shelter gardens

Shelter Gardens is a gem inside of the city limits of Columbia. Gorgeous flowers, native and tropical, Koi ponds, lovely walking paths with benches to stop and take a rest while slaking in the lush plant life. Also an area for live music. Perfectly kept and always manicured and a great place to hold a wedding. If you are in Columbia, Shelter Gardens is a must see.

Shelter Gardens is a delightful place to take a stroll, sit and read or take in a concert on Sunday evenings in the summer. The rose garden in spring/summer is delightful and the fish is the pond are fun to watch. It's an incredibly peaceful place with a large variety of plantings that are labeled for you to enjoy. You'll need less than an hour to stroll the paths and enjoy the plantings. A nice oasis for a break.

Visit Shelter Gardens for a beautiful respite during spring, summer and gall. During the summer months, enjoy weekly outdoor concerts in the park while you relax.

Well patterned pathways with lovely fountains and plantings of all sort make this a wonderful place to stroll and unwind.

What a wonderful gift Shelter has given to the community. This 5+ acre garden is wonderfully maintained and open to the public all owned and maintained by a private company for the enjoyment of the public.

I've spent many hours at Shelter Gardens. Fabulous landscaping...my niece was married there, and my granddaughters always choose Shelter Gardens for their photo-shoots. Olivia, age 6, called the other night and asked if we could go back and visit the one room school house. Take a book, and your camera. Great on a spring, summer or fall day.

Shelter gardens is always a pleasant retreat from the beat of our busy city. I don't why but this park always seems so peaceful! Columbia has other much larger parks but this garden always welcomes me with peace and quiet. The foliage around the edge of the garden tends to keep the noise of city traffic from intruding. The different types of gardens provide a variety of experiences from the touch and smell garden to the formal rose gardens. Though not a chapel, I find the one room school a great place to meditate. Of course, the fact that I attended a similar school for 8 years probably enhances the experience. As a long time visitor to the gardens, with my visits now spanning more than thirty years, it does seem that the gardens upkeep has slipped a little in the last 5 years or so. Still a great place to renew my spirit!!!!

I love walking around the gardens in all weather and seasons. Great place for photos - family, senior, wedding, etc.

If you're visiting Columbia, out shopping, or just have a little time to relax, strolling through the trees and flowers is very enjoyable. The garden path winds around many different areas so you might come across a Koi pond, a picturesque bridge, the old school house or bandstand. I like to take visitors for a pleasant afternoon walk, and it's pet friendly as long as you clean up.

We've been to Shelter Gardens for multiple family photo sessions and always enjoy ourselves. They do an excellent job of maintaining the beautiful scenery and the koi pond is my daughter's favorite. That and the nearly tame squirrels.

Well planned flower garden with shade trees and a paved walking path. Fish pond and benches. Nice old one room school house. And it's free and open to the public. Parking right at the front gate.

A small, but welcoming garden of some unique points. And close by is the one-room school house of the early 1900's for Missouri. Very enjoyable. Music in the Garden occurs during summers.

I have taken my grand-daughter to shelter Gardens several time and we both love it. She can run and play in the school house, watch the fish in the pond, smell the flowers and even have a picnic lunch. We have seen couples taking wedding photos and families having picnics or just walking their dog. It's a beautiful place to visit.

Shelter Gardens is a welcome oasis that will help you "get back to nature" while only blocks from the most heavily commercialized streets in Columbia. You can hear the birds, enjoy the sound of the natural rock fountain nestled among the bamboo, and stroll leisurely or do a power walk. There is a charming pavilion where you may have a picnic lunch or sit and do people, bunny, squirrel, or bird watching. You might even enjoy being there during a quiet summer rain. Take a break. Shelter Gardens is free for you and your family to enjoy year round.

What a phenomenal place! We enjoyed this so much that we plan to return in the Fall. How peaceful and what a variety of gardens; ponds; statues. Be sure to start or end up inside the schoolroom. This is a photographer's paradise and I am sure gets a lot of requests for weddings; etc. shrubs, flowers, etc are labeled which is nice if you see something you like and might want to purchase one at a shop but aren't sure. Gardens include one containing desert shrub/flower dedicated to the service men and women of Desert Storm, and another which has the labels in Braille. Never thought much about Shelter Insurance but if I were their employee I'd be very happy in my job and take my lunch to the gardens everyday (or a good book).