Sonnenberg Gardens

About Sonnenberg Gardens & Mansion State Historic Park

Whether strolling through its flower-filled gardens, picnicking under its majestic trees or touring its magnificent mansion, Sonnenberg Gardens and Mansion State Historic Park is a very special place. The 50-acre estate is one of just two public gardens in all of the New York State Parks System. A serene respite just blocks away from downtown Canandaigua, Sonnenberg is a gift to the community from Frederick Ferris and Mary Clark Thompson. This couple of the Gilded Age created Sonnenberg (Sunny Hill in German) as their Victorian summer home. It is now a beautiful summer escape visited by tens of thousands of people each year.

Sonnenberg is one of the few Country Place Era Estates remaining in the United States. It is distinctive for its extraordinary collections of period architecture, garden statuary, themed gardens of the world including a Japanese Garden and Teahouse, and a Lord & Burnham Greenhouse Complex.

While Sonnenberg operates as a state park, it is an independent non-profit organization responsible for generating its own funding for operations and renovations. Sonnenberg relies on visitor admissions, memberships, events, donations, gift and wine sales and grants to preserve public access to the estate.