Green Animals Topiary Garden
4.5(857)google
4.1(51)yelp
KidsSenior-FriendlyOutdoorPhoto SpotQuirkyExotic PlantsSculpture
Overview
The Green Animals Topiary Garden, located in Portsmouth, is historically recognized as the oldest and most acclaimed monumental topiary garden in the United States. Situated on a beautiful 7-acre country estate overlooking Narragansett Bay, this living whimsical museum features over eighty sculpted topiaries meticulously fashioned from boxwood, yew, and privet. Visitors can walk among life-sized green elephants, giraffes, birds, and complex geometric shapes, some originally cultivated over a century ago. The property also features expansive heirloom vegetable patches, historic orchards, and colorful perennial flower beds, offering a sensory treat.
Practical Info
Every day9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Suggested Duration1.5-2.5 hours
Best TimeThe oldest and most acclaimed topiary garden in America, featuring over 80 life-sized California privet and yew animal sculptures, strictly seasonal, open mid-April through October. Capturing the grounds right at the 10:00 AM weekday opening is highly recommended; early natural rays illuminate the giraffes and green bears flawlessly for photos.
Getting ThereSituated beautifully along the northern scenic coast at 333 Cory's Lane in Portsmouth, RI. Driving a car is your only practical travel choice given its rural isolated site: ride the RI-114 N highway north out of Newport for 15 minutes, and follow the highway wayfinding markers to turn left onto Cory's Lane. The historic estate offers a massive, free visitor lot.
Travel Tips
- As the oldest topiary garden in the United States, the living green sculptures are highly fragile. Touching leaves, leaning against trunks, or stepping across the low perimeter garden bed edgings is strictly barred to prevent irreplaceable botanical damage.
- Operated by the Preservation Society but located in Portsmouth, this outdoor site runs a total winter closure from mid-October through April. Reciprocal mansion passes are valid, but checking the seasonal operational calendar is mandatory.
- The primary estate tour pathways are formed of soft living turf, raw loose gravel, and rolling inclines. The total lack of paved asphalt makes standard wheelchairs or heavy strollers highly prone to bogging down, requiring robust mobility tires.
Reviews
Positive
- Dozens of giant elephant and giraffe tree sculptures sculpted over a century from boxwood look incredibly lifelike; true visual drama.
- The estate stone pathways are maintained very smoothly; accessible ramps seamlessly connect to core garden zones with clean restrooms.
- Ticketing and master gardeners are highly dedicated, patiently teaching kids topiary trimming tricks and botanical history with prime service.
- Tickets bundle the spectacular tree topiary displays and a self-guided historic mansion tour; the gate houses a wide, free private lot.
Heads up
- Being a large open-air botanical garden, the core topiary zone lacks shade shelters; summer sun is intense, risking heat exhaustion.
- Botanical information plaques and audio text are strictly in English, lacking multilingual brochures, making foreign guests cruise blindly.
- The gardens provide only one rudimentary soda vending machine without a cafe or snack bar, making food re-supply highly inconvenient.
- Holiday periods bring waves of family crowds whose parents lag in order control, letting kids jump ropes to touch trees, ruining the peace.