From coast to coast, beer lovers are increasingly flocking to beer gardens as venues to relax, spread out with friends and family, enjoy nature, and of course, sip on a beer. Brewers and on-premise operators from the mountains of Vermont to the city streets of California’s capital are finding that the outdoor space goes a long way in improving the beer experience for their guests, often encouraging them to linger a little longer.

“Some visitors even insist on sitting out in the beer garden in the cool weather and will arrive with blankets,” says Adeline Druart, CEO at Lawson’s Finest Liquids in Waitsfield, Vermont. Opened in 2018, Lawson’s beer garden has been so popular that there are plans to expand the area this year with a dog-friendly patio. Across the country in Sacramento, California, the beer garden at Sacyard Community Tap House & Beer Garden has a capacity of 250, and it’s not unusual on Friday and Saturday nights for a waitlist of 50 to 100 people to form. Even with 7,500 square feet of space, “we could use more,” says co-owner Dan Thebeau. “It’s a good problem to have.”

With the rise in craft beer and brewery taprooms in recent decades, beer gardens have been a natural offshoot. Druart says that Lawson’s opened its beer garden, along with its full brewery and taproom, with an “interest in creating a destination.” It’s certainly succeeded, attracting tourists from all over, along with hikers and bikers enjoying the nearby trails. Open from late spring through the fall, the beer garden is self-serve and features fire pits, lawn games, music, and vendors.

Henmick Farm & Brewery in Delaware, Ohio, boasts a mammoth beer garden. In fact, situated on over an acre of space within Henmick’s 8-acre parcel, “it’s more like a Sonoma County winery,” remarks Nick Sheets, fourth-generation owner of the now non-working farm and brewery. The beer garden features numerous picnic tables, fire pits, a “family zone,” its own wildflower garden, and often plays host to events and food trucks. Henmick’s beer garden has become so popular that earlier this year it was named the best beer garden in the country in a USA Today poll. Beers poured at Henmick Farm ($7-$9 a 5- to 16-ounce pour) are all brewed on site.

Beer gardens have also been on the rise at on-premise venues. Sacyard—with a main tap house located in a former automotive garage and a smaller tap house that flows into the beer garden—opened in 2018 and has been popular since day one. With self-serve beer (generally $9 a 20-ounce pour of mostly California brews), a permanent food truck, and live music five days a week, the beer garden is “dog friendly, kid friendly, and is fun for young families,” Thebeau says.

Raleigh Beer Garden in Raleigh, North Carolina, meanwhile, an indoor/outdoor venue, has been recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records for offering the most beers on tap at just under 400. As a result, the site attracts visitors from all over the world, general manager David Kerstetter says, as well as students from nearby North Carolina State University. While the building opened ten years ago, the outdoor space—which features firepits, gas heaters, a fireplace, and games like ping pong, corn hole, and beer pong—was added in 2021. An 18-hole mini golf course was unveiled last year. Raleigh Beer Garden specializes in craft brews, which are frequently rotated, and generally priced at $6-$11 a 16-ounce pour.

Operators of beer gardens say that the major benefit to offering the space is the large number of customers they attract. “When it’s super nice out, we get tons of people arriving on their bikes, walk-ins, and people arriving via ride shares,” says Thebeau. “It gives us more seats so we can sell more beer,” agrees Sheets. “The beer garden gets more people here.” And according to Druart, thanks to the laid-back atmosphere at Lawson’s beer garden, “people aren’t rushed. They can stay for 30 minutes or a few hours.”