This educational garden and performance space takes the idea of compact gardening to a whole new level. On just over ¼-acre of sloping ground, the garden packs in an orchard, vegetable gardens, a grape arbor, a pond and stream, a labyrinth, an amphitheater, a solar-powered fountain and—safely in the back—a beehive. The event schedule is just as jam-packed. All of it is the work of a horde of volunteers that created the center in 1994 with the support of the City.

All are welcome to help garden or simply sit here. Meanwhile, numerous hands-on, after-school and vacation programs teach youths about science and nature. Special events also bring farm life to the city with activities such as maple syrup making and apple pressing. A busy arts calendar features concerts, dance, art shows, theater, storytelling and the occasional fanciful event like Fairy Night, where children don wings and flit about the greenery. If a volunteer can think of it, the garden will likely host it.

Others come to calm their minds at meditation groups or labyrinth walks. One thing we should all contemplate while there: this space was once just a steep sand pit on the former site of Southern Junior High. But once a few residents planted the seed—and rolled up their sleeves to tend it—it grew into a significant community resource.