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Best Botanical Garden

By Readers' Choice On 2/1/24 at 12:00 PM EST

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From desert cactuses and California redwoods to Japanese cherry blossoms and bonsai trees, these botanical gardens are bursting with life, color and variety. Wander through a menagerie of indoor and outdoor installations with educational activities, rotating exhibits and special events for everyone in the family. Our experts have selected popular gardens throughout the United States that conserve diverse flora and fauna and promote sustainability practices.

These 10 botanical gardens were selected by our expert panelists and contributors and voted on by readers as the best of the best.

Congratulations to our 2024 winners; you can now visit our 2025 Best Botanical Garden contest.

North Carolina Arboretum

1. The North Carolina Arboretum—Asheville, NC

Nestled in the mountains along the Blue Ridge Parkway, the North Carolina Arboretum offers stunning cultivated gardens including one of the best bonsai collections in the United States. Hiking and biking trails also dot the landscape of the 434-acre arboretum. Educational exhibits rotate throughout the year, and guided tours are offered weekly.

Phipps Conservatory

Photo credit: Paul G. Wiegman Photo credit: Paul G. Wiegman

2. Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens—Pittsburgh, PA

Just outside downtown Pittsburgh, the Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens consists of 15 acres with 23 distinct gardens, including bonsai and orchid. Its 14-room glasshouse, built in 1893, is a standout feature. Not just a menagerie of tropical plants, the gardens also feature glass sculptures by Dale Chihuly and Hans Godo Frabel. The conservatory is an industry leader in sustainability and green practices.

Norfolk Botanical Garden

3. Norfolk Botanical Garden—Norfolk, VA

With humble beginnings as a WPA project, the Norfolk Botanical Garden now provides more than 60 themed gardens. Explore the 175-acre property by tram, boat or foot. Themes vary from multicultural emphasizes, like the Renaissance Garden and Japanese Garden, to native plants of Virginia. The WOW Children's Garden dazzles with world-themed splash fountains, Plant Safari nature walks, and Discovery Peak, where kids can see, smell and touch edible plants.

Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden

4. Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden—Portland, OR

This 9.5-acre garden is stunning anytime of year, but a visit in April through June allows you to view azaleas and rhododendrons in full, vibrant bloom. Love to bird-watch? Over 90 species of birds have been spotted in Crystal Springs such as the great blue heron, bald eagle, Townsend's warbler and more. Bridges, waterfalls and a spring-fed lake enhance the garden's serene atmosphere.

Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum

5. Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum—Tucson, AZ

Combining a botanical garden with a zoo, an aquarium, a natural history museum and an art gallery, the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum offers a wealth of educational opportunities. Enjoy 1,200 different types of plants with 56,000 individual specimens throughout the garden. Wander through areas like pollinator gardens, a tropical deciduous forest, a cactus garden, a mountain woodland and a labyrinth, just to name a few.

New York Botanical Garden

6. New York Botanical Garden—New York City, NY

A National Historic Landmark located in the Bronx, the 250-acre New York Botanical Garden was established in 1891 and is the largest garden in any US city. Fifty specialty gardens and collections, including the award-winning Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden, contain over one million plants. You can't miss the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, an immense Victorian glasshouse featuring plants from around the world.

San Francisco Botanical Garden

7. San Francisco Botanical Garden—San Francisco, CA

More than 8,000 plants from around the world thrive in Golden Gate Park and include nearly 100 magnificent magnolias. From an Andean Cloud Forest and New Zealand Christmas trees to massive Proteas blooms native to South Africa, the San Francisco Botanical Garden spans the globe in its impressive offerings.

United States Botanic Garden

8. United States Botanic Garden—Washington, D.C.

Established by Congress in 1820, the United States Botanic Garden is the oldest continuously operating public garden in the country. Explore indoor gardens that feature plants found in biomes ranging from desert landscapes to rainforests. Its outdoor gardens showcase Mid-Atlantic plants, pollinators, roses and other varieties. The Bartholdi Fountain and Gardens feature stunning architecture and sustainable landscaping.

Brookgreen Gardens

9. Brookgreen Gardens—Murrells Inlet, SC

The largest sculpture garden in the country, Brookgreen Gardens contains over 2,000 sculptures by 430 artists in its acreage scattered along South Carolina's coast. Walk among 250-year-old live oak trees as you take in the various gardens in bloom year-round. Visitors can also explore a butterfly garden and learn about the state's tree in the Palmetto Garden. Special events like Summer Light: Art by Night and the magical Nights of a Thousand Candles attract huge crowds each year.

Chicago Botanic Garden

10. Chicago Botanic Garden—Chicago, IL

With 26 gardens spread across 385 acres, there's plenty to see and do at the Chicago Botanic Garden. Kids will love the multisensory experience at the Nature Play Garden with various tree groves, an expansive lawn, boulders for climbing and a willow tunnel. Make time to see the waterfall garden, the English Walled Garden and the impressive collection of 185 bonsai trees.

About Newsweek Readers' Choice Awards

Our nominees are editorially driven with contributions from a panel of travel experts. The final list is determined by Newsweek editors. Readers can vote once per category, per day. For more details, read our terms and conditions. For any questions, please see our FAQs or email us at readerschoice@newsweek.com.

Our experts

Barbara Rogers

A travel writer with a passion for gardens, Barbara Radcliffe Rogers is the author of The Encyclopedia of Everlastings and was editor of The Dictionary of Horticulture. She writes about gardens in locations ranging from her native New England to Europe and South Africa and is a regular contributor to Global Traveler Magazine, WhereverFamily and PlanetWare. Learn more about her travels at https://worldbite.wordpress.com.

Judy Karnia

Judy Karnia currently enjoys living in the desert of Scottsdale, AZ. She grew up in Chicago and practiced veterinary medicine for 28 years. She has traveled throughout the United States and several foreign countries and enjoys exploring cities and natural areas. She is a freelance travel writer and certified nature therapy guide.

Loretta Berry

Loretta Berry is a freelance travel writer and photographer. She loves discovering and learning the history of new places and experiencing the local food and drink. She has traveled extensively throughout the United States. She loves traveling with her kids and grandkids, sharing with them her passion for fun and adventure. She is a member of the North American Travel Journalists Association (NATJA), the International Food, Wine & Travel Writers Association (IFWTWA), and TravMedia. You can follow Loretta on Facebook and Instagram.

Susan Lanier-Graham

Susan Lanier-Graham is founder and publisher of Wander With Wonder, an award-winning online travel journalism magazine. She has authored more than 75 books and hundreds of magazine articles while traveling the world over the past three decades. Susan's work has appeared in a variety of publications, including various AAA publications, TravelandLeisure.com, Hotels.com, Modern Luxury, WHERE publications, Fairmont.com, Marriott.com and more. Susan is a member of Society of American Travel Writers, International Food, Wine and Travel Writers Association, and North American Travel Journalists Association. She is also a Certified California Wine Appellation Specialist.