Attention, Nature Lovers: This Website Lets You Book Private Gardens
Airbnb, but make it gardens. Southern California residents can book private gardens to spend time in nature. Healing Gardens, a rental website that evokes the likes of Airbnb and Vrbo, allows residents to book outdoor oases in and around the general Los Angeles area to do some yoga, gather with family and friends, host a birthday or Mother’s Day hoopla, meet a date, or even work remotely among nature — the choice is yours, and the possibilities are endless.
Founded by Abhishek Arora and Rishi Kumar, Healing Gardens’s core principle is simple: time spent outdoors and in nature can be transformative, offering well-documented positive effects on mental well-being. “It is essential to the future of our planet that we are able to re-establish our role as caregivers of earth in a deep and meaningful manner,” Healing Gardens’s mission statement reads. Additionally, the revenue that goes towards the local gardeners is also significant.
“By connecting gardeners who treat their land as lovers with responsible, ecologically-minded guests, we can use recreation to fund the regeneration of land across our planet,” the mission statement continues.
Some of the local gardens available for booking include Sarvodaya Farms & Nursery in Pomona, an urban farm and nursery (operated by co-founder Kumar himself) with vegetables, herbs, and fruit trees; Moonwater Farm in Compton, an outdoor space with a waterfall, a rabbit warren, and a goat pen (!) filled with goats, among other features; and Teapot LA in Los Angeles, a garden and bird sanctuary at the heart of the city filled with hummingbirds, silkie chickens, and wild parrots, among other features.
In the same vein as an Airbnb listing, each Healing Gardens listing includes information about the local hosts, offerings, and amenities such as WiFi, visitor capacity, wheelchair accessibility, and parking. The cost of each rental depends on the garden, hour allotments, and number of people. Additionally, those with garden spaces can sign up to host their gardens; educators could also sign up to host a class in one of the many outdoor spaces.
Ready to get outside, SoCal? Explore listings on Healing Gardens.