Cerne Abbas first welcomed visitors to some of its gardens in 1974. With the exception of the years 1977 and 1978 the event has been repeated every year.

In the early years all the money raised was used to support organisations within the village, but from 1987 onwards the policy has been to divide the proceeds equally between the village and an outside cause. At the end of this section there is a list of outside recipients.

The village itself is famous for its chalk figure carved into the hillside to the north. This is best viewed from the viewpoint on the A352 Dorchester-Sherborne road. The village grew up around the Benedictine abbey founded in 987. Alas, it was largely destroyed at the reformation though a gatehouse, guest house and two barns remain. Much of the building material found its way from the abandoned abbey into houses around the village. Abbey Street is one of the most handsome in Dorset. The jettied houses are thought to have been built by the abbey around 1500. Originally these were reproduced on both sides of the street and along its entire length.

The village is frequently used for filming and two television gardening programs visited in association with Open Gardens:

The outside organisation supported by Open Gardens have been: