GardenWalk Cleveland is back July 11–12, and more than 400 private yards, community gardens and urban farms across the city are getting ready to pull back the curtain. The free, self-guided tour runs 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days, stretching from Collinwood on the east side to Kamm’s Corners on the west side. Visitors can wander at their own pace and stop at neighborhood information stations for printed maps and basic amenities.
“That neighborhood is stronger when people are out and about,” GardenWalk president Casey Hill said, explaining that the event is designed to introduce neighbors to each other and build civic connections. Organizers emphasize that GardenWalk is entirely volunteer-run and not a competition. The goal is to get people talking, swap gardening tips and show off neighborhood pride, according to Signal Cleveland.
Where to go and when
The tour is split by neighborhood and day. On Saturday, the spotlight falls on Collinwood, Fairfax, Glenville, Hough, West Park/Jefferson, West Park/Kamm’s, Tremont and Ohio City. Sunday’s lineup features Clifton-Baltic/Edgewater, Detroit-Shoreway, Little Italy, Old Brooklyn and Broadway-Slavic Village. The event’s official site lists all participating neighborhoods and offers downloadable maps plus a 2026 guide to help visitors plan their routes, according to GardenWalk Cleveland.
Meet some gardeners
Behind those GardenWalk signs are some very different backyard worlds. In Detroit-Shoreway, Catherine Marquardt has a shaded koi pond where two 18-year-old fish hold court. Over in West Park/Kamm’s, Dave Horneck has divided his yard into separate outdoor “rooms,” anchored by a vintage bar he calls a “shabeen,” though he insists it is not a party spot. In Glenville, Sharon Rose serves as a garden finder and keeps her plantings staggered so something is always in bloom. In Fairfax, Vernice Smith runs G’s Urban Farm and regularly hosts children to teach them how to grow food, as reported by Signal Cleveland.
How to get around
Participating homes will be marked with GardenWalk signs, and each neighborhood will have an information station to direct visitors to restrooms and other basics. For those who prefer to roll instead of stroll, Bike Cleveland has teamed up with the event to provide curated ride maps and suggested start points for every neighborhood. The resources include RideWithGPS routes and turn-by-turn directions, according to Bike Cleveland.
A neighborhood tradition grows
GardenWalk launched in 2011 after its founders checked out Buffalo’s garden walk and brought the idea home. It has grown from roughly 200 participating gardens to a much larger citywide showcase. Organizers say the tour now features more than 400 entries and relies on volunteers known as garden finders, along with neighborhood information stations, to keep the weekend running smoothly, per FreshWater Cleveland.
Plan your visit
GardenWalk Cleveland is free and entirely self-guided, and organizers suggest picking one neighborhood to explore rather than trying to sprint through the whole map in a single day. For printable maps, the 2026 guide and details on volunteering, local coverage points readers to the official guide and website as the best places to start, as reported by News 5 Cleveland.
