You’ve surely visited a public park or garden, but have you ever visited a botanical garden? There are nearly 300 across the United States, each with its own unique way of educating the public about native and exotic plant species. Whether part of a university, run privately, or cared for by the city, botanical gardens are much more than places to go and look at flowers.
Creating impressive displays to dazzle viewers is certainly on brand for a botanical garden, but the work of these institutions goes well beyond aesthetics. Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) defines these spaces as institutions with a vast catalog of plant life not only for the purpose of educating the public, but also for scientific research and conservation. Visiting a botanical garden often means seeing plant life native to the area, while also taking a journey to other countries and cultures through the rare, exotic plants found in these spaces.
The five exceptional botanical gardens on our list are some of the country’s best — and biggest — whether speaking in terms of how large they are by size or how many people stroll their grounds each year to take in the colorful blooms and incredible trees. Check out our selections below, and then, if you’re looking for even more gardens to explore, see what Reddit thinks are the best botanical gardens in America.
Longwood Gardens, Pennsylvania
If you want to visit America’s largest botanical garden, you’ll need to book a ticket to Philadelphia. Longwood Gardens sits just 26 miles west of Philadelphia International Airport in Kennett Square. With 1,100 acres of gardens, what started in 1906 as a place to save historical trees has blossomed into one of the “World’s Greatest Places” of 2025, according to Time…