Weathered wooden entrance sign reading 日本庭園 (Nihon Teien) — North Alabama Japanese Garden, framed by bamboo and Japanese maple Photo: Stephen Pyle · 5th Monday Studios

North Alabama Japanese Garden

A bit of Japan in Alabama since 1988.
Tended by volunteers in Monte Sano State Park, Huntsville.

Hours 8 AM – sunset daily (Monte Sano State Park hours)
Admission Free with park entry ($5 adult, $2 child/senior)

Hidden just off the road in Monte Sano State Park, this garden began as one man's hobby in a boggy corner of the mountain. Over thirty years later, it holds a tea house, a pond, red bridges, bamboo paths, and 24 haiku carved in stone. It is small and quiet and worth the walk.

Plan Your Visit Explore the Garden

The Tea House

Completed in 1993, the open-air tea house serves as the setting for traditional tea ceremonies during the Spring Festival and Autumn Celebration.

The Garden's Story

The Haiku Path

Twenty-four stones along a walking path, each etched with an original haiku by local poets, including Terri L. French and Peggy Hale Bilbro. Poems inspired by what grows and lives on this mountain.

Stone 1

morning mist a deeper sink into solitude

— Terri French
Read All 24 Haiku

The Garden Needs You

The North Alabama Japanese Garden Foundation maintains and improves the garden through volunteer labor and community support.

Volunteer Donate