James P. Kelleher Rose Garden

Such a hidden gem in the city! The James P. Kelleher Rose Garden is a small but beautiful spot tucked away near the Fenway area. Even though it’s not very big, it’s filled with hundreds of different kinds of roses—all in so many colors and varieties. The smell is amazing when they’re in full bloom, and it’s the perfect peaceful place for a short walk, quiet break, or just to enjoy some nature in the city. Great for taking photos too. If you’re in Boston during rose season, definitely worth a visit!

Amazing place! It truly felt surreal! I love animals but I agree that they shouldn't be allowed here though. Also, the kinds of roses here... I thought some of those only exict on the TV, I couldn't believe my senses. The scent, the atmosphere... you just can't describe it with words.

Experience this garden in June and you won’t forget the moments spent wandering the paths and smelling all the roses with each step! The central water feature is so calm and soothing while the grassy expensive lawn offers a quiet respite contrasting to all the beautiful bloom surrounding it!

A must visit in June! Perfect time to enjoy rose! You better dress up for best profile photos! 💕😉 i forgot the time! Rose fragrance attracts everyone there.

It was a beautiful place with many varieties of roses. We enjoyed walking around the garden. The pics were from June 15/2025

The roses were all gone when we went, probably due to rain, but I could imagine how nice it’d be when the roses bloom. It’s a shamed that there’s were too much dog poo 💩 in the park, in comparison, Boston common is very well kept, just my experience

Beautiful rose garden! A must see in Boston during the month of June. Pics on my ig: @anishaespinosa

My favorite Boston place! Great space to read, to stay, to breathe. It has more than 100 roses varieties from all over the world.

Late May early June is the ideal time to visit the rose garden for the first blooms of the season.

Hidden gem right in the back bay fens. There are roses blooming from summer through fall. Really nice garden to take a stroll and it's completely free.

2022 season review 7am - 5pm, May - October. With bloom potential 3 seasons of the year, we spied only a handful or so mid May, and more on subsequent visits. Arches blossomed in turn, as the entire garden was never in full regalia all at once. We weren't the most observant and it wasn't till late June that we realized the lady statue was missing her hands. This isn't a large garden by any means. But it is a nice oasis in the city.

AN ABSOLUTELY MUST DO MUST DO! 4 & 1/2 STARS! A FREE EVENT & FREE PARKING if you come here on Sundays & Park at the meters at the Museum. It's Time to jump into The TimeMobile & scour the Earth & take you to places from a different time that you won't believe still exist. We have set the dial to 1930 in the town of Boston MA @ The James P Kelleher Rose Garden. This is one of Boston's Secret Hidden Gems that is right in the heart of the city but off the beaten path. It is completely Hidden from view that passerby's on foot & by car don't see. This place is part of what's called the Emerald Necklace. It is a great spot to relax, check out the flowers & have a picnic on green grass & trees which are right next door. The Kelleher Rose Garden is located just a few minutes walking distance behind Boston's Museum of Fine Arts in the Back Bay Fens section. You can park at the meters all around the museum for Free there on Sunday. Park & walk across the street behind the museum, across the Bridge & the River & in a few minutes you are there. This is a beautiful medium size Formal English Flower Garden with more than 1500 Roses that was established in 1930. It was designed by Arthur Shurcliff, a Boston landscape architect who had worked for Frederick Law Olmsted, who designed the Fens as well as New York's Famous Central Park. Be sure to check out the wide variety of roses, the greenery, the Arches, the Fountain, & the view of the Museum. There's also a reproduction of the famous Desconsol Statue - a gift from Boston's sister city Barcelona in Spain. It was designed by Catalan sculptor Josep Llimona. Also scope out the Julia Child Flower the famous chef who lived in Boston. She's got her own flower as well as The Home Run flower dedicated to Baseball. You can walk all around the perimeter & see pretty much everything even when the gate is closed. This is a great place to bring a picnic basket or cooler & blanket & have a Spring, Summer or Fall Picnic. There's also a great view of The Prudential Building & The John Hancock Tower 2 of the tallest buildings in Boston. There's green grass & trees you can sit under too - what a picturesque natural setting. You can also walk to the George Robert White Veterans Memorial Park that is a tribute to our fallen soldiers which is right next door which is also a Freebie. And if you want to walk a bit farther down there's the Fenway Victory Gardens which is also another place to check out that's also another Freebie in the Fenway area. Also check out the Agassiz Bridge a beautiful old arched bridge. And yes that's Free too! Check out my individual reviews of each of those places as well. You'll experience Hours of Relaxing, Picnicking, Looking at Beautiful Flowers & Nature Walking for Zero Dollars for the whole day. It used to be, you had to have Mega Bucks & be really rich to have the Good Life, not anymore. The Game has changed. You've been Upgraded. Now You Can Live Like a King on a Limited Budget!

Gorgeous rose garden. People were respectful and distancing and/or wearing masks. Flowers were fragrant and colorful. Love the little placards with info about the flowers. FYI no dogs allowed inside, unfortunate but understandable!

covid review: in town and looking for something free to do? here you go. its very pretty and nice to check out. you can relax on a bench or just walk around and take in all the flowers and foilage. parking sucks, sucks! keep that in mind. good way to kill an hour.

Delicate rose garden in twin. Each kind of roses has their own names! How amazing Love the way they structured the arches around the fountain and you could walk it through. With all those definitely a nice place to photograph as well!

Free garden that's nearby the Isabella Gardner museum & Museum of Fine arts. Make sure to make a detour when you are around the areA Currently (June 23rd) the roses are in bloom and the small area looks great! Stop by, smell the roses and take some pictures underneath the rose laden walkways.

Just a beautiful place,so calm and peaceful!! I love the flowers and the fountain!! If you're in boston you have to go!!!

Beautiful rose garden situated next to the park in Back Bay Fens. I am happy to bestow my 100th review to the James P Kelleher Rose Garden :) Pamphlets are available at the entrance which was informative and surprisingly offered. Apparently the area used to be wetlands and it was only after the damming of the Charles River in 1910 that changed the entire landscape of the area. There's a circular courtyard once you enter with a fountain in the middle. Around the courtyard are multiple metal arches with gorgeous assortments of roses and flowers draping over them. Last time I was here was 2 years ago and the flowers appeared to be in peak bloom in July. It's June now and a lot seemed to be withering or dying off. Not sure when is the peak time, but my best bet is probably March-May. I'd say this is a perfect place for a proposal. It oozes romance. Wish I had a boy friend to come here with hehe! There was a couple doing engagement shots. Each flora has a metal name tag and some of them have interesting names. Refer to my pics and you'll know what I mean. I have a hunch some of the people responsible in naming them were foodies. There are volunteering opportunities available if interested to tend to the garden @ www.emeraldnecklace.org/volunteer This place is a gem.

This is a great romantic place to discover. It's full of roses and it even has labels. It feels like it was a secret garden in the middle of the city. It has benches around so you can be comfortable with a book or a meal. Great new find!

Hidden gym in the Fenway area... It's secluded and if you don't know where it is u won't find it... From outside looks like any other part of the park (and most ppl just go to/walk-about the Fenway Victory Gardens and/or Back Bay Fens and think that's it) and the actual inside view is blocked by pretty high hedges... On the inside it's a superb garden of flowers (90% roses), maintained exceptionally well & a small park with walkways all around the garden to catch the amazing blooms.. A very intimate, personal setting, great for dates, me time, painting/sketching or photography... A must visit during summer times (especially April)...

This place is stunningly beautiful especially in the spring when all the flowers are blooming. It's located right at the beach and they serve food and drinks during the warm weather.

So gorgeous and quiet here! There's little benches that are covered from the sun to sit and and they keep the garden so tidy!

I like to call this the "Secret Garden". I just moved to the neighborhood a few months ago in the winter, and was blessed to have this rose garden in my front yard. There is a beautiful statue of a woman in the back, it's so sad and emotional, and I'm seriously the least artsy/art-appreciative person on the planet. All the flowers/roses are labeled, and most of them smell soooo good. This would be a great "surprise" to take your female date, or maybe propose. OMG, I can't believe I found this. They even have a groundskeeper during the day who is really friendly. This is one of the many, many reasons I am in love with Boston.

The Rose Garden is something I never would have found on my own. I was accompanying my out-of-town parents on an Urban Adventours bike tour, and they stopped here. It's so beautiful! Lots of weird and different flowers, and of course TONS of roses. We went in mid-June, and everything was in full bloom. It's over-the-top romantic, and absolutely beautiful.

One of my absolute favorite places since moving to Boston over a year ago. Come here to view the roses, read a book, or just relax. So beautiful and calming. Most of the time a very quiet and peaceful place.

I try to come here every year at peak time in May-June. It is a "hidden" gem within the Back Bay Fenway Park (not the ball park). So serene and peaceful to be here. There are lots of variety of roses to enjoy and the whole place very well kept. It has benches and it is a great place to bring a book to read while smelling the roses.