The Charlotte Partridge Ordway Japanese Garden: Como Review

A post discussing my experience at the The Charlotte Partridge Ordway Japanese Garden at Como in St. Paul, MN in October of 2021.

This post is part of a Como Review series from a visit in October 2021. You can read the first portion detailing the Zoo here, the second part covering the Visitor Center and Tropical Encounters Exhibit here, and the third post covering the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory portion here. The fourth post covering the Ordway Gardens Bonsai Collection can be found here. This post will cover The Charlotte Partridge Ordway Japanese Garden.

You might recognize the back of the human in the left photo from previous images. This is just a friendly reminder to be aware of your surroundings and not stop to block the bottleneck entrance space while there are people directly behind you. If I recall correctly, we ultimately had to squeeze through between this person and the posts on the right to keep on our way.

Once you’ve gone through the indoor and outdoor portions of the Bonsai Collection, the path will lead you into The Charlotte Partridge Ordway Japanese Garden. You can also access the path to this outdoor garden directly without having to go through any other portions of Como.

A collection of signs throughout the garden. Most of them say STAY ON PATH.

I might be just a nerd, but I appreciate all the signage around Como, and the Japanese Garden is no exception. In fact, I kind of wish that these signs were in more languages to be more inclusive of other visitors. It would be fitting if every sign was both in English and Japanese.

Besides signs on posts, there are also some on the rocks in the garden including this one.

A sign that deserves its own image is the plaque on a stone in some English and some Japanese that says in part: IN COMMEMORATION OF THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ST. PAUL-NAGASAKI SISTER CITY RELATIONSHIP MAY OUR FRIENDSHIP GROW AND PROSPER! 1995. 8. 20

There may be more than just these three stone garden lanterns. Maybe I’ll ask them next time I am there or try to find more.

Besides the signage about the grounds, you’ll also notice some stone garden lanterns intermingled throughout. From my brief research trying to accurately describe them, I believe these qualify as Kasuga-dōrō. (If not, let me know in the comments.)

While I can personally traverse the different surfaces along this path, others may not be able to navigate the variety of textures. Along with the shade from the greenery all around, there may be depth perception or vertigo issues to account for as well.

There are various ways to explore the Japanese Garden once you’ve entered. There are no signs advising to go one-way or any particular way at that. The path itself also varies between flat asphalt/concrete, gravel, wood, and stone.

If you have a tendency to roll your ankles, you might want to avoid the curvy rock paths. There are flat stone slabs and medium-sized rocks you can walk on to go in different directions in the garden.

There are parts of the garden where you can get very close to the water features by walking on stones. If you require mobility aids or assistance with walking, there will be spaces that you may not be able to access.

Because this visit was in the fall, the foliage is in a variety of colors including green, yellow, orange, and red. There are also fallen leaves throughout the water and grounds too.

There are various spots to sit or stand away from others where you can view the water. I believe there is at least one bench down near the water to sit and rest (although, I do not have any images of it from my trip.)

One day I aspire to know the names of the various trees and plants in this garden. I don’t even know what kind of stones these are.

Also, basically everywhere you look there are trees, shrubs, and greenery to revere.

A picturesque image of the Japanese garden with a bright blue cloudless sky and still water.

The above photo is my favorite one from our trip on this day. The combination of water, trees, and stones is very soothing. Not having any humans close by was a bonus too!

I’m unsure exactly what Como uses this Tea House for, but the wooden path up to and around it seems to be well-kept. The archways are nice features too.

After you’ve had your fill of the scenic beauty of the garden, you can get a glimpse of the Tea House as you are headed out of the area. I don’t remember ever going inside as it is almost always closed when I visit, but I have a vague recollection of being able to look inside at one point.

I was going to link to the Zonta Club of Saint Paul, but I could only find the Minneapolis one.

Another sign deserving of its own image is this one carved into a rock that says FUNDS FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF THIS TEA HOUSE WERE DONATED BY THE ZONTA CLUB OF SAINT PAUL NOVEMBER 5 1988

I don’t believe there are any brick portions of the path within the Japanese Garden, but this brick patio with ten chairs with arms is just beyond the exit.

Once you’ve exited The Charlotte Partridge Ordway Japanese Garden, there are chairs for you to rest and both trash and recycling receptacles for anything you’ve held onto and kindly not littered in nature.

Even though there is a penguin on this Thanks for coming! Exit Only sign at the exit, to be clear, there are no penguins in the Japanese Garden. You’ll have to head over to the zoo portion to see them.

This concludes the Como Review posts from my visit in October of 2021. Thank you for exploring the different areas with me through these written entries. I didn’t intend to recreate what a visit would be like step-by-step but rather to set the expectations of what you could reliably predict your visit would be like without giving away all the glorious specifics that firsthand experiences can provide. Hopefully these posts have given you enough details to determine if visiting Como will be an enjoyable experience for you! It is one of my favorite places to visit, and I hope to attend again very soon.

~The Overstimulated