Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden

Gamble Garden is the quiet counterpart to the busy streets of downtown. Two and a half acres of lawns, flower beds, trees and paths surround a handsome 1902 house on a residential corner of Waverley Street. It costs nothing to walk in. Locals come to read on a bench, sketch the roses or take a slow loop after lunch and on spring weekends the place fills with photographers chasing blossoms.

This guide covers who the Gambles were, how a private garden became a public one, what to look for in the house and grounds, the main events of the year and the practical details of a visit.

The Gamble family

The name on the gate is a famous one. Edwin Percy Gamble was the youngest son of James Gamble, who co-founded Procter and Gamble, the company behind Ivory soap. In 1902 Edwin moved his family to Palo Alto, then a young college town beside the new Stanford campus. His wife Elizabeth and their 13-year-old daughter, Elizabeth Frances, came with him.

The family built a three-story house and a carriage house that same year. A San Jose contractor named C. A. Bates did the work at a cost of $6,039. The house is in the Georgian revival style and it remains the centerpiece of the property more than 120 years later.

In 1908 the family hired Walter A. Hoff to lay out formal gardens behind the house. Elizabeth Frances, remembered locally as Miss Gamble, lived in the house for decades. She became a devoted gardener, known for her irises and roses and in 1948 she added the small Tea House that still stands in the garden.

From private estate to public garden

Elizabeth F. Gamble died in 1981 at age 92. She left the house and garden to the City of Palo Alto but gave little guidance on how to use them and no money to pay for upkeep. The city debated the property's future for four years. Her will mentioned use for seniors and several ideas competed for the site.

The Garden Club of Palo Alto, a private group, led a community campaign to restore the grounds. In 1985 the City Council voted 8 to 1 in favor of the garden proposal. That year Gamble Garden opened as a public garden supported by a newly formed nonprofit horticultural foundation. Volunteers and staff added paths, irrigation and lighting and rebuilt the beds over the following years.

The nonprofit still runs the garden today as a 501(c)(3) organization, with the city as the property owner. A personal touch survives too. In 1994 Lois O'Brien, a longtime friend of Miss Gamble, introduced an iris named 'Elizabeth Gamble' after her favorite flower.

What to see in the garden

The garden is laid out as a series of areas you can explore in any order. Most visitors spend 30 to 60 minutes. Look for these:

• The formal gardens behind the house, based on the 1908 design, with paths, a gazebo and seasonal beds.
• The Tea House that Miss Gamble added in 1948.
• Irises and roses, the two flowers most associated with her, best from mid spring into early summer.
• The camellias, which carry color through the winter months.
• The Watershed Garden, one of the featured areas in the garden's own visitor guide.
• The Tree Walk, a self-guided route that introduces the garden's notable trees.

The house itself holds offices, a library and rooms used for classes and events. Its office hours are listed as Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The house and grounds can be rented for weddings and private parties, which is why you may sometimes see tents or chairs on the lawn.

When to go

Every season has something, but spring is the headline. March through May is the most colorful and photogenic stretch and the irises and roses carry the show toward early summer. Summer brings long evenings and green lawns. Fall is quieter and winter belongs to the camellias.

Weekday mornings are the calmest. Weekend afternoons in spring can be busier with families, photo shoots and event setups. Our weather guide explains Palo Alto's mild seasons in more detail.

Events through the year

Gamble Garden runs a full calendar of classes, tours and community events. The biggest ones are:

• Spring Tour. The main fundraiser, held in late April. It is a self-guided tour of several private gardens around Palo Alto plus a marketplace at Gamble Garden with local vendors, a plant sale, a vintage sale and a silent auction. In 2026 the tour ran April 24 and 25, with tickets sold in advance and on the day.
• Easter Egg Hunt. An egg hunt, petting zoo, crafts and treats for young children.
• Halloween Magic. An afternoon of magic, face painting, crafts and treats to open the Halloween season.
• Winter Festival. Three days of decorated trees, a holiday marketplace, a bake sale and a tree auction.

The garden also offers docent-led tours, gardening classes and school programs. Dates change each year, so check the Gamble Garden website for the current calendar. For other festivals around town, see our events guide.

Visiting: hours, access and rules

Gamble Garden says admission is free and the garden is open daily during daylight hours. It sits at 1431 Waverley Street in Old Palo Alto, on a quiet residential stretch of Waverley Street.

Getting there is easy without a car. The garden is about a mile from downtown, a flat walk or a short bike ride along quiet residential streets. Our getting around guide covers bike routes and buses.

Pair it with nearby sights

Gamble Garden fits neatly into a slow day in the older neighborhoods. Walk north through Professorville to see the shingled houses that early Stanford faculty built, then continue to downtown for lunch. The Museum of American Heritage on Homer Avenue occupies another house left to the city by a longtime resident, with its own restored garden. With children in tow, the Junior Museum and Zoo and Rinconada Park are a few blocks away on Middlefield Road.

If Gamble Garden leaves you wanting a grander estate, the formal gardens at Filoli in Woodside are about half an hour away by car. Staying the weekend? Compare hotels in Palo Alto within walking distance of the garden.

Frequently asked questions