10 Gorgeous Gardens to Visit

Strolling around a beautiful garden is a great way to add on a bit of nature and relaxation to any vacation experience. There are dozens of fantastic gardens in cities across the US. From exotic cacti in Tucson, to an extravagant fall pumpkin display in Dallas, to a beautiful bonsai collection in Asheville, each of the gardens I have highlighted below offer a unique sensory experience for the nature lover. Whether you feel like taking a quiet nature walk, birdwatching, learning more about plant life, enjoying a picnic in beautiful natural surroundings, or taking photography, a walk at any of these gardens will help you recover from vacation stress.

Longwood Gardens

• Location: Kennett Square, PA
• Admission: $25pp. Tickets are timed.
• Highlight: A beautiful 4.5 acre conservatory with dramatic changing seasonal displays
• Best time to visit: A Longwood Christmas featuring thousands of poinsettias and seasonal displays.

This gorgeous 1100+ acre garden lies an hour outside of Philadelphia. It’s the perfect daytrip for any nature and lovers looking to escape the city congestion. This is quite a large garden with over 10,000 varieties of plant life to explore via 40 seasonal gardens. After visiting, I can see why it is often ranked amongst the world’s best. There are numerous indoor and outdoor gardens, fountain shows, a greenhouse, an orchid room with a collection of 5500 diverse species, a Sliver Room spotlighting plants of the desert & Mediterranean, and a large 4.5 acre conservatory which stuns during the winter seasonal as thousands of poinsettias, flowers, and decorated trees take center stage. I really love the beautiful Christmas displays – the poinsettias are amazing!

Bellagio Conservatory

• Location: Las Vegas, NV
• Admission: Free
• Highlight: A new extravagant theme for each season
• Best time to visit: Winter (Thanksgiving-Jan) for the incredible Christmas display

So many tourists leave Vegas without exploring the many unique attractions found in just about every casino. In fact, most of the best attractions in Vegas lie off the gambling floor. While the Bellagio fountain show is fantastic, the gardens next to the lobby are just as spectacular. The best part of all is that you do not have to stay at the hotel to view this beauty. The artistic display changes each season, with thousands of flowers and plants dazzling in a grand room with a 50 foot glass ceiling. Most impressive is the winter display which features thousands of poinsettias, polar bears made of carnations, and other whimsical creations. A team of 150-200 horticulturalists are needed to maintain this masterpiece anytime of year!

The Wynn Gardens

• Location: Las Vegas, NV
• Admission: Free
• Highlight: Carousel and hot air balloon constructed entirely of flowers
• Best time to visit: Anytime you need a break from The Strip action

The Wynn is one of the most elegant resorts on the Vegas Strip, and the beautiful atrium garden is enchanting to say the least. Although under visited, a trip to The Wynn just to explore this artistic masterpiece is a must for any nature and art lovers. A canopy of trees with hanging colorful flowers balls and a whimsical 6000 pound carousel and 4000 pound hot air balloon creates an imaginative youthful scene. More than 110,000 flowers and 3500 hours of manwork by artist Preston Bailey went into creating one of the most stunning displays in all of Vegas. Like the Bellagio, they also put on quite an extravagant holiday display.

Sunken Gardens

• Location: St. Petersburg, FL
• Admission: $15pp
• Highlight: Tropical oasis with fountains & flamingos
• Best time to visit: The rainy summer season when the most tropical plants will be in bloom
• See more pics of this gorgeous tropical oasis

Sunken Gardens, a 100 year old garden established in 1935, claims the distinction of being one of the oldest roadside attractions in the US. Take a break from the beach commotion for the day in exchange for a lovely walk through this tropical oasis. I often plan a relaxing coffeeshop and stroll around this garden instead of the beach (especially during spring break season). You will get to explore more than 500,000 tropical plants and flowers from around the world. Lovely waterfalls, streams, exotic birds, and free roaming flamingos add to the peaceful environment. It’s a world’s away from the tourist beach commotion!

North Carolina Arboretum

• Location: Asheville, NC
• Admission: Free, $16 parking fee
• Highlight: An impressive bonsai collection
• Best time to visit: Fall to enjoy the lovey foliage
• Learn more about gardens & trails at the North Carolina Arboretum

The North Carolina Arboretum is a gorgeous 400+ acre space featuring groomed gardens, as well as 10 miles of hiking trails. It is located along the beautiful Blue Ridge Parkway about 20 minutes from downtown Asheville. The highlight here is a dazzling Bonsai Collection, featuring 100 species of American, European, and Asian origin. Uniquely, the bonsai are cultivated with a special Appalachian touch. The Quilt Garden (flowers arranged in a quilt pattern to reflect the Southern Appalachian arts & crafts history) is also stunning with new flowers planted each season. Also, this garden is amazing in fall! When I lived in Asheville, I hiked here at least twice a week during autumn just to leaf peep!