July 15, 2025 (Utica, NY) – GreenUtica, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, announces a FREE community event, the GreenUtica Garden Tour, presented by Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, on Saturday, August 16.
Home gardens in neighborhoods throughout the City of Utica will be open for viewing from 10 am – 3 pm with a tour map to guide the way. Registration and map pick-up will take place at GreenUtica’s office at 1641 Genesee Street from 9:30 am on the day of the tour. To make the process smoother, pre-registration is encouraged at www.greenutica.org/events/greenutica-garden-tour-2025/.
This year, Danny Beaver, Munson’s grounds keeper, will lead a special VIP tour of the museum’s grounds at 9:00 am before the neighborhood tour begins at 10. Danny will talk about Munson’s major new landscaping installation, notable trees, gardens, and plantings. Pre-registration at www.greenutica.org/events/greenutica-garden-tour-2025 is required for this exclusive event. Maps for the neighborhood tours will be available at Munson.
The general tour of home gardens in the downtown area, North Utica, West Utica, and South Utica will give tour goers an opportunity to explore a variety of gardens in the area while learning about different gardening and landscaping techniques from the host gardeners. All locations are designated on the tour map and by lawn signs at the homes.
“Not only is this a great gardening community-building event, but it also promotes the healthy aspects of both gardening and being outdoors,” Gina Pearce, executive director at GreenUtica, said. “Planting and tending to trees, shrubs, vegetables, and flowers have incredible mental and physical benefits and a positive impact on our environment. We appreciate that our presenting sponsor, Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, also believes in the healthy-living aspect of gardening.
According to Pearce, the short-term goal for the GreenUtica Garden Tour is to celebrate the art of gardening while creating a sense of community and enthusiasm for the pastime. The long-term goals include growing the event while teaching more people how to garden, celebrating our city, attracting tourism, and increasing civic pride—all resulting in enhanced quality of life in Utica and Oneida County.
GreenUtica’s mission is to maintain and beautify Utica’s parks and natural environment. GreenUtica has a 20+ year history of preserving and maintaining historic parks in Utica, planting and maintaining flowers on the Memorial Parkway, and planting trees.
For information, contact Gina Pearce at 315-794-4792 or gpearce@greenutica.org or visit greenuticagardentour.org.
