"Very beautifully set gardens with plenty of seating areas, interesting plants and dominated by the ruins of what looks like an ancient abbey."
"Fantastic area to chill and relax. The scenery is great with all the flowers and plants, and there's a large animal life scene for those interested!"
"Vibrant green lawns, lovely plantings along winding paths, abbey ruins, stately buildings and an ice cream stop -- what more can one ask for!"
"Beautiful gardens very well maintained."
"Beautiful gardens and also currently a bird stall where you can meet and also carry either of these four birds on your arm for £4."
"These gardens are a jewel in the centre of York. Beautiful and well tended they include the historic ruins of St Mary's Abbey, the old Hospitium, an old astronomical observatory and the amazing Yorkshire Museum."
Cons:
"Only downside is it closes a little to early for us!"
"Some lovely old buildings in the park but nothing telling you about the buildings."
"Nice place for a picnic, but couldn't find any toilets."
"I couldn't see a playground or a cafe."
"It is a shame that there are no toilets in the park but there were some in the library nearby."
"Only complaint: it needs rubbish bins throughout."
"Be prepared to have a bag if you will be picking there for your rubbish as there didn't appear to be any bins!"
Wildlife and Nature
Pros:
"An added bonus for me was that there where lots of friendly squirrels that quite enjoyed the attention they were receiving."
"The black birds are quite welcoming too and the squirrels continue to collect for the winter regardless of us visitors, great to watch."
"Squirrels everywhere that do their thing, ignoring the people."
"Lots of squirrels and birds to watch, with seats that you can relax."
"Inside this place there is a park with plenty of squirrels and different plants."
"Love these gardens, lots to see not only plants but lots of wildlife, various birds and lots of cheeky squirrels."
"The wildlife are tame and adorable, wish I had something to feed them with."
Cons:
"Beautiful place: perhaps a few too many people wandering around, and without masks."
"Occasionally interrupted by teens or folks that can't just enjoy the tranquility but they're few and far between."
"One minus was that some couples took advantage of the beautiful holy place to do their own more-than-a-kiss business passionately."
"The 'owl display' is vile animal abuse, where spectators are invited to stand and gawp at a selection of owls and other birds tied to posts, within a crude tarpaulin fence enclosure."
"Really disappointed to see birds of prey being treated like exhibits within the museum grounds."
"It's a pitty they have owls in chain for pictures, this shouldn't be allowed anymore."
"Waste of money and even worse than the reviews!"
Facilities and Amenities
Pros:
"Lovely little ice cream van that does gluten free cones and dairy free ice cream."
"The entry to the garden is free but the Museum requires a ticket."
"Different food stalls, near the ice cream boat."
"Had a drink from the bike coffee company (by the entrance to the museum) which was good and reasonable price."
"Mobile food van available. Highly recommended!!"
"Inside of the park was a pop up drinks van and an ice cream van."
"Somewhere to relax or just watch the world go by. Tours are available with the gardeners look out for the signs. Lots to see from the hospice, roman tower and walls, saint Mary's abbey and the yorkshire museum. Within the gardens there's ice cream sellers, coffee and toilets."
Cons:
"I think £14.50 for a pensioner was expensive but on the other hand I did enjoy the lights as did my great niece and would visit again next year I would have given 5 stars if there had been a concession for pensioners."
"I thought the museum was a little pricey for what is available there and much preferred the castle museum."
"Food wasn't bad, staff very friendly, just couldn't understand the bill at the end."
"The Christmas night light gardens is a bit pricey to get in at £14.95 for adults."
"There's not enough seats, not enough bins, always really busy during summer with people smoking."
"Disappointed with the amenities on offer! The catering van was very slow to service the queue, and a lot of people turned around and walked away."
"My only down fall was the cafe very disappointing the specials they had when I ordered was told that was yesterday specials."