Photograph by Claire Takacs
Welcome to Innisfree
Come explore 185 acres of designed and wild spaces. Our visiting season begins when thousands of daffodils are in bloom in late April and continues through early November when the majestic fall colors reflect off Tyrrel Lake. We invite you to learn more about the natural world, the cultures that inspired Innisfree, and the art that Innisfree inspires through one of our special events and programs.
Created in the early 1930s by Walter and Marion Beck, and then through a sixty-year collaboration with landscape architect Lester Collins, Innisfree is a remarkable blend of Modernist and Romantic ideals with time-honored Chinese and Japanese garden design principles. Innisfree stands as a quintessentially American stroll garden, an exquisite composition that harmoniously blends elements of rock, water, wood, and sky with a rare sense of economy and grace.
What’s Happening in the Garden
Events and Programs
Innisfree offers a wide array of programs to share our rich and diverse story, from our virtual lecture series and daffodil viewing in early spring to concerts, thematic tastings, and special tours with scientists, naturalists, and artists.
Restoration Projects
The timeless vision and timely ideas of landscape architect Lester Collins call for unique preservation efforts. With support from generous donors, Innisfree has completed several major restoration projects—the first in the garden’s ninety-year history.
News
Recent accolades and support for Innisfree include a 2023 Dutchess Tourism Award of Distinction and a 2023 Technical Assistance Grant from the Preservation League of New York State—the first ever to a historic landscape.