Sacramento Garden Tour Season 2026: Your Complete Guide
Spring in Sacramento has a secret that we really cannot keep gatekeeping. Every year, at least six different neighborhoods within our region open their private gardens to the public every year, for a few days only. Most people don't know it's happening until it's already sold out! So, I’m here to help spread the good word.
If you've been curious about what's behind the gates in East Sacramento, or you've driven past Curtis Park and wondered what those gardens actually look like up close, or maybe you live in any of these communities and want to meet some of your neighbors, garden tour season is your window. Here's the complete 2026 lineup.
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What Are Sacramento's Neighborhood Garden Tours?
Each spring, Sacramento neighborhoods organize self-guided tours through private residential and community gardens. Some are free. Most are ticketed. All of them are worth it.
They run from mid-April through mid-May, which is peak bloom season in Sacramento, and they cover some of the city's most beautiful and historically significant neighborhoods. Think shaded streets, 100-year-old homes, and gardens that have been tended for decades.
The 2026 Sacramento Garden Tour Lineup
Gardens Got Natives Tour
April 18 and 19 | 9:30am to 3pm | Free
Organized by the Sacramento Valley chapter of the California Native Plant Society, this free two-day tour covers more than 40 native plant gardens across the entire Sacramento region. It's the biggest tour on the list by footprint and the only one that's completely free.
Because the gardens are spread out geographically, it's worth downloading the full garden list in advance and planning a route. Most people pick a handful in a particular area rather than trying to hit everything.
Curtis Park Garden Tour
April 25 | 10am to 4pm
Curtis Park is one of Sacramento's most beloved historic neighborhoods, with tree-lined streets and homes that have been carefully maintained for generations. The gardens reflect that same level of care. This tour is one day only, and it does sell out.
Folsom Garden Tour
April 25 and 26 | 11am to 4pm
The Folsom Garden Club's 25th annual tour is one of the most full-day experiences on this list. Six private gardens, master gardeners available throughout to answer questions, artists painting on site, a plant sale loaded with hard-to-find varieties, and a bake sale that consistently sells out before noon. Get there early if the bake sale is on your radar. This one is worth the drive from Sacramento.
Colonial Heights Garden Tour
May 3 | 10am to 3pm
Colonial Heights is a charming, established neighborhood that is truly a hidden gem, and the garden tour is a good reason to finally explore it. The starting point is at Colonial Heights park, where you can purchase plants, bites, and crafts, as well as your ticket to the self-guided tour.
East Sacramento Garden Tour
May 9 and 10 | Mother's Day Weekend
East Sacramento has some of the most stunning residential gardens in the city, the kind you slow down to look at from the sidewalk. From the iconic Fabulous 40s, to the house featured in the award-winning movie, Lady Bird, this tour has many sights to see.
Beyond the gardens themselves, there's a wine garden on site with local makers that you can also purchase tickets to. It runs over Mother's Day weekend, it draws a crowd, and it usually sells out. Buy tickets early!
Tahoe Park Garden Tour
May 16 | 10am to 3pm
Tahoe Park closes out the season, and it's a great one to end on. Pick up your map at the Tahoe Park Neighborhood Association Community Garden at 5959 8th Avenue starting at 9:45am, then wander the gardens at your own pace until 3pm.
The garden lineup ranges from drought-tolerant landscapes to creative, one-of-a-kind backyards. Tahoe Park is one of Sacramento's most underrated neighborhoods and this tour is a genuinely good excuse to spend a few hours getting to know it.
Tips Before You Go
Buy tickets early. These tours tend to sell out ahead of time. If you already know you want to go, don't wait until the week of.
Check for overlap. Curtis Park and the Folsom Garden Tour both fall on April 25. If you want to do both, the Folsom tour runs two days, so you could do Curtis Park on Saturday and Folsom on Sunday.
Bring cash. Plant sales and bake sales at several of these tours are cash-friendly, and you'll want to be ready when you find something you want.
Sacramento's garden tour season is one of the best things about spring in this city, and it's one of the reasons I love working here as a Realtor. These neighborhoods have real history, real character, and real people who take pride in them.
Leave a comment and let me know which one(s) you plan to attend this season. See you out there this spring!
