Around the country, beautiful things are growing at America’s botanical gardens.
For avid horticulturists and simple nature lovers alike, visiting gardens promises refreshment and relaxation. Each garden — urban or suburban, intricately designed or wild and unplanned — is an oasis with a distinct personality and vibe.
From the East Coast to the West, here are five notable gardens that will immerse your group in nature’s beauty and the changing seasons.
Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library
Winterthur, Delaware
Once part of a turn-of the-century working estate, Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library in Winterthur, Delaware, had its own train station, as well as a post office that still operates today. At Winterthur’s apex, the property exceeded 2,500 acres and 250 workers. Today, it encompasses 1,000 acres of protected meadows, woodlands, ponds and waterways, including a 60-acre wild garden designed by industrialist Henry Francis du Pont, who was born at Winterthur.
“These are naturalistic gardens designed to look like they’ve not been designed,” said Christine Heesters, Winterthur’s director of marketing and technology. “A 30-minute tram tour is the best way to see our hilly gardens that are known for their successive waves of color.”
In the 1920s, du Pont collected historic American furniture, art and decorative objects. He enlarged his family home to accommodate them and added architectural elements from other early-American houses. Today, the 175-room mansion displays nearly 90,000 objects made or used in America since 1640. An introductory tour showcases two floors of the mansion, while a deeper-dive 75-minute tour takes visitors to additional floors, and two customizable tours are based on interest.
Events coming next year include the exhibition Almost Unknown: The Afric-American Picture Gallery, opening May 3. The 46th annual Point-to-Point Steeplechase, May 5, is a longstanding Delaware horse race across Winterthur’s rolling hills with lavish tailgates, fanciful hats and activities. The Artisan Market, July 18–20, features nearly 100 of the region’s talented craftspeople. Winterthur’s Delaware Antiques Show, November 7–9, invites premier dealers of Americana. Yuletide at Winterthur decks out the mansion and features a holiday market. Year-round happenings include lectures by the research library team, guided garden walks and conservation clinics.
Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Art and nature take center stage at Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2025, the 158-acre garden features more than 200 outdoor sculptures, Michigan’s largest tropical conservatory and a five-acre children’s garden. Narrated tram tours wind through garden pathways, and visitors can stroll nature trails.
“Before walking through it, I recommend taking the tram to get a sense of the enormity and quality of our sculpture collection,” said Janet Korn, senior vice president of Experience Grand Rapids. “The gardens were recently awarded Best of the Best in Group Tour and Travel for 2024 by the American Bus Association.”
According to Korn, the centerpiece “American Horse” sculpture was specifically created from a project that Leonardo DaVinci envisioned but abandoned due to war. Meijer commissioned molds from DaVinci’s drawings and cast them. One of the horse sculptures resides here while the other stands in Milan, where it was originally intended to be installed.
Music abounds in the garden concerts that take place regularly during the summer months. Terraced lawn seating provides lovely garden views, and food and drinks are available. Tuesday evenings, local and regional musicians and cultural organizations grace the amphitheater stage. During July and August, a series called Sunday Strings features live chamber music.
Events include the spring and fall Master Lecture Series, which invite world-renowned gardeners, artists, authors and speakers. In spring, butterflies return to the Lena Meijer Tropical Conservatory. October’s Mums at Meijer Gardens features chrysanthemums, fall foliage and family-friendly activities. Thanksgiving through New Year’s, Enlighten captivates with art, light, music and nature.
Desert Botanical Garden
Phoenix
Showcasing the Sonoran landscape, the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix juxtaposes towering saguaros, beach-ball-shaped cacti, native wildflowers, fleshy succulents and wispy Palo Verde trees. The garden is located by the red buttes of Papago Park near downtown, and its five looping trails showcase diverse habitats. Hummingbirds, Gila woodpeckers, quail and diverse wildlife call this garden their home, while thousands of butterflies spread their wings in the lush butterfly pavilion.
“It’s a magical moment when people realize how colorful the desert is and get up close and personal with a saguaro,” said Sarah Doyle, director of communications for Visit Phoenix. “Saguaros only grow in the Sonoran Desert and have been federally protected since the 1930s, with the largest concentration in Arizona and metropolitan Phoenix.”
Docent-led tours highlight the garden’s living collection. Gardening classes explore desert native pollinators, composting, propagation and landscaping. Additional classes feature photography, cooking demos, art and wellness. Rounding out the garden’s extensive events are concerts featuring local musicians on Friday evenings or Sunday afternoons. Groups can dine at Gertrude’s or the Patio Café.
The much-anticipated Devour Culinary Classic in February offers tastings of more than 70 regional food and beverage businesses. The event combines horticulture, live music and the arts, and each visitor takes home a commemorative wine glass they’ve used for wine sampling. During the holiday season, Las Noches de las Luminarias features nearly 7,000 hand-lit luminaries lining the paths under mesquite and Palo Verde trees robed in holiday lights. Performers play music while visitors enjoy catered cuisine, wine and cocoa.
San Diego Botanic Garden
Encinitas, California
Ocean vistas frame many of the San Diego Botanic Garden’s 29 themed areas. Located on the coast in Encinitas, California — 30 minutes north of downtown San Diego — the garden supports more than 5,300 plant species and varieties from numerous microclimates around the world, such as desert landscapes and tropical rainforests. Visitors can stroll four miles of trails, and the Overlook Tower affords 360-degree views.
The Bamboo Garden, home to the largest living bamboo collection in North America, features more than 100 species from around the globe. The 8,000-square-foot Dickinson Family Education Conservatory houses one-of-a-kind plant chandeliers and rare tropical plants. Demonstration gardens host classes and programming. Classes span succulent arrangements, jewelry making, wellness and a monthly science seminar featuring talks with garden experts.
“Our garden has one of the five Mediterranean climates in the world,” said Ari Novy, president and CEO of the San Diego Botanic Garden. “There’s very little to no rain in the summer, so the flora has adapted to a growing season that runs from November through March or April. In summer, we can irrigate and grow tropicals, which gives us a tremendous palette of plants.”
Guided tours, including butterfly walks, are offered June through October. Birding specialists lead bird walks, which are held before the garden opens on the first Monday of each month. The holiday season brings a dazzling trail of more than 1 million lights intermingled with artwork throughout the garden.
Portland Japanese Garden
Portland, Oregon
Synchronizing nature, architecture and art, the Portland Japanese Garden in Portland, Oregon, exudes peace and contemplation. The garden is a living cultural exchange nestled in Washington Park, and visitors will delight in five historic gardens and three newer areas, as well as a Japanese Tea House, the site of tea ceremony demonstrations. Views of Mt. Hood and downtown serve as a backdrop to pathways that parallel streams and ponds, bonsai trees and cherry blossoms in the spring.
Visitors first enter the Cultural Village designed by world-renowned architect Kengo Kuma, one of today’s most significant contemporary Japanese architects. Traditional Japanese arts take place here with more than 150 events annually, including festivals, demonstrations, art exhibitions, performances and lectures. The garden has successfully introduced the work of more than 75 artists representing Japan, from internationally known names to young artists and artisans.
Umami Café serves Japanese-produced green teas and traditional dishes, such as yakitori fried rice, matcha brownies and mochi ice cream. The gift shop sells hand-selected items from Japan. An annual summer marketplace called Behind the Shoji carries curated items from the Tokyo International Gift Show and from meetings with craftspeople in their studios and stores.
“As far as I’m aware, there are only three places in the world that serve Jugetsudo tea — Japan, Paris, and Portland,” said Will Lerner, the garden’s communications manager. “Once or twice a year, our buyer visits Japan to procure products and crafts, and we offer wares that people might not be able to find, even if they visit Japan.”
