The Grotto
Overview
Expert Summary
Detailed Insights
The Grotto is a beautiful and peaceful spiritual sanctuary, highly valued for its stunning gardens, intricate sculptures, and serene atmosphere. It offers a unique blend of natural beauty and religious significance, appreciated by both devout visitors and those simply seeking tranquility or architectural/horticultural beauty. Key attractions include an accessible main shrine (free), extensive upper gardens (paid access), a meditation hall, and a walking meditation labyrinth. It also provides daily masses and offers different cultural backgrounds during religious services.
Key Highlights
- ✓The big shrine is accessible for free, offering spiritual and visual beauty without cost.
- ✓Upper gardens, requiring a token or payment, are highly recommended for their amazing beauty, plants, and sculptures.
- ✓Features a wonderful meditation hall and a walking meditation labyrinth, described as an 'ingenious tool for entering the Now'.
- ✓The entire place radiates with a peace and stillness, providing a quiet chapel for prayer and reflection.
- ✓Offers daily masses and religious services, including those with different cultural backgrounds (e.g., Easter service).
- ✓Every spot, area, and section is noted for its beautiful scenery and thought-provoking sculptures.
- ✓Visitors can write prayer requests in the museum next to the gift shop, to be prayed for by a priest.
Standout Features
- ⭐Amazing and beautiful gardens, highly recommended for their serenity and visual appeal.
- ⭐The walking meditation labyrinth offers a unique and engaging spiritual experience.
- ⭐A peaceful and still atmosphere, ideal for quiet contemplation and reflection.
- ⭐Elevator access available to reach upper gardens and other areas, enhancing accessibility.
- ⭐On-site gift shop where tickets can be purchased and candles are sold.
- ⭐A small museum next to the gift shop, offering the unique feature of submitting prayer requests.
Perfect For
Ideal For
💡Pro Tips from Reviews
- →Visit on a Monday afternoon to experience fewer crowds and a more peaceful environment.
- →Strongly consider paying to access the upper gardens for the full experience, as they are highly praised.
- →Arrive well ahead of time, especially during weekends, holidays, or for services, to secure parking.
- →Utilize the elevator for easier access to different levels and sections of the Grotto.
- →Take time to engage with the walking meditation labyrinth for a unique and calming experience.
- →If interested in spiritual aspects, visit the chapel for prayer or utilize the prayer request service in the museum.
Things to Consider
- ⚠Parking can be very busy and hard to find sometimes, especially during peak hours or services.
- ⚠It requires arriving ahead of time to secure parking.
Price & Value
The Grotto offers a layered pricing structure: the big shrine is accessible for free, providing significant value for budget-conscious visitors. Access to the upper gardens and other sections requires a 'token' or a purchased ticket (bought in the gift shop), implying a moderate fee for enhanced experiences. This tiered system allows visitors to choose their level of engagement and cost, with the paid gardens consistently highlighted as being worth the investment.
♿Accessibility & Special Needs
- •An elevator is available to access upper garden areas, facilitating movement for all visitors.
- •The venue offers 'Lots of wheelchair accessible spaces' for parking, indicating a commitment to accommodating individuals with mobility needs.
🍎Food & Drink Policy
- •No information regarding food and drink policies was mentioned in the provided reviews.
🚗Parking Info
- •An on-site parking lot is available.
- •Parking can be easy at times but 'gets very busy sometimes so hard to find parking sometimes'.
- •It is strongly advised to 'arrive ahead of time to find parking', particularly during peak events or services.
- •Features 'Lots of wheelchair accessible spaces' in the parking area.
👥Crowd Levels
- •Generally quiet on a 'Monday afternoon', with 'not too many people'.
- •Can be 'pretty busy' at times, suggesting moderate to high crowds.
- •Parking 'gets very busy sometimes', indicating high crowd levels during peak times or events.
- •Implied to be busy during services or special events, necessitating early arrival for parking.
🛡️Safety Features
- •No specific safety features were mentioned in the provided reviews.
⏰When to Avoid
- • Peak hours, weekends, or major service times if you want to avoid crowded parking lots and potentially higher foot traffic.
- • If your children primarily need active play spaces or high-energy entertainment, as the venue focuses on quiet appreciation and spiritual contemplation rather than playgrounds.
Pricing/Package/Events
Pricing & Packages
Annual Garden Pass
Events & Schedule
Special Events(Last 2 months - Next 6 months)
Red Cross Blood Drive
September 29th, 2025 | 10:00 AM, October 3rd, 2025 (time not specified beyond date)
Donation
Partnering with the American Red Cross to give back to the community; each donation can save up to three lives. Held at The Grotto.
Jubilee 2025 – Pilgrims of Hope
2025
Includes Pilgrimage to The Grotto, The Jubilee Prayer, and The Grotto’s 2025 Calendar of Holy Days and Special Events.
Christmas Festival of Lights
What People Say
What's Great
- Spacious play areas (mentioned in 3 reviews)
Areas for Improvement
- Parking can be challenging (mentioned in 4 reviews)
Recent Reviews
Britney Bee
in the last weekSuch a beautiful and peaceful place. We went on a Monday afternoon, there weren't too many people there. They gave us a little token to enter the upper garden. But the big shrine is accessible for free. So many beautiful plants and sculptures throughout. I'm not a very religious person, but still can appreciate the thought and beauty that's put into this place. Highly recommend.
Hannah C
2 weeks agoVery nice and peaceful place, highly recommended paying to check out the gardens. It was pretty busy but found parking easy in lot ( gets very busy sometimes so hard to find parking sometimes) walked around for at least an hour, great for kids and adults. Chapel is quiet and nice to pray. Will be back definitely. They have daily masses there.
Ryan Litow
a week agoI’ve been to churches and religious buildings in several countries, including Italy, Mexico, Guatemala, and Ecuador; this was by far the coolest place I’ve ever been in regards to a Christian religious location. The gardens were amazing, and the meditation hall was wonderful. The entire place radiates with a peace and stillness that can only be found in nature, and the walking meditation labyrinth is one of the most ingenious tools for entering the Now that I’ve ever practiced with. Can’t recommend this place enough.
Mariela Caldera
3 weeks agoThis is a beautiful place. You buy your ticket inside the gift shop and to up to the elevator outside. Every spot, area, and section is such a beautiful scenery. I took my parents here one time and enjoyed it with my family. When you go into the little museum next to the gift shop you can also write on a Paper and have the priest pray for you.
Zayin Rodriguez
2 weeks agoBeautiful religious building. Came for Easter service. Really enjoyed the different cultural backgrounds they have to offer. For sure arrive ahead of time to find parking. Lots of wheelchair accessible spaces. Also they sell candles in their store.