of highly cooperative and knowledgeable people who are consistently trying out different ways to make the place better while educating visitors in a friendly and interesting manner.
If you ever get the chance to visit Washington State, then Lakewold Gardens is one of the must-see destinations, not only for its amazing beauty, but also for its fascinating plants and lake habitat.
12317 Gravelly Lake Dr SW, Lakewood, WA 98499, website, Phone: 253-584-4106
