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There is no place on earth richer in beauty, diversity, or history than Elizabeth Park. Located in Hartford and West Hartford, Connecticut, this 102-acre park is home to the oldest municipal rose gardens in the United States. The three gardens are entered through wide, rose-covered arches and framed with rose-covered fences and hedges. More than 800 varieties are typically grown, more than any other American location. Some of these are grown nowhere else in the world.

Though the rose gardens are its centerpiece and crowning glory, Elizabeth Park is a veritable botanical paradise. 11,000 tulips bloom each spring, and are then sold to the public. The tulip beds are then planted with annuals of all types, grown in greenhouses on the grounds. The Tree Trail boasts more than forty labeled specimens, many of which are designated as state champions by the Connecticut Botanical Society. Visitors also enjoy world-renowned herb, perennial, annuals, and rock gardens; planned pathways, bridges, and ponds; botanical tours and lectures; and extensive picnic and recreation areas. Few free urban landscapes are so carefully maintained or attract so many visitors.

The site was originally owned by financier and statesman Charles M. Pond, who was president of the Hartford National Bank and served as director of the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad, Hartford Hospital, and Phoenix Fire Insurance Company. He loved roses and trees, and planted many unusual varieties before bequeathing the property to the city of Hartford in 1894. The only stipulations were that it be named after his deceased wife Elizabeth, and be used as a horticultural park.

The city took possession in 1897 and hired the famous Olmsted and Son to landscape the new Elizabeth Park. Rather than copy the pastoral designs so prevalent then, it was decided to design a garden park that could be enjoyed by the masses. Olmsted and Son kept and built upon much of the original layout. They formed circular pathways around the historic trees, creating a pond system and room for later additions to the Tree Trail. They laid out the beginnings of the garden areas, and established a system of groomed and blooming paths for visitors.

Noted rosarian Theodore Wirth was hired in 1904 as the park's first superintendent, and served for many years. He designed and built the famed rose arches, which resemble those in the historic Botanical Garden in Padua, Italy and are still in use today. The eight arched pathways emanate

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