Photo Credit: Oklahoma City Parks
Just five years after Oklahoma’s statehood in 1907, one of Oklahoma City’s oldest parks was purchased and became home to Will Rogers Gardens. The land, previously a dairy farm, began a transformation in 1932 when Henry Walters, the City Horticulturalist, designed the gardens’ ponds, plant beds, overlooks, and basic structures.
Featured amenities include the following:
The Charles E. Sparks Color Garden, a two-acre color garden nestled between the two ponds that bursts with seasonal blossoms. The Ed Lycan Conservatory, a glass-enclosed Lord & Burnham greenhouse inspired by 19th-century Victorian architecture and named after the Oklahoma City Parks (OKC) first employee. The greenhouse was moved to the gardens in 1936 after it was constructed on the original state fair park in 1924. The Margaret Annis Boys Arboretum, a rolling 10-acre area of the park featuring hundreds of varieties of trees, with a healthy mix of native species and rare specimens not often found in the state. ADA-accessible trails and entry portals to accommodate a connection to nature for all visitors.