242 Best Sights in USA

Known to locals simply as "The Domes," the conservatory consists of three 85-foot-high glass domes that house tropical, arid, and seasonal plants and flowers. Its lilies and poinsettias are spectacular at Easter and Christmas, respectively.

The sweet smell of plumeria surrounds you at this 10-acre grove containing thousands of these fragrant trees. Purchase a lei to go, or for $40 you'll get a tour of the farm, then staffers will give you a basket, set you free to pick your own blossoms, and teach you how to string your own lei. Whether purchasing a lei or making your own, call for an appointment or book or order online in advance.

In 1938, Chester "Cactus Slim" Moorten, an original Keystone Cop, and his wife, Patricia, opened this showplace for desert plants—now numbering in the thousands—that include an ocotillo, a massive elephant tree, and a boojum tree. Be sure to stroll through the Cactarium, the world's first as the Moortens coined the term, to spot rare finds such as the welwitschia, which originated in southwestern Africa's Namib Desert.

One of the country's best arboretums, more than 3,500 trees and shrubs from around the world inhabit this 92-acre arboretum that's based on Victorian-era garden and landscape design, with romantic winding paths, a hidden grotto, a fernery, a koi pond, and natural woodland. The highlights are the spectacular rose garden, the swan pond, and "Out on a Limb," a 50-foot-high canopy where you can commune with the birds—and gleeful children. Large modern sculptures, some of which are spectacular, are sprinkled throughout the property, with outdoor sculptural exhibits during the year such as October's Scarecrow Walk. Twice annually, the popular Garden Railway exhibit features an elaborate model railroad surrounded by miniature replicas of historic Philadelphia landmarks. You'll want to drive, as the entrance is a good hike from the top of Chestnut Hill. Various tours, workshops, and events are happening year-round.

At this 1,700-acre outdoor oasis, you can hike some of the 16 miles of manicured trails, or drive or bike (bring your own) along 9 miles of paved roads bordered by trees, shrubs, and vines. Every season is magnificent: spring's flowering trees, summer's canopy-covered trails, fall's dazzling foliage, and winter's serene beauty. Snowshoe and cross-country ski rentals are available. If you have kids, check out the award-winning 4-acre Children's Garden, which is stroller- (as well as wheelchair-) friendly. A 1-acre maze garden will delight as you wind your way to the lookout platform.

The oldest public green space in the county is, unbelievably, across the road from the West Palm Beach airport; but the planes are the last thing you notice while walking around and relaxing amid the nearly 14 acres of tropical trees, rain-forest flora, and butterfly and water gardens. The gift shop contains a selection of rare gardening books on tropical climes. Frequent plant sales are held here, and numerous plant societies with international ties hold meetings open to the public in the auditorium. Experts in tropical edible and ornamental plants are on staff.

Beautiful and truly eye-opening, this botanical garden built around the country home of Pamela and Lammot du Pont Copeland focuses on an important garden trend: the use of native plants—species that have occurred in a region for thousands of years without human intervention—to support local wildlife and biodiversity. The forward-thinking Copelands added a wildflower garden in the 1940s, eventually expanding their use of native plants to 68 acres including formal gardens, trial gardens for native varieties, and naturalistic woodland areas. Mt. Cuba opened fully as a public garden in 2013. Some nonnative plants (like lilacs and tulips) remain, but native plants are the stars. Spring is a good time for wildflowers, such as Mt. Cuba's famous trilliums; the Ponds area blazes with color in fall. There's a visitor center in the former Copeland home, and a Welcome Walk is a great introduction to the gardens and how (and why) to use native plants. The garden now is about 1,000 acres, much of that natural land crisscrossed by 2½ miles of trails. 

Set in downtown Oklahoma City, this 17-acre botanical garden provides activities for the whole family, including a children's park with seasonal water features, a 15,000-square-foot conservatory with 2,000 varieties of plants, and a 35-foot waterfall. You can exercise your best friend in the off-leash dog park or go solo on walking and jogging paths. There's also an on-site restaurant, special classes, temporary exhibits, and plenty of space for quiet reflection and solitude. Game rentals, like remote-control sailboats, bocce ball, and corn toss, are available on weekends April 15 through October; an ice-skating rink with skate rentals is open mid-November through mid-February.

A few blocks from the parties of Duval Street lies a purely selfless labor of love: a backyard garden whose paths lead to colorful (and happily squawking) rescued parrots and macaws. Step inside the nondescript side gate, and you'll meet Nancy, an environmental artist, and her flock of feathered children (which you can hold and feed). At 10 am she personally gives a tour, or come between 11 and 3 and do the self-guided version. Bring a lunch and have a picnic in the shade, or just meander and learn. It's Parroting 101, and it might just be the most memorable day of your Key West vacation.

Begun in 1977 as an adjunct to the Cornell Cooperative Extension facility, the arboretum occupies 8 acres with more than 400 unusual trees and shrubs. The herb garden has 300-plus species, and there's a popular Japanese meditation garden. The entrance is marked by a little shack on the far side of the Cooperative Extension Center parking lot.

One of Naples's most culturally exciting attractions, the botanical "gardens with latitude" flourish with plants and decorative elements from Florida and other subtropical locales including Asia, Brazil, and the Caribbean. Highlights of the 170 acres include a Children's Garden with a butterfly house, tree house, waterfall, cave, Florida Cracker house, and hidden garden; an infinity water lily pool; an aromatic Enabling Garden with a how-to theme; and a dramatic waterfall feature. A visitor center offers a café, restaurant, and three gardens, including an one with more than 1,000 orchid species and cultivars.

Lose yourself along magnolia-lined natural trails that wind through rose beds and dozens of varieties of shade-loving camellias on this 7-acre site, just across the water from Airlie Gardens. Relax in the Japanese teahouse, spend a moment of reflection by the water garden, or admire the native carnivorous plants like the Venus flytrap.

The springtime Azalea Festival is one highlight of the lovely 155-acre Norfolk Botanical Garden on the eastern edge of the city. In addition to an abundance of azaleas, rhododendrons, and camellias, there is a delicately landscaped Japanese garden with trees native to that country, including unusual strains of cherry and maple. From mid-March to October, trams carry you along routes to view seasonal plants and flowers, including 4,000 varieties of roses on 3½ acres. Year-round, you can stroll 12 miles of paths. Eleven marble statues of famous artists, carved in the late 19th century by Moses Ezekiel, enhance the natural beauty of the gardens. The lakeside is ideal for picnics. Fall brings a 3-acre children's garden.

Five miles south of Leesburg on Route 15, Oatlands is a former 3,408-acre plantation built by a great-grandson of Robert "King" Carter, one of the wealthiest pre-Revolution planters in Virginia. The Greek Revival manor house was begun in 1804 in the Federal style; a stately portico and half-octagonal stair wings were added in the 1820s. The house, a National Trust Historic Site, has been meticulously restored, and the manicured fields remain host to equestrian events from spring to fall. Among these is the Loudoun Hunt Point-to-Point in April, a race that brings out the entire community for tailgates and picnics. The terraced gardens here house boxwoods, roses, a reflecting pool, and the Carter tomb. Guided tours of the home and grounds are available daily.

This tranquil 11-acre urban oasis set along the Ogden River Parkway is operated by the University of Utah and contains a series of theme gardens—rose, Oriental, water conservation, edible, cottage—connected by a network of meandering paths, some of which flank the river. One garden has been designed for people with mobility challenges, and an arboretum features trees that are ideal for planting beneath powerlines, as they never exceed 25 feet in height. On warm days, the conifer garden is a fragrant spot offering plenty of shade. There are also attractive picnic areas and lawns that invite relaxing.

Just outside the town of Silverton, a 25-minute drive from Salem, the Oregon Garden showcases the botanical diversity of the Willamette Valley and Pacific Northwest. The 80-acre garden features themed plots ranging from a conifer forest to medicinal plants. There's also a whimsical children's garden complete with a make-believe fossil dig, and another garden featuring the agricultural bounty of the area. From April to September, visitors can take a narrated tram tour through the garden.

Enjoy an instant escape from the buildings and concrete of urban life in this Balboa Park oasis. Lush and tropical, with hundreds of palm trees representing more than 50 species, the 2-acre canyon has a shaded path perfect for those who love walking through nature.

The "City of Roses" moniker started here, at this park that harks back to another time. The city's oldest (1913) public rose garden (and the only sunken one) houses about 5,000 plantings of roses. The daunting task of deadheading all these flowers is covered in classes taught to volunteers. The bandstand is a historic landmark, and the last of its kind in the city. This 16-acre North Portland park also contains an ornate historic fountain, Italian villa–inspired community center, playground, wading pool, tennis and volleyball courts, and picnic tables.

Step into one of only five museums in the United States to display a unique combination of historical home, art collections, and gardens. The mansion is a 72-room 1927 Italian Renaissance villa, originally called Villa Philbrook, built by Tulsa oil baron Waite Phillips and his wife Genevieve as a place for their children, who were ages 16 and 10 at the time, to entertain friends. It's a fine setting for the collections of European, American, Native American, and Asian antiquities, plus modern and contemporary art and design. The gardens cover 23 acres of formal and informal plantings. On the second Saturday of every month admission is free, and there are family-friendly art activities, tours, and scavenger hunts.

The late horticulturist and part-time Vineyard resident Polly Hill tended some 2,000 species of plant and developed nearly 100 species herself on her old sheep farm in West Tisbury. On-site are azaleas, tree peonies, dogwoods, hollies, lilacs, magnolias, and more. Hill raised them from seeds without the use of a greenhouse, and her patience is the inspiration of the arboretum. Run as a nonprofit center, the arboretum also runs guided tours, a lecture series, and a visitor center and gift shop. It's a beautiful spot for a picnic. The grounds are open year-round.

Set on a private estate on the mauka (mountain side) of Kam Highway across from Princeville, these well-tended gardens include a diverse collection of native and “canoe” plants (brought by Polynesians), plus medicinal, rare, and endangered flowers. Visitors can join three-hour guided tours of the entire property, usually offered four mornings a week at 9:30 am. Tours include samples of seasonal fruit and honey from on-site beehives and a half-hour chocolate tasting. Reservations are required (no self-guided tours); book early, as tours fill well in advance.

Adjacent to Flushing Meadows Corona Park, these 39 acres include rose and herb gardens, an arboretum, and plantings especially designed to attract bees and birds. An environmentally friendly visitor center uses solar energy and recycles gray water. To learn more about what you're looking at, use the garden's guides, like the summer plant walk guide, the Indigenous Heritage plant guide, or the winter plant walk guide.

A signer of both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, George Read built this 22-room, 14,000-square-foot, Federal-style home in 1801. Period furniture, gilded fanlights, silver doorknobs, carved woodwork, and relief plasterwork decorate the interior. Lovely formal gardens surround the residence.

On Point Defiance Park's Five Mile Drive, the garden is a 22-acre expanse of more than 10,000 plants—some 700 species, including azaleas, blue poppies, and magnolias—that bloom in succession. It's one of the finest rhododendron collections in the world.

The highlight of a visit here is the magnificent 20-acre garden filled with semitropical vegetation and the sort of vistas that, at least in south Louisiana, only a salt dome can offer. An excellent café looks over Lake Peigneur and provides a restful and picturesque spot for refreshments after exploring the gardens. Be on the lookout for the peacocks—if you're lucky, one of the males will open his feathers for you. Also on the grounds is the Joseph Jefferson Home, a highly idiosyncratic mansion that combines Steamboat Gothic, Moorish, and French-plantation styles. It was built as a country home for stage actor Joseph Jefferson in the mid-19th century and is open for 40-minute tours. There is also a peaceful bed-and-breakfast on the grounds.

One of the largest retail gardens in Southern California, Roger's showcases some of the best garden ideas and holiday decorations during Easter, Halloween, and Christmas. The on-site Farmhouse at Roger's Gardens restaurant is popular with visitors and locals during lunchtime and dinner. The chefs prepare locally sourced menu items to enjoy while overlooking the bucolic gardens.

Stroll through 38 acres of formal gardens, wildflower-spangled meadows, native Texas vegetation, fascinating historical structures, and diverse sections designed to educate and delight nature lovers at the San Antonio Botanical Garden. You can walk the Texas Native Trail, which represents three distinct regions of Texas. The garden's stunning centerpiece is the 90,000-square-foot Lucile Halsell Conservatory, with five futuristic glass structures exhibiting plants and flowers found in worldwide environments from the desert to the tropics.

Other highlights include the Zachry Foundation Culinary Garden and Chef Teaching Kitchen, which promotes healthy food choices and encourages visitors to participate in planting, harvesting, and preparing fresh fruits and vegetables. The Kumamoto En, a gift from San Antonio sister-city Kumamoto, is a serene, authentic Japanese garden with stone walks and water features. The Family Adventure Garden encourages kids to run, climb, and splash in 2½ acres of nature space.

More than 5,300 rare, exotic, and endangered plants are on display on 37 landscaped acres. Displays include plants from Central America, Africa, Australia, the Middle East, the Mediterranean, the Himalayas, Madagascar, and more; the most diverse collection of bamboo in North America; California native plants; and subtropical fruits. The park contains the largest interactive children's garden on the West Coast, where kids can roll around in the Seeds of Wonder garden, explore a baby dinosaur forest, discover a secret garden, or play in a playhouse. An Undersea Garden displays rocks and succulents that uncannily mimic an underwater environment.