Grounds
The grounds at Womanspace are an essential part of the campus experience. They provide a serene and unique place to wander, pause, and reconnect with nature in the midst of the Rockford, IL area.
Gardens, wooded paths, open prairie, and quiet gathering spaces invite reflection, movement, and connection. Whether you come for a walk, a moment of stillness, or a shared experience, the grounds are here to be explored
Our grounds are open to the public seven days a week during daylight hours, except when reserved for private events.
Gardens
Womanspace is home to several gardens, each offering its own sense of beauty, meaning, and place for reflection. Like the people who gather here, the gardens are always growing, changing, and evolving.
Lilly Fernandez Memorial Garden
The Lilly Fernandez Memorial Meditation Garden features winding paths and diverse plantings across a large, thoughtfully designed landscape. Created as a gift from Sunil Puri, it honors a life connected to Womanspace and provides space for quiet reflection and exploration.
Celebration Garden
At the front of the main building, the Celebration Garden welcomes visitors with a fountain, shaded seating, and engraved paver stones that honor life’s milestones, memories, and connections.
Peace Garden
The Peace Garden, located near New Dimensions Studio, offers a circular gathering space often used for ceremonies and reflection, anchored by a Peace Pole dedicated to Womanspace’s founders.
Additional Gardens
Additional gardens, including the Restful Garden and others, are woven throughout the campus — each offering its own quiet invitation to pause and take in the surroundings.
These spaces are lovingly tended by volunteers, and the gardening group welcomes anyone who feels inspired to join them.
Forest & Prairie
Beyond the gardens, the Womanspace grounds extend into a small pine forest and a developing restored prairie — an unspoiled part of the original Illinois landscape.
The prairie restoration is an ongoing, community-supported effort to cultivate a biodiverse environment of native grasses and wildflowers. Walking paths invite visitors to move through this space and experience the rhythms of the natural world.
Throughout the seasons, the prairie and forest are home to a variety of wildlife, including deer, foxes, wild turkeys, and other native species.
Anjali Pavilion
The Anjali Pavilion is a generous gift from Sunil Puri and serves as a beautiful outdoor gathering space on the Womanspace campus. The pavilion expands opportunities for programming, offering a setting for educational, cultural, and community events, as well as ceremonies and celebrations.
Surrounded by nature, it provides a peaceful and open environment for shared experiences.
Labyrinth
Located at the heart of the prairie, the Womanspace labyrinth is a walking meditation path open to visitors during daylight hours, unless reserved for private use.
Created by a dedicated group of volunteers and completed in 2003, the labyrinth is a sacred space for reflection, intention, and quiet presence. Walking the path can be both calming and energizing, offering time to step away from daily routines and reconnect inwardly.
To reach the labyrinth, follow the ribbon markers from the entrance to the woods near New Dimensions Studio.
Visitors are encouraged to move at their own pace and be mindful of others sharing the space.
For more about the history, meaning, and how to walk the labyrinth, view our guide.
Visiting the Grounds
Our grounds are open to the public during daylight hours most days of the year.
Pets are welcome when leashed and attended. Please review our full policies before visiting.
Many areas of the grounds may be reserved at times for programs, events, or private use.
Get Involved
Many of these spaces are lovingly maintained by volunteers. If you’re interested in helping care for the grounds, we invite you to contact us to learn more.
