The Rockledge Gardens Fall Calendar Is Built Around a Kitchen and an Ice Cream Counter
October 22, 2026
October 22, 2026
The first sign at 2153 US Highway 1 was a request to "grab a bag of soil and leave your money in the can." In 1960 Rockledge Gardens was a roadside stand on the honor system. Harry Witte ran it with his wife Mary. He was a bulb farmer, and the couple had settled in Brevard County in 1948. In late October 2026 the same property is selling advance tickets to an 18-and-over Halloween night with three bars, two food trucks and a horror movie on the lawn.
Rockledge Gardens can fill a fall calendar because a kitchen, a market and an ice cream counter now operate inside it most days of the week. Every event between now and the end of December uses that setup.
According to the Rockledge Gardens history page, the stand grew into a full nursery through the 1960s and 1970s. Harry and Mary had six children, and several of them worked in the business. Their youngest daughter, Theresa, made it her career with her husband, Kevin Riley. In the 1980s the Rileys started planting specimens in the ground so visitors could see what a plant looks like full grown, not just in a pot. Over time a wedding venue and a farmer's market were added.
In 2022 the Rileys sold the business to Brendan Hayes-Morrison and Devon Klingman, who are family friends. Both have backgrounds as merchant mariners. Several staff members are Florida Certified Horticulture Professionals.
The ownership change matters less here than a change that came earlier. In January 2020, Florida Today reported that the on-site Farm and Friends Market had been renovated with a test kitchen and a live music stage. The paper also reported that the market had moved from weekends only to six days a week. Once the market was open six days, the property had daily foot traffic and a stage it could use for events.
The red building is The Market. It sells local produce, eggs, meat, beer and wine, along with goods from local vendors, and there's a pick-your-own area outside. Two food businesses operate inside it:
| Business | What it serves | Regular hours | On site since |
|---|---|---|---|
| Garden Party | Plant-based kitchen, farm-to-table focus, run by owners Jessica and Dante | Tuesday to Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. | Not published |
| The Mad Utter | Homemade ice cream | Wednesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. | April 2023 |
The Mad Utter started in Titusville in July 2018. Rockledge Gardens became its second location in April 2023. The Market also sells craft beer, natural wine, coffee and kombucha.
Each of those vendors shows up on almost every event listing below. Garden Party and The Mad Utter appear on the event pages for Ghouls in the Gardens, the Renaissance Market and Shop Small Saturday. After Toddler Tuesday, parents are pointed to the Little Bugs Playground and a treat from Garden Party. Even the free scarecrow hunt suggests a stop at The Market before or after.
Scarecrow Scavenger Hunt, every day through October 31, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The hunt is free and open to all ages. Pick up a map at the front entrance or at the foot of the steps to the Botanical Boutique, the orange building. The scarecrows are spread across all 5 acres and were made by the Gardens staff. Bring your completed map to checkout to claim a prize. With this post going up on October 22, the hunt has about a week and a half left.
Ghouls in the Gardens, Fridays October 23 and 30, 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. This is the Gardens' biggest after-hours night. It's 18 and over, and alcohol is served only to guests 21 and over. All 5 acres stay open, with three bar locations, a haunted greenhouse trail, a costume contest, tarot readings, local vendors and a cult classic horror film on the lawn. Each night has its own lineup:
Garden Party and The Mad Utter also sell food both nights. The movie is chosen by a public vote on the Gardens' Instagram, @rockledgegardens, during the week of the event. The Gardens says the event tends to sell out. If tickets remain on the day, they cost $25 at the gate, which is more than the online price.
On Halloween itself, families with younger kids can go to the city's Trunk or Treat. It runs October 31 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Frank T. Forester Recreation Center, 960 Cogswell Street.
November's events depend even more on outside vendors, and those vendors are working out of the same buildings as the regular tenants.
Renaissance Market, Sunday, November 8, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The market is back, and the Renaissance theme is new this year. The Gardens says it's adding the theme to its regular seasonal markets "due to popular demand." Admission is free. Expect 30 or more local merchants and artisans, live music, beer, wine and "enchanted elixirs." Garden Party and a guest food truck will serve food, and The Mad Utter will serve desserts. Costumes are welcome.
Space Coast Harvest seminar, Saturday, November 21, at 11 a.m. or 2 p.m. Jenn of Space Coast Harvest will lead a beginner-friendly session on three cool-season crops: strawberries, bulbing onions and garlic. She'll cover strawberry plugs versus bare-root plants, how to pick onions by day length, and why garlic should be pre-chilled before planting in Florida. The session is held in the Learning Center, a covered outdoor pavilion. Attendees get a printed summary and a $5-off-$10 coupon from Rockledge Gardens. You can register through the events page. Late November is when these crops go in the ground here, so the timing is practical.
Little Bugs Learning Lab, Sunday, November 22, 1 p.m. This session is for kids ages 6 to 12. It costs $15 per child and $12 for each additional sibling, and parents may drop off. Reservations are required. Toddler Tuesday, the storytime and sensory-play series for younger children, meets on the third Tuesday of each month in the Riley Room. It's run with SeiserSensory and Twinkle Toes Nanny Agency, and tickets are required for each child. That puts the next session on November 17.
Shop Small Saturday, November 28, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Gardens' holiday market features vendors including:
Crumb & Co. will bring sourdough bread and pastries, and a local pop-up will serve coffee. Happy hour pricing applies to beer and wine, and there will be mimosas and live music. Garden Party and The Mad Utter will both be open.
December is quieter, mostly because of school break. The Little Bugs winter camp runs December 28 through December 30, and the events page says tickets are "coming soon." The monthly Learning Lab picks up again on January 24 and February 21, 2027.
Since the events rely on the same in-house vendors, the regular hours are useful for planning:
Plans can change, so check the Rockledge Gardens events page before you go, especially for ticketed nights like Ghouls in the Gardens and the winter camp.
If you'd like to talk about Rockledge, including what's opening along US 1 or how places like Rockledge Gardens fit into daily life here, Ryan Reilly is glad to help. Let's Connect.
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