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Groups of 10 or More: $8 per person with a reservation at least 48 hours in advance and lump-sum payment. If the group does not plan to join the daily guided walking tour and schedules the narrated walk for a different time, there is an additional charge of $1 per person. Group wine tastings are also available for a modest fee. |
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High Noon Café’ at Sonnenberg: Our café, catered by Cathy Ziarno, is open daily from 11 a.m. until closing, serving an assortment of crepe’ sandwiches, soups, salads, fruits and cheese, desserts, specialty beverages like soy smoothies, and more. Garden admission is not required to dine at the café. Advance reservations for group lunches, whether served box-style or individually ordered, can be arranged through Cathy at (607) 857-5658 with a minimum three days advance notice (one week preferred). The High Noon Café’ can also cater teas, children’s parties, birthday/anniversary meals and more, priced to fit your budget. |
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Motor Coach Tour Groups: Sonnenberg welcomes motor coach groups for a visit of at least 2 hours, (2.5 – 3 hours recommended) in order for travelers to fully experience the whimsies and wonders of the estate during their time on grounds. Guided walking tours are offered to bus groups at no additional charge, with group wine tastings available for a modest fee. Groups may also enjoy a selection of crepé sandwiches, summer soups and salads, smoothies, sweets and more available through the High Noon Café. Both the group tour leader and bus driver receive complimentary admission, with free coffee for the driver and a 10 % discount at our Gift Shop and Finger Lakes Wine Center for the tour leader. All bus group visits must be reserved at least one week in advance at (585) 394-4922. |
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Sonnenberg Mansion: Perched atop the sun-bathed hill of the estate known as “Sonnenberg” (German for “sunny hill”) is a 40-room Queen Anne-style mansion. New York City bank financier Frederick Ferris Thompson and his wife, Mary Clark Thompson, the daughter of New York State governor Myron Holley Clark, purchased the property in 1863 when it featured just a brick farmhouse on 14 acres. As business prospered, the couple purchased additional acreage and replaced the farmhouse with the mansion, which was built between 1886-1887. Today, visitors can view many of its stately rooms, including the impressive Great Hall, the Billiard and Trophy Rooms, the Library, Drawing Room, Dining Room, and upstairs, the Master Bedroom and several additional guest rooms. |
 Take the Tour: Virtual Tour - coming soon |
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The Gardens and Greenhouses |
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| Much of the signature floral design and landscaping seen today at our nine formal gardens bears the imprint of philanthropist Mary Clark Thompson, who brought home ideas and art from her many trips to European and Asian locales. Following the 1899 death of her husband, Mrs. Thompson involved hundreds of workers between 1902 and 1919 in a re-design of the gardens. She was assisted primarily by Boston landscape architect Ernest Bowditch, and later, his assistant John Handrahan. |
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1) The Greenhouse Conservatory Complex (1915) |
2) The Japanese Garden (1906) |
3) The Sub-Rosa Garden (1907) |
4) The Rose Garden (1906) |
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The Greenhouse complex at Sonnenberg, built between 1903-1915, is one of the few remaining intact Lord and Burnham Greenhouses in the United States. Today, 5 of the greenhouses are open to the public for touring, but as funds for continued restoration are received, more of the greenhouses can be opened again, showcasing a return to their original, utilitarian uses.
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In 1906, Mrs. Thompson had this garden, with its detailed landscape, reminiscent of mountainous Japan, fashioned from a smooth lawn by a Japanese landscape designer and his team of workers. Water flows from a large cascade, passing the Tea House, and underneath 5 bridges. A 12th-century bronze Buddha sits nearby.
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Past the Roman Bath-style swimming pool lies the Sub-Rosa Garden. Enclosed by boxwood hedges, this “secret garden” features an intricate marble fountain and bench on a raised platform above a deep pool. Restored in 2006, when Sonnenberg became a state historic park, this garden can also be utilized for small wedding ceremonies or family memorials.
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The main beds of the Rose Garden feature the red, white and pink blooms of Mrs. Thompson’s original color scheme. Typically, they bloom in mid-June and carry peak color through July. Graced by a tall, iron tower at the north and the classic, columned Belvedere (Italian for "beautiful view") at the south, this garden will be celebrated with a special event, Roses & Rosés, held Monday, June 16.
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5) The Italian Garden (1903) |
6) The Blue and White Garden (1912) |
7) The Pansy Garden (1913) |
8) The Moonlight Garden (1914) |
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Featuring some 15,000 red and gold annuals in each of four sunken beds, the Italian Garden showcases an elaborate “carpet bedding” style. From the vantage point of the mansion Library or the balcony directly above, visitors can look down on the garden to the 16th-century Italian well-head and the Fountain of Hercules. |
Only blue and white blossoms are used in the beds of this intimate garden, which lies off the northwest corner of the Mansion Veranda, and was said to have been Mrs. Thompson's favorite. A 2007 restoration of this garden included replacing the metal entrance gates which have been missing since World War II.
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Beyond the marble pavilion of the Blue and White Garden lies the Pansy Garden, where even the bird bath reflects the shape of Mrs. Thompson's favorite flower. Small benches tucked in quiet corners reflect its design as a meditation garden, as does the whimsical fountain. |
The smallest garden of all is planted mostly in white and silver foliage that blooms in the late afternoon or evening. This garden may be best experienced during our annual "Moonlight Strolls" lights and music series where the estate is open 8-10 p.m. on select Friday nights. |
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9) The Old Fashioned Garden (1906) |
10) The Peacock House/Aviary (1902 - 1912) |
11) Rock Garden (1920) |
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Over a quarter-mile of low, boxwood hedge forms the ancient quincunx pattern of five intersecting circles. The stately Colonnade, a columned arbor once covered with grapevines, bisects the fifth circle. With beds filled with perennials, colorful annuals and tall grasses, there is always something in bloom, from early spring to fall.
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The castle-like building beyond the Old-Fashioned Garden was once part of an extensive aviary complex, housing some 216 different species of birds. Of the five original buildings for Mrs. Thompson’s birds, just this, the former Peacock House, remains. |
The largest garden completed here was once three separate, adjoining gardens: The rustic summerhouse of the Rock Garden has the original climbing Hydrangea that winds along the stair to the open lookout deck above. Its northern extension, with a winding path that traverses a limestone canyon, was once called the Wild Garden. The former Lily Garden, added last, features a water cascade, fed by geysers and springs, and a series of pools below. |
Click here to enlarge map.
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Latitude 42.90 ( 42°, 53') - Longitude -77.27 (-77°, 16') |
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151 Charlotte Street, Canandaigua, NY 14424 |
© Designs by Bridgette - 2008 |
