USA TODAY 10Best
Minnesota Landscape Arboretum named Best Botanical Garden
Best Botanical Garden (2019)
April showers might very well bring May flowers, but at the public and botanical gardens dotting North America, there's always something in bloom. The best gardens and arboretums on the continent, like these 10 voted the best by 10Best readers, help to promote and conserve the plant diversity of our planet, all while showcasing their vast collections in stunning, visitor friendly ways.
The top 10 winners in the category Best Botanical Garden are as follows:
- Montreal Botanical Garden - Montreal
- San Diego Botanic Garden - Encinitas, Calif.
- Chicago Botanic Garden - Chicago
- Atlanta Botanical Garden - Atlanta
- Cheekwood Estate & Gardens - Nashville
- Vallarta Botanical Gardens - Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
- Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden - Richmond, Va.
- Bok Tower Gardens - Lake Wales, Fla.
- Missouri Botanical Garden - St. Louis
- Minnesota Landscape Arboretum - Chaska, Minn.
Photo courtesy of Tourisme Montreal / Marie Deschene
No. 10:
Montreal’s Jardin Botanique ranks as the third-largest botanical garden on the planet (the largest in North America) with tens of thousands of plant species showcased across 20 themed gardens. Highlights include a climate-controlled orchid house with some 1,500 species, the First Nations Garden and the 100-acre Frederick Back Tree Pavilion.
Photo courtesy of Rachel Cobb / San Diego Botanic Garden
No. 9:
The San Diego Botanic Garden, a 37-acre retreat in Encinitas, features 29 themed gardens, including a tropical rainforest, bamboo garden two children’s gardens, a regional desert and a conservatory. Four miles of trails wind through the property, where a mild climate means there’s almost always something in bloom.
Photo courtesy of Chicago Botanic Garden
No. 8:
The award-winning Chicago Botanic Garden encompasses some 385 acres divided between 26 gardens and four natural areas, all situated on nine islands with six miles of shoreline. Visitors can take a tram or walk between the various displays, including a Japanese Garden with nearly 200 bonsai trees, colorful bulb garden, English walled garden and a kid-favorite model railroad garden.
Photo courtesy of Atlanta Botanical Garden
No. 7:
The Atlanta Botanical Garden comprises 30 acres of outdoor garden space, including a Children's Garden and Edible Garden. The Fuqua Orchid Center located within the Atlanta garden's Fuqua Conservatory houses one of the most important orchid collections in the United States. The Skyline Garden, a new addition in Spring 2018, features stunning views of the Atlanta skyline.
Photo courtesy of iStock / nashvilledino2
No. 6:
The Cheekwood Estate & Gardens in Nashville features 55 acres of public garden space divided into a dozen themed areas. A recent near-million-dollar renovation revitalized the centerpiece of the estate, the Howe Garden, to include a state-of-the-art rain garden and added a completely new Sigourney Cheek Literary Garden with an amphitheater to host poetry and book readings.
Photo courtesy of Vallarta Botanical Gardens
No. 5:
This south-of-the-border garden in Puerto Vallarta comprises 20 acres showcasing 3,000 species of plants. Visitors can stroll through palm and rose gardens, a fern tree grotto, an orchid house and an excellent collection of native Mexican wildflowers and carnivorous plants. A river winding through the tropical dry forest serves as a popular swimming spot.
Photo courtesy of Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden
No. 4:
More than a dozen themed gardens on 50 acres provide year-round beauty at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden in Richmond. Outstanding features include a classic domed Conservatory with ever-changing colorful orchids and tropical plants and a Children’s Garden with wheelchair accessible Tree House.
Photo courtesy of iStock / Sean Pavone
No. 3:
The Singing Tower rises from the center of this garden, where visitors enjoy azaleas, camellias, magnolias, ferns, palms, oaks and pines, providing a habitat for 126 species of birds (it’s part of the Great Florida Birding Trail. Themed gardens include the Outdoor Kitchen Garden, Endangered Plant Garden, Pollinator Garden and Wetland Boardwalk.
Photo courtesy of Flannery Allison / Missouri Botanical Garden
No. 2:
The Missouri Botanical Garden, the oldest continuously operated botanical garden in the nation, was founded in 1859 as a center for conservation and education. Today, the 79-acre garden includes Henry Shaw’s original 1850 estate home, a 14-acre Japanese strolling garden and one of the largest collections of rare and endangered orchids on the planet.
Photo courtesy of Jason Boudreau-Landis, Minnesota Landscape Arboretum Photographers Society
No. 1:
Visitors to the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum enjoy more than 1,200 acres of manicured gardens, woods and prairies, accessible via 12.5 miles of walkable trails and garden paths. The vast space, divided into 28 named gardens and 45 plant collections, showcases more than 5,000 plant species and varieties. Highlights include a Japanese Garden, Daylily and Chrysanthemum Walk, Kitchen Herb Garden, Maze Garden and Peony Walk.
A panel of experts (listed below) partnered with 10Best editors to pick the initial 20 nominees, and the top 10 winners were determined by popular vote.
Congratulations to all these winning gardens!
About 10Best Readers' Choice Awards
Nominees are submitted by a panel of experts. 10Best editors narrow the field to select the final set of nominees for the Readers’ Choice Awards. Readers can vote once per category, per day. For any questions or comments, please read the FAQ or email USA TODAY 10Best.
The Experts
Abby Meyer
Abby Meyer is Executive Director of the U.S.... Read More
Abby Meyer is Executive Director of the U.S. office of Botanic Gardens Conservation International, based at The Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens in Los Angeles. Abby works to develop tools and information to support botanic garden plant conservation programs and collections. Abby received a Bachelor’s of Science degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and went on to complete a Master’s in Public Horticulture Administration through the Longwood Graduate Program at the University of Delaware and Longwood Gardens. Prior to her work with BGCI, she was a Putnam Research Fellow at The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University where she developed new approaches for assessing the conservation value of living plant collections. Now in Los Angeles, Abby enjoys hiking and gardening with her husband Evan and their 3-year old daughter Violet.
Abby Meyer
Abby Meyer is Executive Director of the U.S. office of Botanic Gardens Conservation International, based at The Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens in Los Angeles. Abby works to develop tools and information to support botanic garden plant conservation programs and collections. Abby received a Bachelor’s of Science degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and went on to complete a Master’s in Public Horticulture Administration through the Longwood Graduate Program at the University of Delaware and Longwood Gardens. Prior to her work with BGCI, she was a Putnam Research Fellow at The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University where she developed new approaches for assessing the conservation value of living plant collections. Now in Los Angeles, Abby enjoys hiking and gardening with her husband Evan and their 3-year old daughter Violet.
Cindy Brockway
Lucinda A. Brockway is the Program Director for... Read More
Lucinda A. Brockway is the Program Director for Cultural Resources at The Trustees, a Massachusetts conservation and preservation organization with eleven public gardens ranging in size and botanical diversity from Martha’s Vineyard to the Berkshires. Deepening the public connection to plants for all ages, The Trustees is strengthening the resiliency of gardens in the the Northeast’s extreme weather conditions. An award-winning landscape designer and preservationist, Brockway’s work has been recognized by the Garden Club of America, the Garden Club Federation of Maine, American Society of Landscape Architects, Preservation League of New York State, the Massachusetts Historic Commission and others. Her work has been featured in Public Garden magazine, Old House Journal, Colonial Homes, Nineteenth Century and Accent as well as numerous professional and trade publications.
Cindy Brockway
Lucinda A. Brockway is the Program Director for Cultural Resources at The Trustees, a Massachusetts conservation and preservation organization with eleven public gardens ranging in size and botanical diversity from Martha’s Vineyard to the Berkshires. Deepening the public connection to plants for all ages, The Trustees is strengthening the resiliency of gardens in the the Northeast’s extreme weather conditions. An award-winning landscape designer and preservationist, Brockway’s work has been recognized by the Garden Club of America, the Garden Club Federation of Maine, American Society of Landscape Architects, Preservation League of New York State, the Massachusetts Historic Commission and others. Her work has been featured in Public Garden magazine, Old House Journal, Colonial Homes, Nineteenth Century and Accent as well as numerous professional and trade publications.
Eileen Ogintz
Eileen Ogintz, a leading national expert on family... Read More
Eileen Ogintz, a leading national expert on family travel, is the author of the Tribune Interactive syndicated column Taking the Kids that appears around the country, creator of the popular website TakingtheKids.com and co-chair of the TMS Family Travel Conference which draws top family travel influencers and major travel brands. She is the author of the 11-book Kids Guideseries; The Kid’s Guide to Acadia National Park is being released in April 2019. The Kid’s Guide to NYC is now in its 3d edition and The Kid’s Guide to Washington, DC the second edition.
Eileen Ogintz
Eileen Ogintz, a leading national expert on family travel, is the author of the Tribune Interactive syndicated column Taking the Kids that appears around the country, creator of the popular website TakingtheKids.com and co-chair of the TMS Family Travel Conference which draws top family travel influencers and major travel brands. She is the author of the 11-book Kids Guideseries; The Kid’s Guide to Acadia National Park is being released in April 2019. The Kid’s Guide to NYC is now in its 3d edition and The Kid’s Guide to Washington, DC the second edition.
Katy Moss Warner
Katy Moss Warner is currently President Emeritus... Read More
Katy Moss Warner is currently President Emeritus of the American Horticultural Society (AHS), a national, not-for-profit, member-based organization with a bold vision of “making America a nation of gardeners, a land of gardens.” Katy is also Past President and City Judge of America in Bloom, a national not-for-profit organization that promotes nationwide beautification through community involvement. Katy has traveled extensively hosting garden travel study programs for the American Horticultural Society in Italy, France, England, Belgium, Czech Republic, Argentina, Morocco, Spain, New Zealand as well as many destinations within the USA. Katy has been featured in numerous books, newspaper and magazine articles. She co-authored the book “The Gardens of Walt Disney World Resort.” She is often asked to deliver presentations on various topics including the importance of quality landscapes to the vitality of communities, garden tourism and the power of flowers.
Katy Moss Warner
Katy Moss Warner is currently President Emeritus of the American Horticultural Society (AHS), a national, not-for-profit, member-based organization with a bold vision of “making America a nation of gardeners, a land of gardens.” Katy is also Past President and City Judge of America in Bloom, a national not-for-profit organization that promotes nationwide beautification through community involvement. Katy has traveled extensively hosting garden travel study programs for the American Horticultural Society in Italy, France, England, Belgium, Czech Republic, Argentina, Morocco, Spain, New Zealand as well as many destinations within the USA. Katy has been featured in numerous books, newspaper and magazine articles. She co-authored the book “The Gardens of Walt Disney World Resort.” She is often asked to deliver presentations on various topics including the importance of quality landscapes to the vitality of communities, garden tourism and the power of flowers.
Mommy Nearest
Mommy Nearest is an award-winning, tech-enabled... Read More
Mommy Nearest is an award-winning, tech-enabled media company for millennial parents. The company is the most trusted and widely-used geo-based app for discovering family-friendly places nationwide, and the website, mommynearest.com, has quickly become the leading site for parenting content.
Mommy Nearest
Mommy Nearest is an award-winning, tech-enabled media company for millennial parents. The company is the most trusted and widely-used geo-based app for discovering family-friendly places nationwide, and the website, mommynearest.com, has quickly become the leading site for parenting content.
Nicky Omohundro
Nicky Omohundro is the founder and editor of Read More
Nicky Omohundro is the founder and editor of LittleFamilyAdventure.com, the popular family travel & lifestyle website that inspires families to leave no child left inside. Since 2013 LFA has been providing inspiration to get families outdoors, eat well, and travel everywhere from their own backyard to around the world. Always up for a family adventure, she has traveled to 37 states and 6 countries to zip-line through a Costa Rican rainforest, see Finland’s Northern Lights, and go camping throughout the US. Nicky is the co-founder of Tourism WorX a travel consultancy group. Connect with her Twitter and Instagram.
Nicky Omohundro
Nicky Omohundro is the founder and editor of LittleFamilyAdventure.com, the popular family travel & lifestyle website that inspires families to leave no child left inside. Since 2013 LFA has been providing inspiration to get families outdoors, eat well, and travel everywhere from their own backyard to around the world. Always up for a family adventure, she has traveled to 37 states and 6 countries to zip-line through a Costa Rican rainforest, see Finland’s Northern Lights, and go camping throughout the US. Nicky is the co-founder of Tourism WorX a travel consultancy group. Connect with her Twitter and Instagram.
Sherry Boswell
Sherry Boswell is a South Carolina native and mom... Read More
Sherry Boswell is a South Carolina native and mom to two teens. When she’s not traveling, she’s working as a real estate attorney and social media manager for Goosewing Ranch. Best travel memories include getting married on a beach in the Virgin Islands, playing an electric blue violin in European cathedrals and watching her kids take their first steps in Paris and London. Find her travel and lifestyle tips at Travel Plans in Mom Hands and also as a contributing writer for Kids Are a Trip.
Sherry Boswell
Sherry Boswell is a South Carolina native and mom to two teens. When she’s not traveling, she’s working as a real estate attorney and social media manager for Goosewing Ranch. Best travel memories include getting married on a beach in the Virgin Islands, playing an electric blue violin in European cathedrals and watching her kids take their first steps in Paris and London. Find her travel and lifestyle tips at Travel Plans in Mom Hands and also as a contributing writer for Kids Are a Trip.
