Shrewsbury has a Secret Garden. But you don’t need to keep it a secret!
Want to surprise and delight the kids with a trip to Shrewsbury’s secret garden? Local resident, Chief Joseph, welcomes everyone to his enchanted garden and .4 mile whimsical trail on his property. You will find statues, sculptures, inspiring quotes and so much more. If there is a breeze, you will hear the wind chimes. Bring a book, take a book. You will even find a Free Library on the trails.
The main trail takes you from one Shrewsbury neighborhood along a pond to another neighborhood. If you aren’t paying attention, you will miss the side trail (near the bridge) that takes you to a friendly forest of paths and friends. We loved the crushed colorful glass that covered the forest floor in this section. The pretty sight and the sounds of the crunch were such a surprise.
There weren’t many people on the trail when we visited but someone told us that it has grown a lot since they were there a few years ago. It appears the artist has added paths and new sculptures.
Note: Springtime can bring muddy conditions. Boots might be a good choice for the kids!
Main Trail
Entrance you’ll see from the road
Main Trail Entrance
Main Trail Along the Pond
Beautiful Benches Throughout
They could use some books~
Side Trail
Humpty Dumpty-Before his fall.
Whimsical Seating Throughout
Lots of water features
Santa!
A spot to rest
<3
How to get there:
Plug in 2 Stoney Hill Rd, Shrewsbury into your GPS. There is free street parking at the entrance.
We hope you enjoy the Shrewsbury Secret Garden as much as we do! Looking for more great family hiking/walking trails? See our WCKC Hikes Page.
Or visit our Facebook page and Instagram Page for local fun ideas.
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What a wonderful way to spend a morning! It is whimsical, rustically artistic and thought provoking. Nature at it’s best and so peaceful with children making gleeful sounds about their new found discoveries. Loved every minute of the nature walk always a path to explore or a sound of a waterfall to follow. So many sculptures and the whimsical fairy garden to explore. Let your imagination go wild.
Lived in Shrewsbury for quite a few years and this was a wonderful discovery.
The Wilsons
Thank you so much for your comments. We are so glad you enjoyed it! It really is a special place.
Absolutely beautiful !!!
We agree Paula!
Is the secret garden open now and through the winter? Thank you so much for this beautiful treasure!
Hi Colleen, We haven’t been there since the snow has fallen, so I’m not sure if the paths are walkable. If you go, let us know! Thanks for reaching out!
What is the cost? Hours of operation?
Hi Bonnie! It’s free and open daily dawn to dusk.
Are well behaved dogs welcome with their people?
We didn’t see any signs indicating that dogs are not allowed. We did see a dog on a leash this morning with their owners.
On leash, why not! Town bylaws – https://shrewsburyma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/334/Recycling-By-Law-PDF
BEAUTIFUL PLACE. We have been there too many times and still find new things. Love the chimes and the amaizing art work. It is a happy place for the soul.
Vanessa, Minas and Azul
What a soul soothing wonderful experience ! Thank you, thank you, thank you! 💚
<3
Hello! What a fun and beautiful spot!
On the first part of the trail, on the left near the pond, some Purple Loosestrife is growing. It is highly invasive and each plant bears millions of seeds. It is very difficult to dig up bc you have to get the whole root system , or it takes hold again.
One way to deter spread is to clip off all the flowers before they seed and throw them away in a plastic bag. Eventually the plant can invade and take over ponds and wetlands, as it has no known “predators.”
It’s probably elsewhere at the garden, but I just wanted to alert you to what I saw!
Oh no! I saw it today and remarked on it to my kids, I had no idea it was invasive!
Address is closer to 19 Stoney Hill rd Shrewsbury- not 2 as listed in this post
Does the garden take donations in the form of once loved statues? We have one that meant a lot to Gramma but not as much to us, we hate to just toss it, as others may enjoy it.