| A Theme Park for Garden Lovers |
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May 22, 2001 -- The Basket tree is one of 18 so-called Circus Trees to be seen at Bonfante Gardens Theme Park near Gilroy in Santa Clara County, Calif. Formed by grafting six sycamore saplings at 42 points, the tree, now between 50 and 60 years old, was sculpted decades ago by Axel Erlandson, who operated a roadside attraction called the Tree Circus in Santa Cruz County during the 1940s and '50s. (SHNS photo by Janet Fullwood / The Sacramento Bee.)
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By Janet Fullwood
Sacramento Bee GILROY, California -- Northern California has a new theme park, and there's nothing Mickey Mouse about it. Bonfante Gardens Theme Park opens June 15 in Gilroy with an outside-of-the-box take on the concept of family entertainment. The southern Santa Clara County venue is definitely different -- so different it has even the locals scratching their heads. There are no thrill rides within Bonfante's 28 lushly landscaped acres, and little else that will appeal to the average, action-craving teen. The focus instead is on greenery: Trees, plants and flowers are at the park's lush and leafy forefront, with rides and attractions relegated to the ample, dappled shade. "It's a landscape that is definitely not according to Hoyle," chuckles Michael Bonfante, the 59-year-old former grocery store magnate who sank his personal fortune into the $100 million project -- and proceeded to set it up as a nonprofit, community-based charity. Families with young children are the primary targets for the park's 40 rides, shows and attractions. Seniors, including grandparents with grandkids in tow, are another target audience. And gardening enthusiasts of all ages are sure to slaver over the elaborate plantings at the heart of a park that is at once as contemporary as the new millennium and as nostalgically old-fashioned as Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen or Cypress Gardens in Florida. "It's the old concept of going for an afternoon to a beautiful place with your family," said John Poimiroo, the state's former director of tourism and a consultant on the project. "It's a concept that hasn't gone out of style -- it's just been freshened up a bit." With its combination of horticultural attractions and gentle, child-centered rides, the park "fills a niche that is very different than anything else out here today," he said. "If Sunset magazine were to design a park, this would be the park they designed -- the food, the gardens, the rides, the shows, the whole experience." About 750,000 visitors are expected during Bonfante Gardens' first year, and staff members anticipate an average stay of 6.5 hours on site. Admission -- $28.95 for adults, $19.95 for children -- includes everything but food and drink, even paddleboat rides on a man-made lake and carnival-style games in an old-fashioned, "Pitch 'N' Win" pavilion, publicist Pamela Rogers said. Once inside the entrance gates, guests will walk over a wooden bridge built through a grove of trees whose trunks grow up through holes in the planks. The park is laid out in an oval on the other side, with the 3 million-gallon lake in the center. Attractions -- including five dedicated botanical gardens -- are arrayed around the lake's perimeter. Horticultural showpieces include the tropical Monarch Garden, housed in a 60-foot-high greenhouse with a monorail and train running through it. Claudia's Garden features fantastical topiary and gurgling streams, while Rainbow Garden, dedicated to seasonal flowers, is designed to be viewed from small boats. Pinnacle Garden features edible plants and a rock maze, and Camellia Garden focuses on -- camellias. Live entertainment also is part of the Bonfante Gardens experience. The first year's offerings will include a trained animal act, a magic show and a singing-and-dancing follies production. Venues range from an intimate pavilion to a lakeside amphitheater seating several hundred. (Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service.)
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