Visit some of America’s most beautiful gardens. A good garden should capture your imagination, relax you and offer you a respite from normal every day life.

Check out these amazing arboretums around America and best botanical gardens in the US. It would be fun to do a road trip and visit several of them, wouldn’t it? We’ve separated them by region to make it easier to find one near you.

30+ Beautiful Botanical Gardens in the USA

Best Botanical Gardens in the WESTERN USA

• Santa Barbara Botanical Gardens, Santa Barbara, California: Japanese tea house, historic mission well, native plants – a nice place for a walk before wine tasting in Santa Barbara. Be sure to check out our favorite things to do when visiting Santa Barbara.
• Huntington Botanical Gardens, Pasadena, California: you’ll find a desert garden, Chinese garden, Japanese garden and more at the most beautiful gardens in Los Angeles
• Lotusland, Montecito, California: an exotic collection of spiky plants and more collected by opera singer Madame Ganna Walska at her fabulous home. Be sure to check out our favorite things to do when visiting nearby Santa Barbara.
• San Diego Botanical Gardens, Encinitas, California: unique undersea themed garden is worth the stop, also check out the low water gardens. Some of the most interesting Southern California botanical gardens. Check out these other fun things to do in San Diego.
• Santa Cruz Arboretum, Santa Cruz, California: these small gardens are part of the university and have a nice collection of Australian plants and a native garden, one of the stops we’d recommend when exploring Santa Cruz
• Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens, Fort Bragg, California: located by the sea in one of the most beautiful areas of the state, don’t miss the pretty rhododendrons in early spring. Here are some wonderful places to stay nearby.
• San Francisco Botanical Gardens, San Francisco, California: located in Golden Gate Park, check out the nearby Japanese gardens too, these should be at the top of your list of gardens to visit in California
• Portland Japanese Garden, Portland, Oregon: five traditional gardens including a strolling pond, tea garden with a tea house, sand and stone garden, flat garden, and natural garden. Click here for places to stay nearby.
• Washington Park Arboretum, Seattle, Washington: take an autumn scenic drive through the grounds and be sure to see the springtime cherry blossoms
• Allerton, McBryde & Limahuli Gardens, Kauai, Hawaii: visit a secret beach and a hidden waterfall at these amazing gardens with a huge collection of native Hawaiian plants which are part of the National Tropical Botanical Garden
• Desert Botanical Garden, Phoenix, Arizona: probably the most famous cactus garden in America. Here are more fun things to do in Phoenix!
• ABQ Botanic Garden, Albuqueque, New Mexico: these gardens include a children’s area as well as a zoo

 Best Botanical Gardens in the MIDWESTERN USA

• Missouri Botanical Garden, St Louis, Missouri: this large garden has both indoor and outdoor displays and is one of the most beautiful botanical gardens in the US
• Greater Des Moines Botanic Garden, Des Moines, Iowa: check out the orchids in the conservatory and the bonsai collection then go have a beer at one of our favorite local breweries
• Denver Botanic Gardens, Denver, Colorado: a section of the gardens showcases drought-tolerant plants that are ideal for this environment. Here are some more fun and romantic things to do in Denver.
• Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, Columbus, Ohio: the many greenhouses make it perfect for a visit any time of year. Click here for places to stay in Columbus.
• Chicago Botanic Garden, Chicago, Illinois: this enormous garden is home to one of the world’s largest bonsai collections, making it one of the most famous gardens in America. Here are some places to stay nearby in Chicago.
• Olbrich Botanical Garden, Madison, Wisconsin: don’t miss the beautiful golden Thai pavilion

 

 Best Botanical Gardens in the SOUTHERN USA

• Atlanta Botanical Garden, Atlanta, Georgia: this garden invites famous artists, like Chihuly, to showcase their work in the gardens, and don’t miss the canopy walk too.
• Kanapaha Botanical Gardens, Gainesville, Florida: located on the shores of Lake Kanapaha, this garden has native swamps and manicured rose gardens
• McKee Botanical Garden, Vero Beach, Florida: unique sculptures are scattered throughout the plantings in these interesting gardens
• Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, Coral Gables, Florida: check out the butterfly conservatory and the tropical fruit gardens. Here are some wonderful places to stay near charming Coral Gables. 
• Dallas Arboretum & Botanical Garden, Dallas, Texas: in fall don’t miss the crazy pumpkin exhibits at this botanical garden
• Fort Worth Botanical Garden, Fort Worth, Texas: visit this garden for free and pay a few bucks to visit the Japanese gardens next door
• Brookgreen Gardens, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina: if you love art, be sure to visit these gardens, they have an impressive collection of sculptures

Best Botanical Gardens in the EASTERN USA

• Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden,  Richmond, Virginia: if you love the classic greenhouses of European gardens, check out this place
• United States Botanic Garden, Washington DC: located near the Smithsonian museum, these historic gardens are definitely worth a visit, as some of the best botanical gardens on the East coast
• New York Botanical Garden, New York, New York: a huge botanical garden in the middle of the city, with multiple plant habitats including desert and rain forest, some of the most spectacular gardens in the US. Get your all-garden pass ticket in advance here.
  Click here for some places to stay nearby.
• Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Brooklyn, New York: watch a traditional Japanese tea ceremony or visit in March to catch the cherry trees in bloom. Get your admission tickets online here. And for a special occasion combine your admission ticket with a 3 course lunch at the garden’s restaurant
• Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania: these classical gardens are famous for their fabulous fountains

 We hope you liked this list of some of the best botanical gardens in the USA. Taking a trip to Europe? Check out 30+ botanical gardens you should visit there!

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