The fall and winter seasons don’t have the same reputation as that of spring, which yields blooming fields of bluebonnets, tulips, and all sorts of beautiful flora. But in Tyler, Texas, fall means roses. Known as the Rose Capital of America, the East Texas city just an hour and a half outside Dallas is home to the largest rose garden in the nation. Just a short drive east into the heart of the beautiful Piney Woods, Tyler offers the perfect blend of culture, history, and outdoor adventure to refresh your soul.
You can’t talk about Tyler without talking about the flower that defines it. Calling it a rose garden is a bit of an understatement. Spanning 14 acres, the Tyler Municipal Rose Garden is the largest public rose garden in the country, featuring over 38,000 rose bushes of over 600 varieties. Founded in 1912, the Tyler Municipal Rose Garden is also one of the oldest municipal rose gardens in the country.
Here, visitors can stroll through elegantly crafted formal gardens where precision and beauty meet—symmetrical layouts, graceful fountains, and perfectly trimmed hedges create an atmosphere of timeless charm. It’s a peaceful haven ideal for reflection or capturing the garden’s artistry through the lens.
Each year, the city hosts its famed Texas Rose Festival in the third week of October. The festival regularly draws thousands of tourists to Tyler each year, featuring a parade, coronation of a Rose Queen, and more rosy festivities.
While the festival has already passed, there’s still time to see the venue’s many roses in peak bloom over the next month. Visitors of the municipal garden are allowed to bring in their own food, and encouraged to have a cute picnic with the stunning rose backdrop.
While you’re there, you owe to yourself to stop by the on-site Tyler Rose Museum to marvel at the gorgeous historical gowns and memorabilia from past Rose Festival Queens.
The gardens reach peak bloom in October and in May. If visiting during the spring, we also recommend taking a stroll down the Azalea and Spring Flower Trail. Here, visitors can wander along ten miles of historic streets augmented by thousands of blooming azaleas.
Visitors are now allowed to pick flowers.
The Tyler Municipal Rose Garden is located at 420 Rose Park Drive in Tyler, Texas. The garden is open from 8 am to 5 pm Monday through Friday, from 9 am to 5 pm on Saturdays, and from 1 pm to 5 pm on Sundays. Entry to the rose garden is absolutely free. Admission to the Tyler Rose Museum is priced at just $3.50 per person.