Gamble Garden Spring Tour

Late April is when Palo Alto's gardens peak. Roses open, wisteria hangs over fences and the vegetable beds are freshly planted. For two days each spring, Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden lets the public see some of the best of them. Its Spring Tour opens a handful of private gardens to ticket holders, while the Gamble grounds on Waverley Street fill with a plant sale, a resale market and a crowd of gardeners comparing notes.

This guide covers how the tour works, its history, the 2026 details and tips for parking, food and timing. The 2026 tour ran April 24 and 25. Dates for 2027 had not been posted when we checked on October 31, 2026. For the garden itself on any other day, see our Gamble Garden guide.

What the Spring Tour is

The Spring Tour is a self-guided walk or drive through several private gardens in Palo Alto, centered on Gamble Garden. In 2026 the garden's tour page listed four private gardens. Ticket holders get the addresses by email a little over a week before the event and can visit them in any order. A ticket is valid on either day, so you can see two gardens on Friday and two on Saturday if you like. Tour booklets are available at Gamble Garden and at each stop. Docents at every garden answer questions about plants and design.

The second half of the event happens at Gamble Garden itself. The organizers call it the Gamble Experience. It includes the Gamble Plant Sale and Over the Garden Fence, a resale market of garden and household goods. Visitors who only want the marketplace can buy a cheaper entry.

History

Gamble Garden is a 2.5 acre public garden around a 1902 house in Old Palo Alto. It was left to the city by Elizabeth Frances Gamble, granddaughter of Procter and Gamble co-founder James Gamble. A nonprofit runs it and keeps it free to visit every day. The Spring Tour is its largest fundraiser.

The tour has been running for decades. The Palo Alto Daily Post described the 2018 tour, themed "California Dreaming," as the 33rd. That year it covered five private gardens and tickets cost $30 for members, $35 for nonmembers and $40 on tour days. Counting back from 2018, the first tour was held in the mid-1980s. The format has stayed close to the original idea: private gardens open for a weekend, with Gamble Garden as the hub. Prices and the number of gardens change from year to year.

The 2026 tour at a glance

Tickets are emailed, non-refundable and tax-deductible. A wristband gives re-entry to the gardens. Every tour guest received a free raffle ticket on arrival in 2026, with the drawing on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. Underwriters were invited to a Preview Party with early access to the Gamble Experience. Details for each year are posted on the Spring Tour page.

Plant sale and marketplace

Many locals come for the plant sale as much as the gardens. The Gamble Plant Sale offers perennials, succulents, specimen plants, herbs and vegetable starts, many of them grown at Gamble Garden. Spring is the right moment to plant in Palo Alto, before the long dry summer, so the timing is ideal.

Think about water before you buy. Palo Alto summers are long and dry, so the succulents, Mediterranean herbs and other tough perennials at the sale tend to do well here with little irrigation. Thirsty plants still have a place, but group them together and put them on a drip line. Our guide to water conservation covers the watering rules and the rebates for replacing a lawn.

Over the Garden Fence fills the Carriage House and patio with secondhand garden furniture, antiques, home decor, china, linens and other one-off finds. It moves fast. Arrive early on Friday if you are hunting for something specific.

Food

In 2026 Teleferic Barcelona sold charcuterie and cheese boxes that guests pre-ordered by April 21 and picked up at Gamble. A limited number were sold on the day. You may also bring your own food. Gamble Garden pointed picnickers to a nearby park lawn at Churchill Avenue and Cowper Street. Eating is not allowed in the private gardens.

Tips for the tour

1. Buy in presale. In 2026 presale saved $10 per ticket and the member price saved $20.
2. Split the gardens. Your ticket works both days, so there is no need to rush.
3. Start early or late. Gardens are calmest at opening and in the last hour.
4. Wear walking shoes. Paths in private gardens can be uneven, gravelly or sloped.
5. Bring a bag and a box. A sturdy box keeps plant sale finds upright in the car.
6. Ask the docents. They know the plant names and the owners' design choices.
7. Respect the homes. Stay on paths, keep voices low and follow photography rules at each garden.

Parking and Caltrain access

Gamble Garden is at 1431 Waverley Street at Churchill Avenue. It has two small lots, one off Waverley Street and one off Churchill Avenue, with street parking around the block. Parking at the private gardens is limited to neighborhood streets, with one disabled placard space at each garden. Plan to drive or bike between stops. Our parking guide covers the rules on residential streets.

By train, California Avenue station is about a mile from Gamble Garden, a 20 minute walk through Old Palo Alto. Palo Alto station is a little farther. Biking is the best way to do the tour. The gardens are usually spread across flat residential neighborhoods and the city's bike boulevards make the rides between them quiet and safe.

What to do nearby

Gamble Garden sits in Old Palo Alto, one of the city's most handsome residential areas. Our Old Palo Alto walking tour links its historic houses and is a good way to stretch the day. California Avenue, about a mile south across Oregon Expressway, has lunch spots and cafes. If the tour leaves you wanting more flowers, late April is also wildflower season in the foothills. Our wildflowers guide lists the best trails.

Gardeners heading north can add Filoli in Woodside, a formal estate garden about half an hour away by car. See our Filoli day trip guide.

Planning a spring weekend

Late April can be busy for hotels. Stanford's Admit Weekend runs April 28 to 30, 2027, close to the tour's usual dates. Spring weekends fill steadily too. You can compare hotels near Old Palo Alto and pick a refundable rate until the 2027 dates are out. Our April guide covers the weather and other events that month.

Frequently asked questions