I have never been to a beer garden. I have a garden in which I have had beer but that is a different thing...and I don't think a Canadian thing given our 7 weeks of summer:

Between 1820 and 1860, 1.5 million immigrants arrived in America from Germany, bringing with them their own cultural traditions -­ among them outdoor beer gardens. Unlike the bars in Irish neighborhoods, the German beer gardens catered to whole families, and public drinking was just one of their attractions. Although many of New York¹s historic beer gardens have disappeared, this summer you can still enjoy a cold one...

...at one of the places listed in this article. I like the sound of the illustrated Bohemian Hall and Beer Garden in Queens: "Inside is a charming old dive bar, but outside is another world -- a green, spacious expanse Manhattanites only dream of, with picnic tables under trees where folks sip cold Czech and German beer and tackle plates of hearty Czech food." I'd be there every day.

Pity we Canadians and send any reviews you have of your beer garden experiences this summer.