Address

2900 Glenwood Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55405

Part of: Theodore Wirth Regional Park

Get Directions

Contact

Phone: 612-499-3071
Emailjdrivers@minneapolisparks.org

Garden Hours

The area surrounding the garden is welcome to be explored dawn to dusk every day.
Garden gates are open from 9am-3pm on Mondays-Wednesdays and 11am-6pm on Thursdays, June through August

Theodore Wirth Park Hours

6 am-midnight in developed areas
6 am-10 pm in undeveloped areas
Ordinance PB-2-33

Plan Your Route

Bus, bike, drive, or walk

Produce Market

Visit JD Rivers’ garden for your summer and fall produce needs. Our market (cash only) is open to the public and full of fresh, seasonal produce, straight from the garden.

The market is closed for the season and will reopen in June of 2024.

View Photo Gallery

Activities

Summer Garden Programs

Each summer, a variety of youth programs are offered at the garden including weekly programs throughout the growing season and week-long camps in the late summer.

Garden staff work with local youth-serving agencies through programs focused on gardening skills, harvesting produce, healthy eating, and exploring the surrounding natural areas.

Family Nights at JD Rivers’ Garden
Every other Thursday evenings throughout the summer, 5-6:30pm. Free, all ages welcome, register beforehand.

Garden with a Naturalist  
Adult garden program, monthly on Tuesdays from 11-12pm. $2.50 for residents, $4 for non-residents.

Garden to Table Camp  
Day camp for youth ages 9-12. 9am-3pm, Monday-Thursday, last week of June, July and August.

Produce Market  
Visit the garden for your fruit and veggie needs!

The garden hosts field trips and educational programs for local youth-serving organizations that focus on gardening skills, harvesting produce, healthy eating, and exploring the surrounding natural areas.

Do you know of a group interested in learning and playing at the garden? Contact our garden educators at jdrivers@minneapolisparks.org to schedule a visit!

Volunteer at JD Rivers’ Garden!
(https://form.jotform.com/231325631722145)

Amenities

  • Bike Path
  • Garden
  • Port-a-Potty
  • Walking Path

Good to Know

The garden is located North of Glenwood Avenue in the Eastern part of the park. Look for the big Adirondack chair.

On street parking is available along the south side of Glenwood Avenue or at canoe launch parking lot (about a 5-minute walk to the Garden).

Other Gardens and Water Resources in Theodore Wirth Regional Park:

Glorious Gardens

From grand expanses to hidden gems, gardens throughout the park system offer flowers, history, sculpture, community hubs and more.

Longfellow Gardens

Size: 1 acre

Neighborhood: Harrison

Service Area: North

Commissioner District: 2

Children and teens in the youth summer programs learn to plant, weed, water, compost, preserve the harvest, prepare, and also take home the garden produce. Extra produce is donated to local food shelves.

Garden produce includes vegetables, herbs, fruit, and flowers.

The JD Rivers’ Children’s Garden’s origins date back to the 100th anniversary of the Minneapolis Grain Exchange (MGE). As part of the festivities, MGE selected a site in Theodore Wirth Park to plant a few acres of wheat and sunflowers, which were the two crops historically traded at the MGE.

Children from recreation centers across the city were invited to see the field plowed, planted and harvested using traditional farm implements, like threshers. They used the harvested wheat and sunflowers in creative art classes.

The field of wheat and the bloomed sunflowers inspired local residents, J.D. and Ada Rivers, to approach the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board (MPRB) about creating a permanent garden for children at the site. The MPRB agreed it was a good idea and in the following growing season, 1982, a children’s garden was born.