Forbidden Gardens - Katy - CLOSED FOR GOOD

[Steelsun]

Forbidden Gardens - NOW CLOSED FOR GOOD (or bad!)
Website

Address: 23500 Franz Rd., Katy, TX
Google Map

About: A scale recreation of China's Forbidden City tomb, with thousands of Terra Cotta soldiers, and scale models of buildings and more.

Hours:
closed

Cost: Adults $10.

No longer allow Self Guided Tours.

There has been a couple of TPF meetups there.

[Marburg]

Great place to shoot. Was there this year. Self guided tours are allowed.

Originally Posted by Steelsun

Forbidden Gardens
Website

Address: 23500 Franz Rd., Katy, TX
Google Map

About: A scale recreation of China's Forbidden City tomb, with thousands of Terra Cotta soldiers, and scale models of buildings and more.

Hours:
Friday, Saturday & Sunday: 10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Tours: 11:00 am, 12:00 pm, 1:00 pm, 2:00 pm & 3:00 pm.
Entrance Gates Close And No One Admitted Past 3:30 pm.

Cost: Adults $10.

No longer allow Self Guided Tours.

There has been a couple of TPF meetups there.

[tukaniray]

I went last year for fun with my wife ... and we were a bit disappointed by the tour.

The miniatures are great though.

-Ray-

[Marburg]

We didn't do the tour. We opted instead for walking around ourselves and really enjoyed the miniatures.

[wclavey]

Marburg, on the self-guided tour, did they let you in back where the replicas of the tombs and warriors are, where you can walk around the pits? ...or was it just in the areas around the miniatures and the decorated rooms? The last time I was there, they gave us free rein on the inside stuff & miniatures, but they had to have someone with us around the tomb pits.

[Marburg]

All we had to do was ask and they had someone let us in. I don't know if that's policy or not.

[Steelsun]

It was several years ago when I posted the original, and we had some TPF meetups there. They only allowed guided tours beyond the second gates (i.e. the pit tomb and the covered mega miniature area). The inside courtyard and miniature rooms were self guided. They had problems with vandalism and people climbing into the pits, thus the guides.
It was getting pretty run down (lots of broken minis and they looked like they had not been dusted or cleaned in years) last time I went, so maybe they just gave up on guides.

[Marburg]

They still have guided tours. They're just not requiring them. We were allowed to go through the second gates when we asked. Someone had to come over and let us through. Other than that we were left alone.

[tukaniray]

Can you shoot with a DSLR in there now?

Last time I went, they told me no SLR cameras only P&S

And was not allowed to walk alone.

-Ray-

[Marburg]

We did. We had our DSLRs, tripods, full gear with us. Two of our group had P&S as well as DSLRs. They never said anything about it to us. We had all our gear when we bought the tickets and asked about the tours and the second gate. We did tell them photography was our hobby.

[Siv]

This place is being demolished to make way for the Grand Parkway expansion. Looks like the last day is 30th January 2011.

[cstewart1977]

Sunday, February 13, 2011 will be the final day to see the museum in it's entirety. I've never been there before, but I plan to go this Friday morning to beat the crowds. Anyone else interested?

[Siv]

I would like to go this weekend with the family depending on the temperature.

Keep an eye on their calendar. Right now it says the last day is the 21st February but this seems to keep changing (last time I looked is was end of Jan).

[zachary]

When I went, there was very little staff, I walked in, there was a sign to buy tickets, which I did, and I had two cameras hanging on my neck.

Then I walked around the park with no supervision or anything.

[Sherman79]

I'm planning on going Fri morning. I called to get all of the parameters before I went, but no one ever answers.