This summer . a new multimillion-dollar attraction , Water Oasis will open .
“ Staying true to the original vision and demographic of the property , this new water feature would appeal to families with children eight and under who want another place to escape the Gilroy summer heat . This new feature could include Splash Pad spray ground , educational Water Journey , lounge chairs with shade structure , and children ’ s water slides into standing water with interactive water play components .” Gilroy Gardens Press Release February 2014 .
Tomorrow
The future of Gilroy Gardens looks good . As an amusement park , it is running in the black and holding its own . As 536 acres of city land , it has numerous possibilities . The Board of Directors of Gilroy Gardens is in the process of drawing up a “ master plan ” as Jay Baksa describes it . It is not a full-blown formal “ Master Plan ” but rather a Strategic Plan that aligns with the vision of the City ’ s Strategic Plan and includes conceptual land use with ideas on where the Park and the rest of the property might go . Ideally , the soon to open “ Water Oasis ” might only be phase one of a much larger family leisure expansion growing the Park ’ s target from 8 to 12 years of age . Some of the remaining acres might be opened as a public park and the 350 acres of open space could offer limited “ wilderness ” activities like hiking and trail riding . The current Gilroy Gardens uses only about 86 acres of the total 536-acre property . There might even be room for a “ zip line ” course . There are some preliminary plans to connect the levee trail from the sports center in south Gilroy all the way to Gilroy Gardens .
Some of the area closer to the highway might be opened as a “ visitor serving area ” with things like a hotel and meeting center with easy access to local wineries . In the next few months the Gilroy Gardens Board of Directors will finalize their Strategic Plan and Conceptual Land Use and present them to the Gilroy City Council .
The Gardens encourages family picnicking and provides two shaded picnic areas near the entrance where guests , families and students can eat : one is located by the Members Processing Center and the other is to the right of the entrance and ticket booths at the Front Gate .
“ I think it ’ s an option that would give the city ownership of the park . This thing would be equivalent to Golden Gate Park in San Francisco or Central Park in New York . It will be reserved forever for the city of Gilroy , for our citizens . That ’ s some of the most beautiful land in the city .” Dion Bracco , Gilroy City Council ( discussion to purchase Bonfante Gardens in 2007 ),
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