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This botanical garden and library specializes in the history of the Pacific Southwest. You can wander among cactus gardens, rose gardens, a cool fern garden, and a tropical conservatory. There's a garden gift shop, and a restaurant named 698 Dahlia that serves lunch on Wednesday through Sunday.
Walk 2 miles south of the bay up to Wrigley Memorial and Botanic Garden, home to many plants native only to Southern California and the Channel Islands. Today there are five different sections where you can see Catalina ironwood, wild tomato, and rare Catalina mahogany. The Wrigley family commissioned the garden as well as the monument, which has a grand staircase and a Spanish-style mausoleum inlaid with colorful Catalina tile. You'll find great views at the top.
Keep in mind that Boston Public Garden and Boston Common are two separate entities with different histories and purposes and a distinct boundary between them at Charles Street. The Common has been public land since Boston was founded in 1630, whereas the Public Garden belongs to a newer Boston, occupying what had been salt marshes on the edge of the Common. By 1837 the tract was covered with an abundance of ornamental plantings donated by a group of private citizens. Near the Swan Boat dock is what has been described as the world's smallest suspension bridge, designed in 1867 to cross the pond at its narrowest point. The beds along the main walkways are replanted every spring. The tulips during the first two weeks of May are especially colorful, and there's a sampling of native and European tree species.
Open once again following a years long revitalization project, the Botanical Building has updated features like LED lighting, water features, and interior misters. The graceful redwood-lath structure, built for the 1915 Panama–California International Exposition, houses more than 2,000 types of tropical and subtropical plants plus changing seasonal flower displays. Ceiling-high tree ferns shade fragile orchids and feathery bamboo. The rectangular pond outside, filled with lotuses and water lilies that bloom in spring and fall, is popular with photographers.
A verdant, 52-acre oasis, the BBG charms with its array of “gardens within the garden,” including idyllic the Japanese hill-and-pond, rose, and Shakespeare gardens. Inside the climate-controlled Steinhardt Conservatory, flora thrive in different ecosystems year-round. A variety of free garden tours are available with admission; check the website for seasonal information on the many events held throughout the year, including the bloom at the Cherry Esplanade during cherry blossom season.
A twofold treat, the summer home of Abraham Lincoln's son Robert Todd Lincoln provides insight into the lives of the family, as well as an introduction to the lavish Manchester life of the early 1900s. In 1905, Robert built a 24-room Georgian Revival mansion where he and his descendants lived until 1975. It's the centerpiece of a beautifully preserved 412-acre estate and holds many of the family's prized possessions, including one of three surviving stovepipe hats owned by Abraham and a Lincoln Bible. When the 1,000-pipe Aeolian organ is played, the music reverberates as though from the mansion's very bones.
Rising from a 10-acre meadow, Hildene Farm is magnificent. The agriculture center is built in a traditional style—post-and-beam construction of timber felled and milled on the estate, and you can watch goat cheese being made.
The highlight, though, may be the elaborate formal gardens, where a thousand peonies bloom every June. There is also a teaching greenhouse, restored 1903 Pullman car, a 600-foot floating boardwalk across the Battenkill wetlands, and more than 12 miles of walking trails. When conditions permit, you can cross-country ski and snowshoe on the property.
Joyce and Ed Doty's love for plants and art spans the 240 acres here and includes many different gardens, a hardwood plantation, an ahupuaa (a Hawaiian land division), a re-created Navajo compound, an Athabascan village, a Japanese teahouse, a hedge maze, a waterfall, and access to a sandy beach. Throughout the grounds are more than 200 bronze sculptures, one of the nation's largest collections. One popular feature is a children's garden with a 16-foot-tall Jack and the Beanstalk bronze sculpture, gecko maze, tree house, kid-size train, and, of course, a tropical jungle. Located in a residential neighborhood and hoping to maintain good neighborly relations, the nonprofit organization limits tours. Tour lengths vary from 1½ to 5 hours. Reservations are required for all tours, including the self-guided stroll.
Considered one of the world's leading botany centers, this beautiful, 250-acre campus is also one of the best reasons to make a trip to the Bronx. Built around the dramatic gorge of the Bronx River, it's home to lush indoor and outdoor gardens and acres of natural forest, and it offers classes, concerts, and special exhibits. Be captivated by the seasonal fragrance of the Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden's 4,000 blooms, which represent more than 650 varieties. Relax in the leafy Thain Family Forest, or explore the Everett Children's Adventure Garden, a 12-acre, indoor-outdoor museum with a boulder maze, giant animal topiaries, and a plant discovery center. The Victorian-style Enid A. Haupt Conservatory houses re-creations of misty tropical rain forests and arid African and North American deserts, as well as exhibitions such as the annual Holiday Train Show and the winter-into-spring Orchid Show, which showcases flowers that look like the stuff of science fiction. The All-Garden Pass gives you access to the conservatory, adventure garden, special exhibitions, and more.
Waimea gets lots of press for the giant winter waves in the bay, but the valley itself is a newsmaker and an ecological treasure, with a local nonprofit working to conserve and restore its natural habitat. Follow the Kamananui Stream up the valley through the 1,875 acres of gardens. The botanical collections here have more than 5,000 species of tropical flora, including a superb gathering of native Hawaiian and international plants. It's the best place on the island to see native species, such as the endangered Hawaiian moorhen. You can visit the restored Hale o Lono heiau (shrine) and other ancient archaeological sites as well; evidence suggests that the area was an important spiritual center. Daily activities include botanical walking tours and cultural tours. This is also the venue for the Haleiwa Farmers' Market every Thursday from 2 to 6. At the back of the valley (a ¾-mile walk one-way), Waihi Falls plunges 45 feet into a swimming pond. Bring your board shorts—a swim is the perfect way to end your hike, although the pond can get crowded. Bring mosquito repellent, too; it can get buggy.
A good place to start is the Graham Visitors Center, near the park's north end, where you can pick up a map and discuss your plans with volunteers. Highlights include the ¾-mile Azalea Way path, the Rhododendron Glen, the Pacific Connections Garden, the Joseph A. Witt Winter Garden (with brilliant winter blooms), the colorful Woodland Garden, and, on the shores of Union Bay, Foster Island (with wetlands populated by herons, ducks, turtles, and beavers).
Nearly everything is accessible on an easy 2-mile loop trail, and two roads running the park’s length are beautiful drives, each with several parking areas along the way. Free 90-minute walking tours depart from the visitors center on the first Thursday of each month at 11:30 am, and there are regular classes for kids, adults, and families.
Originally part of John D. Rockefeller Jr.'s seaside estate, this stunning hilltop garden is the creation of its namesake—Rockefeller's wife, Abby Aldrich Rockefeller—and famed landscape designer Beatrix Farrand. An ever-present Narnia vibe begins on the drive up through the woods, where blowers keep the large mossy granite rocks free of leaves and needles, to magical effect. Even before entering on the Spirit Path, lined with Korean funerary statues, the garden’s earthy pink high wall entrances: it resembles those in Beijing’s Forbidden City. The English-style main border garden has many colorful annuals; one side is more shaded, so bed heights vary, adding whimsy to the symmetrical space. In smaller garden spaces nearby, you can rest on a bench, step through a pagoda, look out on Little Long Pond, and contemplate more Eastern sculptures, from seated Buddhas to guardian animals. An easy forest trail leads to the large terrace—with commanding, expansive ocean views—that fronted The Eyrie, the Rockefellers’ massive summer “cottage,” until it was torn down in 1962.
From January to April (and especially in March), the grounds at this 1,200-acre estate, one of Florida's most stunning ornamental gardens, are abloom with azaleas, dogwood, magnolias, spring bulbs of tulips and irises, banana shrubs, honeysuckle, silverbell trees, pansies, and camellias. Wander along the brick path lined with oaks draped in moss to a reflecting pool and a tiny walled garden and around the lakes and woodlands. See if you can find the secret garden. Once the winter home of Alfred Maclay, a banker and financier from New York, the Maclay residence (open January through April) is furnished as it was in the 1920s. Picnic areas and a playground, as well as swimming, kayaking, and boating facilities on Lake Hall are open to the public. Outer portions of the park include 11 miles of trails used for walking, running, bicycling, and horseback riding.
This 281-acre living laboratory contains more than 4,000 kinds of woody plants, most from the hardy north temperate zone. The rhododendrons, azaleas, lilacs, magnolias, and fruit trees are eye-popping when in bloom, and something is always in season from April through September. The Larz Anderson bonsai collection contains individual specimens imported from Japan. In the visitor center there is a 40-to-1 scale model of the arboretum (with 4,000 tiny trees). If you visit during May, Lilac Sunday (usually held on Mother's Day) is a celebration of blooming trees, and is the only day picnicking is allowed in the arboretum.
Occupying 30 acres inside Piedmont Park, the grounds contain acres of display gardens, including a 2-acre interactive children's garden; the Fuqua Conservatory, which has unusual flora from tropical and desert climates; and the award-winning Fuqua Orchid Center. Check out the view from the Canopy Walk, a 600-foot suspension bridge 40 feet above Storza Woods. A variety of special exhibits take place throughout the year.
It's easy to lose yourself for a couple of hours, or longer if you pack a picnic lunch, as you wander along the peaceful trails and through the astoundingly gorgeous flower beds of this 30-acre former farm that's now a thriving public garden dotted with hundreds of sculptures and art installations. Features range from formal parterre and spiral gardens to more whimsical and impressionistic plantings.
The flowers, trees, and other plants in Bellagio's soaring atrium are fresh and alive, many of them grown in a 5-acre greenhouse. The artistic floral arrangements and ornamental landscaping here is breathtaking and in some cases monumental in scale. Displays change each season, and the holiday displays in December (for Christmas) and January (for Chinese New Year) are particularly dramatic.
The gardens' 15 acres contain extensive plantings of exotic and native flora—some 2,500 varieties in all—plus greenhouses, ponds, nature trails, and a small gallery. A guided tour, included with admission, leaves daily at 11 am, or grab a self-guided tour at your leisure. October's Harvest Festival is by far the biggest of the facility's annual events.
This 150-acre internationally recognized preserve is a stunning mix of natural woodlands and beautifully landscaped gardens—including a moss garden, a Japanese garden, a reflection pool, and the impressive former Bloedel estate home. Dazzling rhododendrons and azaleas bloom in spring, and Japanese maples colorfully signal autumn's arrival. Picnicking and pets are not permitted. Timed tickets can be reserved in advance.
This appealing sanctuary of plants, flowers, trees, and wildlife has been something of a local secret for years. Shady paths meander through pine forests with silvery moats, mockingbirds and swans, blooming thickets, and hidden sundials. The majestic, 200-foot Bok Tower is constructed of coquina—from seashells—and pink, white, and gray marble. The tower houses a carillon with 60 bronze bells that ring out each day at 1 and 3 pm during 30-minute recitals that might include early American folk songs, Appalachian tunes, Irish ballads, or Latin hymns. The bells are also featured in recordings every half hour after 10 am; sometimes there are even moonlight recitals. The Blue Palmetto Cafe offers salads, soups, and sandwiches, as well as beer and wine.
The landscape was designed in 1928 by Frederick Law Olmsted Jr., son of the planner of New York's Central Park. The grounds include the 20-room, Mediterranean-style El Retiro Estate, built in 1930 and open for self-guided touring. From January through April, guides lead 60-minute tours of the gardens (included in the admission price); tours of the inside of the tower are a benefit of membership.
This 35-acre subtropical estate endures as a tribute to Old South Florida. Prior to its "modern" history, the grounds had already seen 4,000 years of activity when settler Hugh Taylor Birch purchased the site in 1895. Birch gave it to his daughter Helen as a wedding gift when she married Frederic Bartlett, and the newlyweds built a charming home for a winter residence in 1920. Years after Helen died, Frederic married his second wife, Evelyn, and the artistically gifted couple embarked on a mission to embellish the property with personal touches and surprises that are still evident today. This historic place is a must-see for its architecture, artwork, and horticulture. While admiring the fabulous gardens, look out for playful monkeys swinging from the trees.
One of the Grand Strand's most magnificent hidden treasures, the 9,100-acre Brookgreen Gardens is the oldest and largest sculpture garden in the United States, with more than 550 examples of figurative American sculpture by such artists as Frederic Remington and Daniel Chester French. Each sculpture is carefully set within garden rooms and outdoor galleries graced by sprawling live oak trees, colorful flowers, and peaceful ponds. The gardens are lush and full in spring and summer, and in winter splashes of color from winter-blooming shrubs are set off against the stark surroundings.
The property was purchased as a winter home for industrialist Archer Huntington and his wife, Anna Hyatt Huntington, in 1929, but they quickly decided to open it to the public as a sculpture garden and wildlife sanctuary. You'll find a Lowcountry zoo (including native red wolves), an aviary, a cypress swamp, nature trails, an education center, and a butterfly house. Summer concerts under the stars and the garden's breathtaking Night of a Thousand Candles during the Christmas season are Brookgreen traditions. The gardens are just beyond The Fighting Stallions, the Anna Hyatt Huntington sculpture alongside U.S. 17.
Founded in 1927 by Susanna Bixby Bryant, a wealthy landowner and conservationist, the garden is dedicated to the preservation of native California plant species. You can meander here for hours enjoying the shade of an oak tree canopy or take a guided tour of the grounds, whose 86 acres of ponds and greenery shelter California wild lilacs, big berry manzanitas, four-needled piñons, and other specimens. Countless bird species also live here. Guided tram tours are offered the third Sunday of the month (reserve by the 15th of the preceding month).
South of Pine Mountain Village lies the area's main draw: a 2,500-acre golf and tennis resort with a combination of elaborate, cultivated gardens and natural woodlands. This family-friendly destination was developed in the 1940s by textile magnate Cason J. Callaway and his wife, Virginia, as a way to breathe new life into the area's dormant cotton fields. With more than 1,000 varieties, the Day Butterfly Center is one of the largest free-flight conservatories in North America. Mountain Creek Lake is well stocked with largemouth bass and bream. Ida Cason Callaway Memorial Chapel—a favorite wedding venue—is a lovely stone chapel nestled in the woods alongside a lake and babbling stream. The Callaway Discovery Center is a popular choice for families; especially enjoyable is the daily Birds of Prey show. During the holidays, Callaway lights up with the exciting "Fantasy in Lights."
The gardens' greenhouse conservatory—several stories high—looks like a cathedral of plants and feels like a tropical oasis. It makes for an especially wonderful escape on winter days. The lush banana plants are the big star here; also look for cacti, bonsai, and perennial and annual plants. Kiddos will enjoy seeing the city through the periscope located at the top of the building (only open certain days), as well as exploring the whimsy of the Paul Smith Children's Village across the parking lot from the conservatory. The grounds are open daily from dusk to dawn.
Among the 28 different gardens here are the three-island Malott Japanese Garden, the five-acre Evening Island, and the Grunsfeld Children's Growing Garden. Three big greenhouses showcase desert, tropical, and semitropical climates where beautiful and fragrant flowers bloom year-round. Weather permitting, 35-minute tram tours are offered daily and are free with admission from late April through late October. Special summer exhibitions include the 7,500-square-foot Model Railroad Garden with 17 garden-scale trains traveling around nearly 50 models of American landmarks, all made from natural materials. Butterflies & Blooms, a 2,800-square-foot white mesh enclosure, is filled with hundreds of colorful butterflies interacting with plant life; both are free with admission.
Reserve your admission tickets in advance online (required), and set aside a couple of hours to explore New England's largest botanical garden, where, depending on the time of year, you can stroll amid the lupines, rhododendrons, or roses. Regardless of the season, you'll encounter the site's biggest (literally and figuratively) draws: the five gigantic and utterly irresistible trolls constructed by Danish artist Thomas Danbo using scrap wood and other found materials that are placed in wooded areas throughout the 323-acre grounds.
The children's garden is a wonderland of stone sculptures, rope bridges, small teahouse-like structures with grass roofs, and even a hedge maze. Children and adults alike adore the separate woodland fairy area. The Garden of the Five Senses lets you experience flora through much more than just sight. Inside the main building are a café, grab-and-go market, shop, and resource library. During the holiday season, the gardens mount a dazzling, nighttime Gardens Aglow show, with 650,000 LED bulbs lighting up the darkness.
Comfortable walking shoes are a must, but, if you'd prefer not to walk everywhere, there's free shuttle service to several key locales. In addition, free, hour-long, docent-led tours of the central gardens leave from the visitor center at 11 each day from May through October. There's also a one-hour golf cart tour ($10; free on Wednesday).
Whatever you do, be sure to at least drive by the Conservatory of Flowers—it's too darn pretty to miss. The gorgeous, white-framed 1878 glass structure is topped with a 14-ton glass dome. Stepping inside the giant greenhouse is like taking a quick trip to the rainforest, with its earthy smell and humid warmth. The undeniable highlight is the Aquatic Plants section, where lily pads float and carnivorous plants dine on bugs to the sounds of rushing water.
On the east side of the conservatory (to the right as you face the building), cypress, pine, and redwood trees surround the Dahlia Garden, which blooms in summer and fall. Adding to the allure are temporary special exhibits; a recurring holiday-season model-train display punctuated with mini buildings, found objects, and dwarf plants; night blooms; and a butterfly garden that returns periodically. To the west is the Rhododendron Dell, which contains 850 varieties, more than any other garden of its kind in the country. It's a favorite local Mother's Day picnic spot.
Explore the inky swamp waters of this natural area in a flat-bottom boat, or walk along paths lined with moss-draped cypress trees, azaleas, camellias, daffodils, wisteria, and dogwoods. You can marvel at the clouds of butterflies in the butterfly house, and see snakes and fish up close in the Swamparium. The swamp garden was created from what was once the freshwater reserve of the vast Dean Hall rice plantation. The site is about 24 miles north of Charleston via U.S. 52, between Goose Creek and Moncks Corner. Bonus: It has an enormous playground for children.
More than 15,000 plant species from Australia, South Africa, the Himalayas, and especially the western United States compose the horticultural displays in the thoughtfully laid-out theme gardens here. They are at their peak in July and August, when garden enthusiasts could spend half a day here; the tropical conservatory alone is worth an hour's visit in the off-season. Spring brings a brilliant display of wildflowers to the world-renowned rock alpine garden, primarily in late May and early June. The OmniGlobe simulates the climate and atmospheric changes on Earth; other environmental attractions include a "green roof" atop the café and an extensive interactive children's garden that covers part of the parking structure. Tea ceremonies take place some summer weekends in the tranquil Japanese garden, and artists such as singer-songwriter Melissa Etheridge, jazz musician Herbie Hancock, and blues legend Buddy Guy have performed as part of the summer concert series. Tickets are sold by date and time only.
Opened in 1939 to conserve and showcase the ecology of the desert, these 150 acres contain more than 4,000 different species of cacti, succulents, trees, and flowers. A stroll along the ½-mile "Plants and People of the Sonoran Desert" trail is a fascinating lesson in environmental adaptations. Kid-centric activity areas encourage tactile play and exploration. Specialized tours are available at an extra cost; check online for times and prices. The Desert Botanical Garden stays open late, to 8 pm year-round, and it's particularly lovely when lighted by the setting sun or by moonlight. You can plan for a cool, late visit after a full day of activities.
