The Secret Garden & More

Enjoy our three unique gardens

The Secret Garden, The Hosta Garden and the Daylilly Garden

The Secret Garden

The expansive Secret Garden, the first of three gardens of the hotel, is located behind the Fire and Ice lobby and the bluff was created in 1869 and expanded in 1936. It was rescued from over grown trees and dug from the rubble of massive wall collapse in the decade after the Hotel de Ville opened in 2005.

Today the garden is an oasis of tranquility in our otherwise tranquil town – until a train goes by across the street. There is no escaping them in a river town. You will love the four life sized bronze statues and fountains that adorn the space. You will fell the magic of the European formal garden and the Italianate garden terraced up the hillside as you walk and maybe climb it. As most of the great formal gardens of Europe seem to be near a castle, we felt driven to build one ourselves – adding a Hobbit Hole as a touch of whimsy within our touch of whimsy.

The Hosta Garden

The Hosta Garden graces the grounds of the Hotel de Ville Grand building and features a 30 foot long stream and waterfall with almost 200 varieties of Hosta. Its terraced walls date to 1881 when the addition to the rear of the main building was completed.

With patio tables and chairs, this is a wonderful place to dine in the summer evening and watch the sunset over the Mississppi.

Daylillies Garden & Gazebo

The Daylily Garden is across Main Street and was begun in 2017 on the site of the towns roller skating ring and one of its former brothels. It features a large wrought iron gazebo where guests can sit and view the eagles that fish the river in front of the hotel and dozens of one of a kind Daylilies hybridized by Nancy Olsen who lives in town and who sells the plants from her own huge garden south of Alma. She will often be found at Fire and Ice displaying and discussing her lilies during the entire summer season. She is part of the fabric of the hotel.