Advance tickets: $25; Day of event: $35 ($25 for HHM members)

Hidden behind the row homes and rehabbed factories lining Hoboken’s streets are surprisingly lush green spaces. These “secret gardens” cool our urban heat island and freshen the air we breathe. They also reflect the diversity of the city’s inhabitants; past tours have featured English cottage gardens, Japanese Zen gardens, and even a Moroccan courtyard. Some are less garden and more outdoor rooms, equipped with grills and wetbars, recreation equipment, and comfy lounges.

Indulge your curiosity and garden fantasies with the annual Hoboken tradition, the Annual Secret Gardens Tour, on Sunday, June 2, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Rain date is June 9.)

The Tour includes a range of outdoor designs by both dedicated gardeners and professional landscape designers, with clever solutions to common issues as space constraints and deep shade. For one day, up to 10 homeowners will open the gates of their gardens and share their gardening secrets in support of the Museum’s fundraising efforts, with the long-time support of our title sponsor, Hufnagel Landscape Design and Construction Group, and assistance from the Hoboken Garden Club. 

The tour is self-guided again this year, with two locations to pick up your tour booklet! Visit the gardens in any order, at your own pace. Save $10 by reserving your ticket in advance. Tour stops are secret until the day of the tour, when you may pick up your tour booklet either at the Museum (1301 Hudson St.) or the Fire Department Museum (213 Bloomfield St.) between 9 am and 2 pm. The booklet will have a map and descriptions of each of the gardens, as well as some suggestions for brunch, lunch and tea options. Garden owners, Hoboken Garden Club members and Museum volunteers will greet you at each of the homes.

Click here to lock in your early-bird ticket!

Tour goers should allow at least two to two-and-a-half hours to visit all the stops. Comfortable shoes and sun protection are advised. Tickets are $25 for HHM members and Hoboken Garden Club members, and for tickets purchased in advance (a small booking fee applies). On the day of the tour, tickets are $35 for non-members.  You may also stop by 1301 Hudson St., or call the Museum at 201-656-2240. Volunteers are also needed; call the Museum at 201-656-2240 for more information, or email volunteer@hobokenmuseum.org

Click here to order the souvenir tote bag – $15

The tour originated over 20 years ago, as an homage to Colonial Era amateur botanist and Hoboken founder Colonel John Stevens (1749 – 1838). He is credited with introducing to America the Chrysanthemum and the Camellia. His gardens were highly regarded as some of the most elaborate and scientifically cultivated of the day.