The 55-acre Desert Botanical Garden displays desert vegetation 10 minutes from Sky Harbor airport. More than 4,000 species are represented in over 50,000 plant displays in this Phoenix park.
Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania
City tourists must take a short but worthwhile diversion to Longwood Gardens. The huge park, an hour from Philadelphia, has an orchid house, Monet-like lily ponds, and a meadow garden with three miles of hiking and walking pathways.
Chicago Botanic Garden, Illinois
We like that Chicago's botanical garden requires repeat visits. 27 gardens on 385 acres surrounded by lakes offer a lot to take in. The geometric Heritage Garden and 200-bonsai tree collection are fantastic starting points.
New York Botanical Gardens, New York City
The Bronx's official National Historical Landmark garden, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, may be more known for its cherry blossom festival.
Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens, Richmond, Virginia
A dozen themed gardens, including a culinary garden, rose garden, cherry tree walk, and a tranquil Asian garden surrounding a pond, are on 50 well-kept acres near Richmond, Virginia.
Desert Botanical Garden, Phoenix, Arizona
In Phoenix, Arizona, surrounded by the Papago Buttes' red rocks, is a 140-acre garden for heat-loving plants. Five walking trails wind through spiky and flowering cacti and succulent gardens, including the desert wildflower loop and Sonoran Desert loop.
Reserve an entire morning or afternoon to explore this vast garden and lake complex nine miles south of downtown Miami. A tropical fruit pavilion, 1,000-palm Montgomery Palmetum.
Missouri Botanical Gardens, St. Loui
The longest continually functioning botanic garden in the country, this 79-acre St. Louis oasis debuted in 1859. Despite the garden's age, the futuristic Climatron, a vast geometric glass dome with a tropical rainforest, is hard to overlook.
United States Botanic Garden, Washington, D.C.
One of the oldest botanic gardens in the nation, Congress founded it in 1820 across from the Capitol. The little garden gives a relief from the Smithsonian's long lines and boasts more than 65,000 plants.
The Huntington, San Marino, California
Besides gardens, this Southern California cultural institution has an art collection and a rare book and manuscript library. Multiple gardens, including one with 50,000 California natives, cover 120 acres outside.
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