From Wonderland To Jurassic Park: Before And After Photos Of Minter Gardens

Minter Gardens first opened in 1980 in Chilliwack BC, Canada.

It attracted many tourists with its 32 acres of gardens.

I first visited Minter Gardens in 2011 and instantly fell in love. It felt like Wonderland to me and as you can tell from some of my before images I used that inspirations to take photos of my daughter.

The gardens closed down in the fall of 2013. For most of the time since it had sat with its fate undecided. Recently the property has started development for a subdivision. Even though I had recently moved away I decided to make a trip back to Chilliwack and say goodbye to my favorite place before it was gone forever.

What once reminded me of Wonderland, now felt like I was lost in Jurassic Park. The abandoned gardens were overgrown, dilapidated, and at points scary. We even stumbled across some animal bones.

It felt surreal to experience the loss of such beauty in such a striking way. Being able to see a place like that in its prime as well as years after it had been abandoned is probably a once in a lifetime experience. Minter Gardens forever impacted my imagination, and inspired me in ways I cannot even begin to describe, not only in its days of pristine grace, but also in its state of disrepair. Something about it still held an air of magic.