International Peace Gardens – Salt Lake City’s Salute to the World
The International Peace Gardens are Salt Lake City’s salute to the world. This west-side attraction features lush flowers, striking art, and a towering replica of the Matterhorn.
But the park also shows its age. There are muddy paths, gunky water in the Swiss garden, and exposed screw heads in the Japanese footbridge. A first-term council member is working to improve the gardens, which rest in his district. Read this first!
The History
Founded in 1939 as a citizenship project and lesson in world peace, the International Peace Gardens were built to encourage cultural tolerance. Today 28 nations have garden plots where visitors can find plants, architecture, and statues symbolic of the nation’s homeland.
The gardens are located along the Jordan River at 900 West and 1000 South in Jordan Park. They feature a wide variety of trees and shrubs, including alpine edelweiss from Switzerland, magnolias from China, oaks from the American Southwest, thirty types of Swedish lilacs, and English unique varieties.
The gardens are open daily from dawn until dusk. Admission is free and dogs on leash are welcome. Special tours are available by appointment and weddings, picnics and memorials can be held in the designated areas. Cultural events like the Swedish Summer Frolic and Norwegian Independence Day parade are also hosted here.
The Gardens
The International Peace Gardens at 900 West 1000 South in Jordan Park are 11 acres of serene, harmonious landscaped gardens that symbolize the true spirit of democracy and world peace, brotherly love, history, literature, and the cultural heritage of many lands. Founded in 1939 by Mrs. Otto Wiesley, the citizen chair of the Salt Lake Council of Women, the garden was slated to open in 1947 but was delayed by World War II. It was completed in 1952 as one of two International Peace Gardens in the United States.
The gardens are divided into 28 sections representing various countries of the world. Each section has a representation of the country’s architecture, plants, and flowers.
The gardens are accessible to pedestrians, wheelchairs, and leashed pets. They are also available for weddings and picnics. This year, the west side’s International Peace Gardens will receive much-needed TLC from a capital improvement program that city representatives say will tidy up trails, improve transportation, and make streets safer. A must-see place!
The Sculptures
International Peace Gardens is a beautiful park with statues and monuments representing all of the countries in the world. These are accompanied by placards that explain small details about the culture of each country. Some of the sculptures have been damaged by vandalism in the past, so make sure to check before you go if you plan on taking pictures.
During the garden’s heyday, each nation’s plot had plants native to that country and its culture. Switzerland grew Alpine Edelweiss, China had magnolia trees (a symbol of peace), and Sweden featured 30 types of Swedish lilacs.
Today, 28 nations are represented at the gardens. Each participating Utah-based nation group is allotted a garden where they create and maintain a plot with native plantings, garden architecture, and statues that reflect their homeland’s culture.
Visitors can walk through the gardens on a paved path that’s wheelchair-friendly, stroller-friendly, and open to leashed dogs. They can also visit the Plum Pavillion, Grecian columns, and Japanese footbridge.
The Festival
The garden celebrates the beauty of nations around the world and teaches people to appreciate diversity. It’s open seven days a week year-round. Flowers bloom from May through October. During the annual festival held in August, participants dress in traditional costumes and entertain visitors with music, dance, food, and boutique items for sale.
This hidden gem, tucked in the west side of Jordan Park, is free to stroll from dawn until dusk. It’s wheelchair-accessible and welcoming to children, leashed dogs, and bikers, too.
A paved path leads walkers through the gardens, which are arranged as plots for 28 countries. Each participating Utah-based nation group has a section to beautify at their own expense. The gardens symbolize the true spirit of democracy and world peace, brotherly love, history, literature, and cultural heritage from many lands. Weddings and memorials are also held in the garden. Up next is International Peace Gardens.
Driving directions from Accuracy Automotive Service and Repair to International Peace Gardens
Driving directions from International Peace Gardens to Gary C. Swensen and Valley Regional Park