America's Best Garden Walk 2026: Meet the Winners
Posted by Woodland Tools Co. on 12th Jun 2026
Contest Results
After dozens of nominations from across the country, America has spoken. Here are the garden walks that captured the nation's heart in 2026.
Earlier this year, we set out to answer a question that had never really been asked on a national stage: which garden walk is America's best?
Garden walks are one of the most quietly powerful traditions in American communities. Neighbors open their gates, strangers wander through backyard sanctuaries, and entire neighborhoods transform into living galleries for a weekend. These events raise money for local causes, inspire thousands of new gardeners every year, and build the kind of community pride you cannot manufacture. Yet they go almost entirely unrecognized at the national level.
That is why we launched the inaugural America's Best Garden Walk Contest: a nationwide search to celebrate the inspiration, craftsmanship, and community spirit behind these events. We received dozens of nominations from across the country, and the quality was remarkable. Each one told the story of a community that comes together around growing things.
Today, we are thrilled to announce the winners.
The Winner: Experience Memphis Gardens
The 2026 America's Best Garden Walk is Experience Memphis Gardens, an expansive seven-week celebration organized by the Cooper-Young Garden Club.
What started as a neighborhood garden walk has grown into something extraordinary: a citywide event spanning 35 neighborhoods and more than 250 gardens. Visitors tour private gardens, business gardens, community gardens, cut flower farms, aquaponics setups, and even a railroad garden. Gardens of every style and size are included, from intimate urban retreats to sprawling country landscapes, from sophisticated plant collections to exuberant displays of old favorites.
As our Co-Founder and President Keegan Nesvacil put it, Experience Memphis Gardens did not just earn the most community nominations in the contest. It exemplifies the power of a garden walk to bring people together, inspire neighborhood pride, and transform communities.
The Cooper-Young Garden Club, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit, takes home a $5,000 grand prize, a Woodland Tools product bundle, and national bragging rights. Their mission goes beyond a single event: they aim to make Memphis a premier garden tourism destination while educating and inspiring visitors to beautify their own outdoor spaces.
Want to see it for yourself? Experience Memphis Gardens hosts its final weekend of the year June 12 through 14, 2026. If you are anywhere near Memphis right now, this is the weekend to go.
Second Place: Crete Women's Club Annual Garden Walk
Second place goes to the Crete Women's Club Annual Garden Walk in Crete, Illinois, an event celebrating its 35th year in 2026.
The Crete Garden Walk stood out for its grassroots origins and the deep community impact it has built over three and a half decades. There is something special about an event that has been lovingly sustained by a local women's club for 35 consecutive years, growing from a small community gathering into a beloved regional tradition.
Mark your calendar: The 35th Annual Crete Women's Club Garden Walk takes place July 8 through 9, 2026.
Third Place: Garden Walk Buffalo
Rounding out the top three is Garden Walk Buffalo in Buffalo, New York, widely regarded as one of the premier garden walk events in the nation.
Garden Walk Buffalo showcases more than 300 gardens and draws visitors from across the country year after year. It has become a model for what a garden walk can be at scale, proving that urban neighborhoods can become world-class garden destinations when a community commits to growing together.
Plan your visit: Garden Walk Buffalo is scheduled for July 25 through 26, 2026.
Why Garden Walks Matter
If you have never been to a garden walk, here is what makes them worth your weekend.
Garden walks are free or low-cost windows into the best private gardens in a community, gardens you would otherwise never see behind fences and hedgerows. They are masterclasses in regional gardening, showing you exactly what thrives in your climate and soil because it is thriving two streets over. They fund community beautification, school programs, and local nonprofits. And they turn neighborhoods into destinations, building local pride and even driving garden tourism.
Every garden on a walk represents hundreds of hours of pruning, planting, weeding, and care. As a company that builds the tools for that work, we see garden walks as the ultimate showcase of what dedicated growers can create. That is exactly why we created this contest, and why we plan to keep celebrating these events for years to come.
Find a Garden Walk Near You This Summer
The 2026 garden walk season is in full swing. Whether you make the trip to Memphis, Crete, or Buffalo, or discover an event in your own community, summer is the perfect time to experience one of these celebrations firsthand.
Going on a walk this summer? Tag us on Instagram at @woodlandtools or on Facebook as you post about your local garden walk. We love seeing the gardens that inspire you.
And to every garden club, neighborhood association, and volunteer crew that submitted a nomination this year: thank you. You reminded us why we do what we do.
Congratulations to Experience Memphis Gardens, the Crete Women's Club, and Garden Walk Buffalo. See you on the walk.