Wanderlust World Wanderlust World Kiwanis Park, in Tempe, Arizona, was named in honor of the Kiwanis Club in recognition of the donation that made its purchase possible in 1972. The 125-acre park has amenities such as a baseball field, batting cage, basketball court, picnic area with grills, horseshoe pits, playground, soccer field, restrooms, tennis and volleyball courts, trails, wave-pool, lake with a fishing area and a community center. There are no rose gardens in the park. However, there are several rose gardens located nearby.
The Rose Garden at Mesa Community College is located in Mesa, Arizona, approximately 5 miles from Kiwanis Park. Mesa Community College partnered with the Mesa-East Valley Rose Society to create the biggest public rose garden in the desert Southwest area. The Rose Garden began in 1974 and remains a community landmark. The Rose Garden also serves as a backdrop for special events and social gatherings. There are terraces in the East and West gardens that are ideal for art displays, musical ensembles or intimate get-togethers. Landscape architect LeRoy Brady created the garden’s design, with its softly curving flowerbeds filled with shrub roses, florabundas and hybrid tea roses. The layout includes seat walls, study areas, visual screens to detract from street traffic and more than 5,000 roses of varying colors, forms and growth patterns.
Rose Garden at Mesa Community College
1833 West Southern Ave.
Mesa, AZ 85202
480-461-7000
rosegarden.mesacc.edu
The Valley Garden Center is located in Phoenix, approximately 13 miles from Kiwanis Park in Tempe. The Garden Center began in 1939 as a nonprofit organization and the Rose Garden was established in January 1948. According to the Pacific Southwest District of the American Rose Society, the rose garden holds 110 varieties of roses and more than 1,000 plants. The Valley Garden Center was created to provide Phoenix and the surrounding communities with opportunities to study nature, gardening, flower arrangement and community panting. The Garden Center has facilities that can accommodate private functions with as many as 150 guests and separate rooms for smaller functions. Valley Garden Center features security service, a stage for a DJ, bridal room, kitchen for catering and tables and chairs.
Valley Garden Center
1809 North 15th Ave.
Phoenix, AZ 85007
602-252-2120
valleygardencenter.org
Sahuaro Ranch Park is located in Glendale, Arizona, approximately 21 miles from Tempe. According to the Pacific Southwest District of the American Rose Society, the rose garden holds more than 180 varieties of roses and 1,000 different plants. The park’s history dates back to 1885, when William Henry Bartlett and his brother Samuel acquired the land for use as a homestead. The land was purchased by the city of Glendale in 1977, at which time the land, and structures on the land, were registered with the National Register of Historic Places. The park allows weddings to be held in the rose garden.
Sahuaro Ranch Park
9802 North 59th Ave.
Glendale, AZ 85302
623-930-4200
glendaleaz.com/ParksandRecreation/SahuaroRanchPark.cfm