Visiting the PepsiCo Sculpture Gardens, a Westchester Gem

Did you know PepsiCo has a world-class sculpture garden at their corporate headquarters in the Westchester County town of Purchase that’s free to the public? Pepsico’s headquarters recently reopened its grounds to the public. Formally called The Donald M. Kendall Sculpture Gardens, the sculpture garden had been a favorite spot of ours before its closing in December 2012, and we’d visit with our young daughter and our dog. We revisited it soon after its April 1 reopening and were happy to find the grounds remain as grand as they’ve always been--but some rules have changed. It is no longer dog friendly, and now only open to the public 10 am to 4 pm on Saturdays and Sundays.

We arrived between rain showers, luckily, and everything was shining from the rain that remained on the sculptures. The lush gardens were vivid and full of signs of spring. The sprawling 168-acre property showcases 45 outdoor sculptures, including renowned ones by Rodin, Calder, and Miro. The gardens were installed in 1970 and named after the company’s former CEO, Donald Kendall. Kendall, who handpicked the sculptures, said, "We were after building something noble and grand; a place of business that would enrich and inspire all who worked there or visited; a place to be proud, to make them proud." 

His goal was certainly something noble and worth a trip on a weekend during visiting hours. Now that it has reopened we’ll likely be making regular adventures here to explore the trails, gardens and sculptures. The grounds are so large it normally takes us more than one visit to see all the sculptures.