gardens of the american rose center

Hi Ozarkgirl11,I apologize that you had a disappointing experience at Christmas in Roseland. We really tried to get word out that the bridge on HWY 80 was closed. It was posted on our website, sent out to local media, the signs on the interstate where moved to the new exit and we even moved our billboard. We have a small staff, all of whom work nights during Christmas. If you called after 5 p.m. we would have been out working the grounds and not in the office. We are in the process of replacing old lights with new LED lights, but this takes time. I hope you did enjoy the Christmas Cards to the Community. We had a great number of cards this year. The student's really enjoy participating in that program. Please consider giving us another chance. The grounds are beautiful during our blooming seasons — Mid- April to late May and October. We are also working on getting more lights for Christmas in Roseland. Thank you,ARS Staff

Hi mhughes57,We just gained access to our TripAdvisor page, and we are disappointed to read your review. In May 2013 we had an EF-1 tornado come through the gardens. It did a lot of damage. Then due to the prolonged winter of 2013/2014 we did not have our first bloom until late May. Between the time you came and now we have replanted more than 250 rosebushes and we plan on planting 1000 more. We also have replaced a number of our trails. Please consider having another visit. We will be posting when the roses are in full bloom on our Facebook page. Thank you,ARS Staff

Went mid-April, and just about everything was dead. The grass hadn't been mowed, and just all the plants and flowers in general looked really neglected and sad. Took us forever to figure out where to park - the parking lot was covered in grass, and it looked as though nobody had been there in years. On the plus side; it's free to walk the gardens. Had I paid to enter, I would have been really upset! You can see how it would be beautiful when the roses bloom and a little more TLC is given to the gardens. It has potential.

At the end of April most of the roses are dying from neglect. This makes me want to cry it is so awful!!!! A few azaleas are blooming in spite of it all.

No roses and no facilities when we were there in July. Nothing really to see or do. They should notify the public on the signs on I-20 that they are essentially closed

After making the 13 mile trip from our hotel on the river, we were disappointed to find that this garden had been "de-bloomed" by a recent tornado. We will try and return another time, but will call ahead.

I attended Christmas in Roseland for years as a child. 30 years later, many of the same displays are still standing. It's a nice walk with your children or sweetheart, but many of the exhibits are looking quite run down and needing replaced. Still, fanciful and fun to see with the thousands of lights and winding paths.

I have been here a few times so far this year. The light festival was pretty good; nice for a family outing. Otherwise, if you are looking for roses, you should call to make sure they are in bloom before you drive out there. Nice grounds for wedding, prom, portrait pictures etc..

There is a lovely garden with so many beautiful roses. It is worth the trip for anyone that likes to see flowers. Check to see what is blooming before making the trek.

We called to see if they were even open, since it is late in the season. They said yes, come on down. When we got there we found the building closed. Signs directed us to a lower parking lot which looked like a car hasn't been parked there for several years. We parked anyway and started to walk around. Although not fully in bloom (it is the end of the season) you could see that it would be very pretty. We seemed to be walking around with no direction. The Cell Phone Narratives were interesting, but disjointed.

The American Rose Center is a beautiful place to have a wedding but find another venue for your reception. Classic Events ( Walter Floyd & Lou Kerr) are the most unorganized, rude, disrespectful people I have ever seen. They will charge for things they do not come through with. They will run your quest off by telling them they are out of food, but watch their cars because they will load your food you paid for in their cars. Watch your cakes they take that too without asking any family member if it is ok. They do not need to be in the wedding business. STAY AWAY FROM CLASSIC EVENTS....THEY HAVE BEEN TURNED OVER TO BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU.

We went when it was drizzling and gross outside, so I'm going to attribute our lack of enjoyment to the weather. However, what flowers were still alive were beautiful. The gardens seemed to be well maintained, and the area was rather large. I would love to go back in the summer and around Christmas-time!

Just a great place for any flower lover. Have gone several times over the years. Recommended by family members when we first got married 23 years ago.

Great place to go to get in the Christmas Spirit. Lots of lights and Christmas decorations. Great place to take a church group.

Garden was in bloom but was mostly wilted because of the heat. We went in mid August. Description says it is in bloom all summer, and includes these beautiful pictures of full bloom. You'll have to catch it at just the right time of year to witness that. I wouldn't go unless you could see it in full bloom.