Matterhorn is a Wonderful Place for a Day Trip, Gardens, Ponds, Animals, Cafe and More

About 45 minutes from Manhatten is what is basically the botanical gardens and more.It's called Matterhorn Nursery. Located in SPring Valley, New York it is a must see place. Bring the kids, bring the whole family. Matterhorn is 38 acres of wonderment. It built along the lines of a European village with many little shops, a cafe and antiques. When you drive in and start walking yo may be greeted by Max, the Golden Retriever or one of his "staff", Marley, Montana (taster of treatsor the watch cat ,Moe Horn. ). The parking is excellent, plenty of space.

There are three Matterhorn locations, one in Sugarloaf, N.Y. and another in Elmira N.Y. Matt and Rose horn have run Matterhorn since 1981.

As you enter you will walk over a bridge that runs across a lovely stream where you might see turtles and will definately see fish. You walk past the miniature railroad village. A small train on tracks runs through a mini village with tiny plants ,all labelled. At Christmas this is all lit up. The children love this.

Next you will see the gift shop where they sell unusual gifts, botanicals, soaps and candles.Gift certificates are available to any part of Matterhorn. Matterhorn delivers. Walk through this and you can see the Cafe. You can get nice coffes, interesting cookies, snacks and then sit woutside and enjoy the view. Then you can decide on what you will want to see next. Matterhorn offers a Garden Shop, Gift Shop, Country Florist, you can order flowers, get flower advice or do a wedding, A Bird Pavilion where you will see hundreds of birdhouses, feeders, nest boxes, and you can purchase bird food and videos or books about birds here. There is an Aquatic Center with state of the art pond materials, books on ponding, a large selection of Koi, Lillies, pond tools and plant supplies. Stop in at the Design Center if you need help planning a garden or landcaping an entire home. Matternhorn offers complete landscaping. Charlotte's Web is a must see. Named after Matt's mom it is full of tin signs, wheel barrows, antique lawn items, glass bottles and old English gardenware. You can buy beautful furniture here as well. Many of the Matterhorn items have beenfeatured on QVC., special plants including the Matterhorn Growth Line. There is the Hot Tub Cove and Life on the Fine Wine Shop. Wine Tastings are offered. The Conservatory offers Bonsai, Cacti, houseplants, pots large and small and two Koi ponds which the kids would love. You can feed the Koi they are the size of small puppies.

Matterhorn has landscaped for MAcy's, Rockerfeller Cener and the David Austen Rose Garden. Matterhorn also offers pools and pool design through San Juan Pools.

There are buildings with all the garden tools you'll ever need. Books galore are available for any area of gardening you might need information on and the staff is always willing to stop and answer questions. Take a break get something to nibble on from the cafe and sit at one of the outdoor tables. There is an enormous pond you can take your food to and watch the geese or feed them. There is so much to do here it's a wonderful day trip, great for children, great for families. You can spend hours here just enjoying the different plant displays, browsing the garden ornaments and feeding the Koi.

The Gardens offer the Rose Garden, Fern Garden, Hosta Garden and Matt's Folly Garden with its crumbling monster topiary. There are formal gardens, fragrant gardens & English rose gardens.

I'm not sure if they still offer a petting zoo but on several of my trips there they had enormous pigs, goats and some llamas.

This pond which is more like a lake is a stunning place for wedding photography or hobby photographers.You can rent the Rose Cottage and plan out 2 hour sessions for your wedding photos. Matterhorn offers it's ground for weddings, bar mitvahs or other celebrations. It's a fabulous place tohold a ceremony. The bridges, Koi, Geese, charming bridges and ever blooming gardens make for a fantastic back drop.

As you walk around the gardens you will notice every single plant is labelled and the staff will give you any information you need on whatever plant you have questions about. By the way, the entire place is wheelchair accessible, the bathroom is not.

Matterhorn has a calendar of special events: Wine Tasting, Holiday parties, Table Decorating Courses and more.Special events are run all year around.

Whether you're landcaping your home o just want a fun day with the kids Matterhorn is a must see.