Tyler Rose Garden and Museum – A Beautiful Sea of Blooms and Gowns

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Tyler Rose Garden and Museum is a must-see in Tyler Texas. This massive garden and museum is one of the key reasons that Tyler is called The Rose Capital of the World. This beautiful, and absolutely enormous, garden features a huge variety of rose varieties along with more bushes and blooms than you’d think possible. 

On our trip to Tyler, we visited the Tyler Rose Garden and Museum , and I was so taken with all the lovely blooms and colors. It really is a sea of beautiful blooms that everyone should see if they’re in the area. 

Tyler Rose Garden

When I describe the Tyler Rose Garden as massive, it’s not hyperbole in any way. This world-famous rose garden is a sprawling 14 acres and boasts 35,000 rose bushes with over 500 varieties of roses. In addition to the beautiful roses, you’ll also find other gorgeous plants like camellias and daylilies in various garden areas. 

 

If you’re planning on visiting, be sure to go during October or mid to late May, as these are the times of the years when all of those beautiful roses are in peak bloom. 

 

There had been a storm just a few days with wind which took a lot of the pretty blooms off the bushes, but there was enough left to get the idea of how beautiful the garden is.

The Gardens

Of course, as the name implies, the garden is itself a massive garden filled with roses. However, there are smaller gardens to be found within the huge overarching garden itself. 

Inside the Garden, you’ll find the Ida Garden, Heritage Garden, and of course, the Rose Garden. Each Garden is devoted to both roses and other lovely blooming flowers. For example, you’ll find camellia and day lily collection in the Heritage Garden. Each one of these beautiful areas is a visual treat, and they should all be visited. 

Tyler Rose Museum and Gift Shop

In addition to its beautiful blooms, the garden also features a museum and gift shop that shouldn’t be looked over. The Tyler Rose Museum and the Gift Shop are the gateways to the Rose Garden.

The museum preserves and displays the history of the rose industry in Tyler along with the beauty and pageantry of the Texas Rose Festival. Inside, you’ll find memorabilia, interactive exhibits, and even elaborate costumes and accessories from past festivals. 

Photos of all the Queens are on display – many taken in historical homes around Tyler.

Visit the gift shop to bring home a little piece of the garden for you or your family members. You’ll find a wide variety of keepsakes that will make great memories for years to come. 

Texas Rose Festival memorabilia and history can be found at the museum, including costume displays and items acquired from 1933 until today. The museum houses a wide range of photographs, videos, audio, music, newspaper clippings, rose memorabilia as well as jeweled festival costumes, which are changed annually.

Tyler Rose Garden Hours

The Tyler Rose Garden is free to the public and is open from sunrise to sunset. There are no appointments or reservations necessary. Simply arrive and begin strolling around the lovely gardens. I highly advise picking up a few items from the gift shop to both mark the event and help sustain this beautiful historic garden. 

For more information and museum hours, follow along on their website.  TYLER ROSE GARDEN AND MUSEUM

Don’t forget this obligatory picture.

History of Rose Festival

Tyler is known for its rose industry, which is celebrated with this festival. Every year, seven companies in Tyler process and distribute several million roses, making the city deserving of the title “Rose Capital.” The majority of roses in the United States are handled in Tyler.

A Tyler Rose Festival was first held in October 1933 as a way of recognizing the vitality of the rose industry in Tyler. “Festival Fairyland”, which included a parade, rose queen coronation and rose show, was the theme of the day. “A Garden in Venice” was the theme of the 1934 festival, which was a continuation of the first festival. As part of the 1936 Texas Centennial, the Texas Rose Festival was renamed.

The Rose Queen & Her Court

The festival festivities revolve around the reigning Rose Queen and her court. Coronation celebrations are held with the Rose Queen, a college sophomore from Tyler selected based on factors such as community involvement and volunteerism. The queen and her court are also distinguished by elaborate dresses during the parade on that day. They are also distinguished by a tea held in her honor at the rose garden on Saturday.

Rose Gown Collection

Rose Queens wear incredibly intricate, and beautiful, gowns. Seventy-five percent of all royal regalia and gowns in the museum’s collection are now owned by the institution. 

There are usually about ten gowns on display, which rotate through the collection. The gowns are only displayed for three months at a time to avoid fading them due to excessive exposure to bright lights.

It’s amazing also to see how these gowns have become more detailed along the years.  So many details and time goes into these.  

One of my favorites is from the 1976 Bicentennial.

The crowns and scepters are just as lavish, and made to match the gown.  

Dolls are even made to match some of the gowns.

Make Sure to Visit the Tyler Rose Garden & Museum

The Tyler Rose Garden is 14 acres of pure beauty. From their gorgeous roses to a variety of other flowering plants, the museum, and the gift shop, you’ll find that there’s almost no end to the natural beauty of nature to be found at this garden. We thoroughly enjoyed the experience, and I think all of you will, too. It’s a very tranquil place that fills you with peace as it fills your senses with beautiful colors and the heady smell of thousands of roses in full bloom. 

More from Tyler Texas soon but you can visit their VISIT TYLER TEXAS SITE for the great ideas for a visit.

If you are around Tyler the first weekend of the month, make sure to take the short drive over to Canton.

CANTON – WORLD’S LARGEST FLEA MARKET

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