Oakes Garden Theatre
![Formal gardens within the Oakes Garden Theatre](images/npc-oakes.jpg)
Oakes Garden Theatre is a free horticultural and architectural highlight of the Niagara Parks.
Formally opened in 1937, the architectural design is that of an amphitheatre which resembles those of ancients Greeks and Romans.
![Photo of the Oakes Garden Theatre in Niagara Falls](images/npc-oakes1.jpg)
Fan-shaped, with the stage placed so that the panorama of the Falls forms a backdrop, it is built on varying levels, taking advantage of the contours of the ground and incorporating a foundation wall of the old Clifton Hotel. At the rear there is a curved pergola connecting two open pavilions, one aligned on the axis of the Horseshoe Falls, the other on that of the American Falls.
![Photo of the pond area in the Oakes Garden Theatre](images/npc-oakes2.jpg)
Sloping terraces, rock gardens, lily ponds, shrubbery and wide promenades adjoin the amphitheatre. Oakes Garden is popular with photographers especially on formal occasions such as Weddings. Recently Ryan & Kelly used the garden as a setting for their show.