Urban Garden Center

The Urban Garden Center is visible from the H-1 in Pearl City.  I used to pass it daily on my commute to work and often wondered what it was and now I finally know!

We begin our visit with a stop at the main office where they requested we sign a safety waiver and they gave us a map of the gardens.  My daughter thought the map was awesome and referred to it often even though she doesn't have any map reading skills just yet.

We started our adventure at the Hedge Maze (small but the kids liked it) and then walked through the plumeria collection.  They have beautiful plumeria in a large variety of colors (I should do a Scenic Sunday post on them sometime) and I was tempted to break off branches to plant at home but I didn't.  I also checked out the Herb Garden and Idea Garden to see what I should/could be growing in my own garden at home.

The rest of our time was spent in the Children's Garden.  The favorite with the kids in our group was the Alika Rabbit Garden that follows a Hawaiian adaptation of the Peter Rabbit story.  There are plastic bins along the way with various activities in them for kids to do.  Gardening at the little house was such a big hit we had to go there twice.

We visited just about every sections in the children's garden including the Caterpillar Tunnel

 

 and the Pizza Garden where they grow things you would serve on pizza.

The entire complex covers 30 acres and obviously we only saw a small part of it.  I think a lot of the land we didn't visit is covered in fruit tree orchards.  

This was a fun place to visit and I'm sure we'll head back again.  It's a great place for kids to explore the great outdoors and gives everyone a chance to learn a bit about plants along the way.  

Do it yourself on Oahu
Location:  955 Kamehameha Highway, Pearl City, Hawaii 96782
Directions:  Turn into the Home Depot parking lot off of Kamehameha Hwy in Pearl City.  Take a left and drive towards the Public Storage building.  Just past the building you will see the entrance to the Urban Garden Center.
Hours:  Mon - Fri, 9am to 2pm (except holidays).  They also have a "Second Saturday at the Garden" program but it does not happen every month so call them to confirm dates for that.
Cost:  Free
Parking:  There is a parking area next to the road near the office.  Parking is free.
Facilities:  There are restrooms and a drinking fountain.
Other:  • There is a large gazebo in the children's garden that would be a perfect spot for a picnic.  • They recommend closed toed shoes and I put my daughter in tennis shoes but I just wore slippers - we were both fine.  • I would recommend wearing sunscreen and taking a water bottle.
More info:  808-453-6050