Gilroy Gardens Family Theme Park (formerly known as Bonfante Gardens) is a garden themed family theme park in Gilroy, California, United States. The park has 22 rides and five attractions, two of which are roller coasters. It is also home of the Circus Trees, created by Axel Erlandson. The park was designed and built by Michael Bonfante. It originally opened in June 2001. The park and the 536 acres it resides on is now owned by the City of Gilroy. The park was operated by Cedar Fair until the management contract expired at the end of 2021. Gilroy Gardens now operates the park on its own as a 501(c)(3) organization.
The park was founded by Michael and Claudia Bonfante after selling their Nob Hill Foods supermarket chain to build the park. The park was constructed gradually over a period of 25 years. Before it became an amusement park open to the public, it was known as Tree Haven, and was a commercial plant nursery, as well as a recreational facility for employees of Nob Hill Foods. The park opened to the public in June 2001 as Bonfante Gardens. The name was changed to Gilroy Gardens in February 2007. The park features 19 rides, 27 attractions and six gardens. The most well known garden features 24 Circus Trees that were grown and shaped with multiple trunks, basket-weave patterns, and hearts by the late Axel Erlandson.
Starting in 2004, the park began its annual holiday celebration, Gilroy Gardens Holiday Lights.
The park struggled with financial difficulty and low attendance during the first two years of operation. It closed early for its first two seasons and the park's management debated whether to open the park at all for the third season. Paramount Parks began to manage the park on contract starting with the 2003 season.
Gilroy Gardens operates under the management of Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, which acquired Paramount Parks from CBS Corporation on June 30, 2006.
The city of Gilroy purchased the park on March 5, 2008.
