Philadelphia's Magic Gardens

Isaiah Zagar began Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens in 1994 on a vacant lot beside his South Street studio. Over the next fourteen years, he excavated tunnels and grottos, built layered walls, and covered 3,000 square feet with handmade tile, mirrors, bottles, bicycle wheels, folk art, names, faces, and fragments from his life.Zagar and his wife, Julia, had been renovating South Street buildings and adding mosaics since the late 1960s. The installation later became a nonprofit museum. General admission is timed and self-guided, and tickets frequently sell out. The museum is open Wednesday through Monday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and closed Tuesday, with separate holiday and event schedules. More

Isaiah Zagar began Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens in 1994 on a vacant lot beside his South Street studio. Over the next fourteen years, he excavated tunnels and grottos, built layered walls, and covered 3,000 square feet with handmade tile, mirrors, bottles, bicycle wheels, folk art, names, faces, and fragments from his life.Zagar and his wife, Julia, had been renovating South Street buildings and adding mosaics since the late 1960s. The installation later became a nonprofit museum. General admission is timed and self-guided, and tickets frequently sell out. The museum is open Wednesday through Monday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and closed Tuesday, with separate holiday and event schedules. More