 The Tyler Rose Museum |
Welcome to Tyler ...
"The Rose Capital of America”!
The rose industry has been a major industry in the Tyler area for decades. Located adjacent to the famous Tyler Rose Garden is the Tyler Rose Museum, which showcases and documents the history of the annual Texas Rose Festival.
The 79th Texas Rose Festival, scheduled for October 18-20, 2012, will celebrate the places, faces and facets of the Orient.
With "Indochine" as its theme, the 2012 festival will celebrate "the year of the dragon" and provide a veritable tour of Asia. "Indochine" is inspired by the magic of the East, and will explore Asian history, culture, arts, and the people.
Haley McGrede Anderson, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Rowe McGrede Anderson, will reign as Queen of the 2012 Texas Rose Festival. Haley is a freshman at the University of Alabama.
 Historic postcard ... "Greetings from the Tyler Texas Rose Festival" |
Joy Lynn Ramey, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Henry King Ramey, and a freshman at Baylor University, will serve as duchess. Tim Alexander is the current President of the Texas Rose Festival.
The Rose Festival activities include the queen's coronation at the Cowan Center and the Rose Parade on Saturday.
Shown below are highlights of the many events scheduled during the festival. For more detailed information about events, schedules, locations, and tickets, visit the official website of the Texas Rose Festival
| October 18 |
10:00 am |
Ribbon Cutting
Tyler Rose Garden Center |
| October 18 |
10:30 am |
Morning Prayer Service
Tyler Rose Garden Center |
| October 19 |
11:30 am |
Ladies' Luncheon |
| October 19 |
11:15 am |
Men's Luncheon |
| October 19 |
7:00 pm |
Coronation
Cowan Center at the UT-Tyler |
| October 20 |
9:00 am |
Rose Parade
Free parade viewing along route, seats available on west side of Trinity Mother Frances Rose Stadium |
| October 20 |
1:00-3:00 p.m. |
Queen's Tea
Tyler Rose Garden, Queen's Court |
In addition to the coronation and parade, an arts and crafts fair, floral shows, garden tours, and many more activities attract thousands of visitors annually to Tyler for this spectacular event.
The festival is a celebration of the rose industry that thrives in Tyler. Seven Tyler-area companies process and distribute several million roses each year, making the city deserving of its “Rose Capital” title. About 75% of all roses in the country are handled in Tyler.
The first Tyler Rose Festival was organized by Tyler Garden Club members, local rose growers and the Chamber of Commerce in October 1933 to showcase the importance of the rose industry to Tyler.
The theme of the event was "Festival Fairyland", and included a parade, rose queen's coronation and a rose show. The first festival was a success, and the decision was made to continue the event, and the 1934 festival had as its theme "A Garden in Venice".
The annual event was renamed the Texas Rose Festival during the Texas Centennial in 1936.
 The Tyler Rose Museum |
Located on the grounds of the Tyler Rose Garden, and across the street from the Harvey Convention Center, is the 7,500 sqft Tyler Rose Museum.
The museum is run by a nonprofit organization operated with private donations. Its purpose is to showcase the rich history and tradition of Tyler, the rose industry and the Rose Festival.
Opened in 1992, it been visited by over 300,000 people, and is a major tourist attraction in Tyler. The Rose Museum tells the story of the hardships and successes of the rose-growing industry, and the elegance and tradition of the Rose Festival.
The museum features a large collection of photographs, videos, audio, music, newspaper clippings, rose memorabilia, and of course the jeweled festival costumes, which are changed quarterly. A gift shop is located adjacent to the museum. Stairs and an elevator for the handicapped take visitors down one level to the Tyler Rose Garden.
The museum is located at 420 Rose Park Drive. For details and hours, call the museum at 903.597.3130. A small entrance fee is required.
 All-America Rose selections in the Tyler Texas Rose Garden |
Established in 1952, the Tyler Municipal Rose Garden is the nation's largest rose garden, spanning 14 acres. The gardens include over 38,000 rose bushes and over 600 different varieties, as well as reflecting pools, walkways and fountains.
The Rose Garden is open from dawn until dark, seven days a week. Admission is free.
It is one of 24 All American Rose Selection (AARS) test gardens in the country, and also includes a unique Idea Garden created and maintained by the Smith County Master Gardeners.
read more about the Tyler Rose Garden, photographs, map
We love to buy cut roses in Tyler ... our favorite vendor is available most any day from spring to fall in the corner of the parking lot at Brookshire's on South Broadway Avenue and Rice Road.
She has many different roses to choose from, they are inexpensive, and they last for days! Look for the white van!
Open-air convertible with dignitaries in the Texas Rose Festival parade
Band marching in the Texas Rose Festival parade in Tyler
Float in the Texas Rose Festival parade in downtown Tyler
Texas Rose Festival parade in downtown Tyler
Rose Garden, Tyler
Arch way in the Tyler, Texas Rose Garden
Entrance to the Tyler Municipal Rose Garden, Tyler, Texas
Greetings from the Tyler, Texas Rose Festival
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