Another delightful site to visit in Montclair is the Van Vleck House and Gardens. Once a private estate, the house and its gardens were donated to The Montclair Foundation in 1993 by the heirs of Howard Van Vleck, who owned this Italianate villa. The house was built in 1916. While other homes once were on the estate as well, this is the only house that still remains.
The original main entrance to the house on Van Vleck Street.
The gardens are open to the public for free every day! No holiday closures! The lovely house is used as a center for nonprofit groups for meetings, events, and fundraisers. I actually saw people having a yoga class in one of the rooms! What a spectacular yoga studio! The windows overlook the gardens!
The house and gardens were a short walk from the Montclair Art Museum, just along Upper Mountain Avenue. Our visit came after several days of rain, so all the grass was lush. But the blooming season, except for the daffodils was not yet in progress. I think by the end of May these gardens will be stunning. When we saw them, everything was greening up, but not much was flowering.
The formal garden in the back of the house.
There are several walkways and levels of gardens. The formal gardens behind the main house are lovely. Staff members were setting up for an event when we were there, so we tried to stay out of the way. Although not much was blooming yet, it was a great place to get a good walk in a lovely setting.
One of my favorite spots.
The Upper Lawn had several stations to check out. You can download the Van Vleck house’ app and learn about the different areas using codes on the signs. I liked an area on the upper lawn that had many daffodils and a bird house. When you walk across the upper lawn, you come to the Mother’s Garden and then to a percola that was renovated.
At first, I was not sure if you were allowed to walk on the lawn, as there were no paths. But seeing the information signs across the way gave me some confidence that this was acceptable. Also the Garden Etiquette flyer we picked up at the Visitor Center, says, “Walk only on the pathways and grassy areas.” So we did!
The Visitor Center with an Ap sign.
The children’s butterfly garden should be lovely as well. It is located behind the Visitor Center. (Where there are good restrooms. Always important when walking.) I also liked the colorful signs with details about insects and disease impacting trees and what to look for that lined the path from the butterfly garden to the front of the Visitor Center. I was glad to see on the website that there are many children and family activities planned throughout the spring and summer.
The pavilion by the Tennis Garden.
We did not go on the Rhododendron Walk. It was somewhat muddy and damp, and I was not in the right shoes for that. However, I did enjoy the Tennis Court Garden, planted where the estate’s tennis court once stood. To the side is little pavilion. I could, in my mind, see people resting there between sets of tennis, or watching those playing while enjoying the shade.
I hope to go back to Montclair and visit the Van Vleck gardens when everything is in bloom!
To learn more about the gardens and home, go to: www.vanvleck.org
zicharonot 
Sounds lovely! It makes me happy when these gracious old estates are preserved and used for good purposes.