Hidden under the San Joaquin Valley sits a unique garden comprised of tunnels and underground rooms. The Forestiere Underground Gardens originally started as a hobby over 100 years ago, and now it hosts public tours of its impressive passageways and tunnels. The garden includes fruit trees, such as Orange, lemon, and grapefruit, with some even growing 20 feet underground. You can also expect to see kumquat, loquat, jujube, carob, quince, dates, and grapes throughout the garden.
The underground garden is carved out of the valley’s hardpan soil, and local stones were used to create archways leading to patios and grottos filled with trees and other plants. It serves as a unique oasis from the hot sun in the valley and regularly welcomes visitors from around California. The garden offers guided tours that last an hour, and on select dates, you can also take a tour accompanied by a sound bath. This fall, the gardens are hosting a special Halloween event, with a self-guided tour and trick-or-treating for families.
Forestiere Underground Gardens were created by Baldassare Forestiere, who immigrated to the United States from Sicily in 1901, hoping to become a citrus farmer in California. He purchased a plot of land in Fresno, but found the weather too hot, leading him to create an underground retreat. He took inspiration from the catacombs in Italy when carving out the tunnels and underground rooms, and used skylights to plant trees that still stand today. Forestiere spent 40 years creating the 10-acre gardens, with no set plans, instead building and developing as he went along. The unique garden and retreat were quickly recognized as something worth preserving and registered as a California historical landmark in 1979.
The gardens are an approximately 3-4 hour drive from San Francisco in the Fresno area. You can learn more about Forestiere Underground Gardens and book tours here.