Worth a Journey

Read by 254k monthly readers

The World’s 100 Best Botanical Gardens · 2026

The Best Botanical Gardens in the United States

19 of the 100 venues in The World’s 100 Best Botanical Gardens 2026 are in the United States. The highest placed is Hawai‘i Tropical Botanical Garden in Papaikou, at number 4 in the world. Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square (number 9) and Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis (number 14) follow.

Hawai‘i Tropical Botanical Garden
N° 4 · Hawai‘i Tropical Botanical Garden, Papaikou

Conservatories and seasonal shows

Many of the American gardens pair outdoor grounds with a large glasshouse and a programme of shows. Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania runs fountain shows with lights and music, and its Christmas display is the busiest time of the year. Missouri Botanical Garden has the Climatron, a dome with a tropical rainforest. Phipps Conservatory in Pittsburgh changes its themed rooms with each flower show. Atlanta Botanical Garden and Frederik Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids show sculpture among the plants.

Climates

Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix has trails through cacti; in summer the early morning and evening are the cool hours. Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden and Naples Botanical Garden in Florida grow palms, orchids and water lilies. The two Hawaiian entries are a rainforest valley near Hilo and Ho‘omaluhia, a free garden below the Koʻolau Mountains on Oahu. Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens has woodland trails near Boothbay.

Tickets

Entry costs between about 22 and 40 dollars at several of the gardens, and tickets bought online are often cheaper. Missouri Botanical Garden charges a small fee, and Ho‘omaluhia is free. Several gardens charge separately for parking.

Venues

99. New York Botanical Garden 94. Desert Botanical Garden 93. Fort Worth Botanic Garden 83. Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden 82. Naples Botanical Garden 74. Ho‘omaluhia Botanical Garden 71. Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park 67. Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens 63. Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden 61. Gibbs Gardens 57. Chicago Botanic Garden 46. Portland Japanese Garden 41. Atlanta Botanical Garden 35. Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens 30. Denver Botanic Gardens 25. The Huntington 14. Missouri Botanical Garden 9. Longwood Gardens 4. Hawai‘i Tropical Botanical Garden
99. New York Botanical Garden 94. Desert Botanical Garden 93. Fort Worth Botanic Garden 83. Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden 82. Naples Botanical Garden 74. Ho‘omaluhia Botanical Garden 71. Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park 67. Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens 63. Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden 61. Gibbs Gardens 57. Chicago Botanic Garden 46. Portland Japanese Garden 41. Atlanta Botanical Garden 35. Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens 30. Denver Botanic Gardens 25. The Huntington 14. Missouri Botanical Garden 9. Longwood Gardens 4. Hawai‘i Tropical Botanical Garden
  1. Hawai‘i Tropical Botanical Garden N° 4 Hawai‘i Tropical Botanical Garden Papaikou Botanical garden
  2. Longwood Gardens N° 9 Longwood Gardens Kennett Square Garden
  3. Missouri Botanical Garden N° 14 Missouri Botanical Garden St. Louis Botanical garden
  4. The Huntington N° 25 The Huntington San Marino Botanical garden
  5. Denver Botanic Gardens N° 30 Denver Botanic Gardens Denver Botanical garden
  6. Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens N° 35 Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens Boothbay Botanical garden
  7. Atlanta Botanical Garden N° 41 Atlanta Botanical Garden Atlanta Botanical garden
  8. Portland Japanese Garden N° 46 Portland Japanese Garden Portland Classical garden
  9. Chicago Botanic Garden N° 57 Chicago Botanic Garden Glencoe Botanical garden
  10. Gibbs Gardens N° 61 Gibbs Gardens Ball Ground Garden
  11. Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden N° 63 Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden Coral Gables Botanical garden
  12. Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens N° 67 Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens Pittsburgh Glasshouse
  13. Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park N° 71 Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park Grand Rapids Botanical garden
  14. Ho‘omaluhia Botanical Garden N° 74 Ho‘omaluhia Botanical Garden Kaneohe Botanical garden
  15. Naples Botanical Garden N° 82 Naples Botanical Garden Naples Botanical garden
  16. Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden N° 83 Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden Dallas Botanical garden
  17. Fort Worth Botanic Garden N° 93 Fort Worth Botanic Garden Fort Worth Botanical garden
  18. Desert Botanical Garden N° 94 Desert Botanical Garden Phoenix Botanical garden
  19. New York Botanical Garden N° 99 New York Botanical Garden New York Botanical garden

Best by region

  1. The NordicsGothenburg Botanical GardenGothenburg, SwedenN° 8
  2. EuropeBodnant GardenTal-y-Cafn, United KingdomN° 5
  3. AsiaRoyal Botanic Gardens, PeradeniyaKandy, Sri LankaN° 6
  4. The Middle EastDubai Miracle GardenDubai, United Arab EmiratesN° 13
  5. North AmericaThe Butchart GardensBrentwood Bay, CanadaN° 2
  6. The CaribbeanHunte’s GardensSaint Joseph, BarbadosN° 17
  7. Latin AmericaJardim Botânico do Rio de JaneiroRio de Janeiro, BrazilN° 28
  8. AfricaJardin d’Essai du HammaAlgiers, AlgeriaN° 1
  9. OceaniaRoyal Botanic Gardens MelbourneMelbourne, AustraliaN° 15

Best by kind

  1. Display gardensThe Butchart GardensBrentwood Bay, CanadaN° 2
  2. Classical gardensKenroku-enKanazawa, JapanN° 12

Best by country

  1. United StatesHawai‘i Tropical Botanical GardenPapaikouN° 4
  2. JapanKenroku-enKanazawaN° 12
  3. ItalyThe Gardens of Trauttmansdorff CastleMeranoN° 19
  4. United KingdomBodnant GardenTal-y-CafnN° 5
  5. SpainJardín Botánico AtlánticoGijónN° 40
  6. FranceParc Floral d’ApremontApremont-sur-AllierN° 54