Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Forestiere Underground Gardens
BOTANICAL GARDENS
(
559-271-0734;
www.undergroundgardens.info
;
5021 W Shaw Ave; adult/child $15/7;
tours
10am-4pm hourly Wed-Sun May-Sep, reduced hr Oct-Apr)
If you see only one thing in Fresno, make it this intriguing historic landmark, two blocks
east of Hwy 99. The gardens are the singular result of Sicilian immigrant Baldassare
Forestiere, who dug out some 70 acres beneath the hardpan soil to plant citrus trees, start-
ing in 1906. This utterly fantastical accomplishment took him 40 years to complete.
With a unique skylight system, Forestiere created a beautiful subterranean space for
commercial crops and his own living quarters. The tunnel system includes bedrooms, a
library, patios, grottos and a fish pond. Check the website for tour times.
Tower Theatre
HISTORIC BUILDING
( 559-485-9050;
www.towertheaterfresno.com
;
815 E Olive Ave)
Fresno's
Tower District
began as a shopping mecca during the 1920s, gaining its name
from the Tower Theatre, a beautiful 1939 art-deco movie house. The theater is now a cen-
ter for the performing arts. Surrounding it are bookstores, boutiques, trendy restaurants
and coffeehouses, and therefore hipsters.
Fresno Art Museum
MUSEUM
(
559-441-4221;
www.fresnoartmuseum.org
; 2233 N 1st St; admission $5;
11am-5pm Fri-Sun, to
8pm Thu)
This museum has rotating exhibits of contemporary art - including work by local artists -
that are among the most intriguing in the valley.
Woodward Park
PARK
(
www.fresno.gov
; 7775 Friant Rd; per vehicle $5; 6am-10pm Apr-Oct, to 7pm Nov-Mar)
The city's largest park has 300 acres of barbecue facilities, lakes and ponds, a
Japanese
garden
(adult/child $3/50ยข) and a huge amphitheater for Shakespeare and other perform-
ances. A 6-mile network of bike trails connects to the
Lewis S Eaton Trail
, which runs 22
miles from the northeast corner along Friant Rd to Friant Dam.
Roeding Park
PARK
