What To Google
The Gardens at Lake Merritt is the name that will get you there via GPS. The address is 666 Bellevue Ave, Oakland, Ca. 94610.

Directions From Richmond, Albany, El Cerrito and Berkeley
From highway 80, get on 580 and take the Grand Ave exit toward Lake Merritt. On Grand Ave, you will see Bellevue Ave twice, but Bellevue is a one way St, so make a left the 2nd time you see Bellevue Ave, which is the entrance. You will be charged $3 for parking by the City but it is worth it. The Gardens has two pedestrian entrances. Pay attention to the pavement, which will lead you to a 2nd, wrought iron gate. The pavement has giant letters painted in light blue. If you can’t find parking near this gate park farther down and walk toward it. We will meet just past the wrought iron gate, then walk to the various painting spots.

Description

The Gardens are located on a mini-peninsula measuring 7 acres, bordered by Lake Merritt. The gardens are fenced, linked by paved paths, and feature themes dedicated to various ecosystems or plant types. There are parking areas all around the fenced gardens, and shade trees throughout except for the dahlia garden which is sunnier. There might be bathrooms at the Garden Center adjacent to The Gardens.

The Gardens are dog-friendly but you must bring your on water. They do not feature a lot of benches. This park receives many well-behaved visitors. If you don’t feel like seeing many people, the rhododendron garden and the Japanese garden are good choices. When you set up your gear, try to avoid blocking the path or placing your easel on the garden plants.

History

The Gardens has a well-documented history as part of a the great civic effort that is Lake Merritt. Lake Merritt was a tidal estuary which Mayor Merritt turned into a wildlife refuge in 1870. In 1907 a bond measure enables the city to purchase properties around the lake to create lakeside parkland. In 1924 a City Horticulture Nursery was established at Grand/Harrison/Bay, and in 1951 the Oakland-East Bay Garden Center was created by 42 garden clubs and incorporated to raise funds to construct the central Garden Center that was completed in 1959. It was known as the Lake Merritt Garden. The Succulent and Cactus gardens are almost 60 years old. Later cascades and a pond were both added to the Gardens. The herb and fragrance garden was added to the gardens in 1978 and the bonsai garden in 1999. The Lake Merritt Gardens were renamed “Gardens at Lake Merritt” in 2004, and the Friends of the Gardens at Lake Merritt forms to merge with the Oakland East Bay Garden Center Inc. The non-profit managing Lake Merrit has a page with a three-part mini-documentary titled Gardens and Guardians, which is well worth seeing.