The Tucson Botanical Gardens is a public garden located in the heart of downtown Tucson. The gardens offer winding pathways, special events, and educational aspects for kids. There are numerous exhibits featuring different flora from around the world.
Great place to visit! Free parking with the entrance further back into the parking lot. Lots to see and many trails to take. Great cacti and flowers at every corner. Gift shop has cool butterfly magnets, shirts, jeweled plant stakes, and so much more. There's a butterfly arboretum, saguaros, large butterfly metal sculptures made out of different beautiful stones. I've never seen so many different types of cacti before, highly recommend!
Texas G — Google review
Took the family to enjoy a sunday out in nature and art. Its a very calm and full if art place that gives you a chance to enjoy nature. It was not too crowded that allowed us to get the full experience. It was 15$ dollars per person and for all u get to see its a good price..
Francisco R — Google review
What a GEM of a place! I love it here. There is so much beauty in how the Garden is played out and all of the incredible plants.I go every time I'm in town. I also take their online watercolor classes.
Judy G — Google review
An absolutely delightful garden! There is a lot of garden packed into this space, while still feeling open. They have different sections like the cactus garden, herb garden, zen garden, and iris garden.The artwork is beautiful! I would love to attend an afterhours event to see the garden with all of the lights up.The staff and volunteers are helpful and knowledgeable. The food at Edna's is tasty and the seating area is peaceful.If I lived in town, I would definitely get a membership to see the garden through the seasons. Cannot recommend a visit highly enough!
Andrea T — Google review
Wonderful place to visit.$13 for seniors.you can easily spend several hours here.There are several pergolas that isolate styles of plants, desert, flowers, etc., with places to sit and just enjoy.Many cacti from all over the world.Crafted sculptures of butterflies and dragonflies throughout.Original Porter home is still there but basically houses art work.Well maintained walkways and paths, easily accessed for wheel chairs.Highlight for us was the butterfly arena that housed different species from around the world.
Danny P — Google review
We had a great time exploring the different horticulture. This garden hosts plants from all over the world. You are allowed to roam freely through the gardens. There are plenty of photogenic spots and a wide array of desert plants. The butterfly garden was our favorite part of the experience. There is some shade but it mostly exposed to the sun, so come prepared with hats and water bottles if going in the summer.
Zachary — Google review
There is lots to learn from this beautiful garden. You can also go and just enjoy the beautiful scenery. The opportunity to see all the blooming succulents cactus and other plants is an undeniable beautiful experience. The Amazing butterfly house was not anything you would see out in the wild around here. Kids can do a scavenger hunt. The paths are wide enough for a wagon or scooter. Some parts have the deeper rocks which are hard to push a wheelchair through sometimes.
Tambrea R — Google review
Frankly disappointed. Not much variety. It's desert plants, which you're going to see everywhere else you go. The Muertos display is nice. There were 4 sections closed off to us, so they could install Christmas decorations. The butterfly enclosure is worth the price of admission
Brent R — Google review
We really enjoyed going to the Tucson Botanical Gardens. It’s really well maintained and has a nice variety of plants. The layout is well designed making for an enjoyable walk around the gardens. There’s a butterfly exhibit that you can walk through Areas are well labeled. It’s easy to get to and plenty of parking. Well worth a few hours!
Bradley T — Google review
Really love this place! What a Tucson treasure. We made a special trip to see the traveling exhibit of the art work created from trash washed ashore around the world. Very interesting and sad. Great to see the rest of the gardens again. It's more than just the wide variety of beautiful plants and flowers. Sit and soak in the sounds and the smells. The happy people experiencing the garden! Dining was a bust - food truck in lieu of Cafe with one person serving everyone. Hope that's going to be fixed!
Michael T — Google review
It’s amazing to see all the plant that grow in this region of the American Southwest. There are many exhibits as well as very artistic creations of wildlife made from ocean plastic. It’s good to see something creative & vibrant from something so vile and disgusting. I salute the artists of these creations.Through May you can visit the butterfly educational room. This room has a very high temperature and humidity level to keep the butterflies from the tropics happy. They only live a few days. You can also see the world’s largest species of moth. They only have one and it spends its daytime hours on a tree and only moves around at night, after the exhibit is closed. I’ll try to upload a small video of the butterfly room.There’s also a nice gift shop and an exhibit where you can purchase handmade quilts (I didn’t know Arizonans needed quilts, but I guess it must get cold here occasionally).These gardens are a short distance from downtown Tucson. Well worth a visit or two. Senior citizen discounts are available.
Robert A — Google review
SO cool!!! I wish I had gotten here right when they opened and stayed the whole day! If I lived in the area I would look into a membership! This was an amazing collection of native and nonnative plants. The habitat and pollinator displays were so interesting and the staff was wonderful! A beautiful oasis in the city!
Michelle H — Google review
Absolutely beautiful collection of desert plants, architecture, statues, fountains, butterflies, and much more! Definitely recommended to visit during the holiday season to see all of the lights out on the trees at night, it is very beautiful and serene to walk through the glowing pathways of lights and trees. One of the most peaceful holiday light events I've ever been too, would definitely go again next year!
J — Google review
If you like nature and love to photograph pictures then this is the place for you. The staff & volunteers are very nice and knowledgeable on all the exhibits. I enjoyed taking 35mm still photos of them. The cost of admission is very affordable as well as educational. We will be back again!
Michael G — Google review
This is one of the first places I bought a membership for when I first moved to the Tucson area. Don’t t let the parking lot fool you… this place is amazing. On our latest visit we caught the last day of the Lego creatures in the gardens. Every time I go there is something new to capture my imagination. And the butterfly house is magical. If you have out of town guests, this should be on your “must do” list.
Char S — Google review
Small centralized floor plan so easy to walk around without walking the distant. A small butterfly and orchid tropical building you can enjoy. Ground for sculpture style exhibit
Sunny O — Google review
The gardens are always a treat to go and visit. This is the first time we've gone during the monsoon season, and it was well worth seeing how green and full it was. It may be more enjoyable in the fall (cooler weather), but there was still so much to see. There's a nice place to get something to eat and drink as well as a gift shop you can stop by before you head out. The garden isn't huge but you can easily still spend a few hours just enjoying the scenery. They do have the occasional free admission days as well as free lemonade (I believe through August)
John K — Google review
Don’t hate me, folks, but I was underwhelmed by this small botanic garden - especially with a $19 entry fee. (Note: This is not an all-day pass. They will charge you another $19 if you leave for lunch and come back. Not cool.) Caveat: I am spoiled, having FREE entry to the botanic gardens I’ve been to, in D.C. and in Europe. (I was visiting from D.C.)Also, there was a young woman with an attitude at the ticket booth when I was asking basic questions about the gardens. She basically answered “no” to everything. Unhelpful - and unwelcoming - to say the least.The butterfly house had a total of three butterflies - so not impressed with that either.Sorry about my review. I’ll end on a positive note: there were sweet little gardens, like the herb garden, and some nicely landscaped areas. I’ve seen a number of parks and gardens in AZ that have done similar staging.
Martha W — Google review
We've lived in the Tucson greater area for over 6 years now and had never been. I was really excited to do something different this year for Christmas lights. They sell holographic glasses at the front so that you can experience the lights with the holographic effect. We already had some in our vehicle for when my kids were little . So that's the effect in some of my pictures . I took the picture through the holographic glasses . We took our Nana as a holiday gift for us all to make magical memories. And magical is definitely the right word. The entire Garden was lit up with lights and it was just so magical, and amazing, and magnificent, and grandeur, and absolutely fabulous to experience. And the flowers were still blooming even though it's the end of December . Can't wait to go back in the daylight to see the garden
Renee K — Google review
😍😍😍 such a wonderful and amazing place 😍 i love how you get to see the desert areas then beautiful flowers then a butterfly greenhouse then a edible garden area 😍❤️ we went in march so they had the sea garbage sculptures , they were so interesting to look at and seeing the garbage put in a beautiful way was really cool 😎.
Misty — Google review
A cool Sunday morning brought us to these magnificent gardens! The art work was beautiful and blended in perfectly. Easy access for wheelchairs. Activities for children. A quaint butterfly room and a wonderful staff every where we went!
Blanche K — Google review
VISIT TUCSON EVENT with Certified Tourism Ambassadors , Partners and local media to cover the New Exhibit of the wonderful Trains . The butterfly exhibit is wonderful and will be shut down over the Summer months. Walking the grounds is a wonderful experience and the trees and plants are magnificent. This was an after hours Event and organized by the City to give Certified Tourism Ambassadors a sneak peak before the Train exhibit officially opens , so no pictures at this time. You'll have to visit The Tucson Botanical Gardens to see for yourself.
Monica T — Google review
Spent a lovely afternoon here and enjoyed exploring the place. The plants and butterflies are well taken care of, and absolutely beautiful. I was also pleasantly surprised to see some hummingbirds!Although there was a good amount of shade and seating areas around the gardens, I did end up leaving mid-afternoon as I started struggling in the heat. Since the place is largely outdoors, I recommend checking the weather and going on a day that’s a bit cooler.
Kristeen R — Google review
Enjoyed a Thursday afternoon stroll around the botanical gardens. Loved the various sections, including the kitchen and herb areas. Most everything labeled and easy to read. There were many colorful ceramic bench seats around the gardens, though I would have liked a few more, with some being in the shaded areas. Large variety of cacti and other varieties. We enjoyed the butterfly exhibit, especially seeing the chrysalis window. The tropical butterfly room didn’t have many butterflies at the moment, but a container of newly emerged butterflies were brought in while we were there. There also was a special exhibit of sculptures made from trash removed from the oceans. Very clever and eye-opening.
Sue M — Google review
Wow! What a gem! Loved this place so much after my first visit I had to become a member! I love botanical gardens, and visit them wherever I go. This one is amazing! Large, well cared for, pride of volunteers. Great variety, well kept gardens, lovely arrangements! A butterfly conservatory was delightful! Good eats! Wonderful shop (great presents for all occasions). I can't wait to get back there again! Don't miss this gem!
Julie S — Google review
A small but very nice and well payed out facility. Took our granddaughters mainly to see the butterflies and the huge variety of cactus. The butterfly exhibit was worth the trip alone. Some beautiful gardens which I’m sure are even better outside of the winter months. I’m glad we arrived early as the place started to get a little busy as noon approached.
Ron H — Google review
I had a wonderful time at the Tucson Botanical Gardens with family! There are so many nooks and crannies to enjoy throughout the gardens! I love that there are naturally shaded areas to go into, to get a break from the sun! Highly recommend!
Kerri T — Google review
What a gorgeous garden. Had so many different varieties of plants: succulents, cactus, plants for pollinators, bulbs, herbs, fruit trees. It really has it all. They are all labeled well so you know exactly what you’re looking at. The butterfly garden was amazing. Very cool kaleidoscope situation with a spinning flower pot. Interesting exhibit with sea creatures made out of recycled plastic. And two art exhibits - one from an Antarctica trip and one from botanical art. Great value for the experience.
Bailey E — Google review
Fun experience to be had with all ages. They have a train exhibit going on for the kiddos to enjoy. There are gorgeous blooming cactus. Beautiful tile benches throughout the gardens. There are places to sit and meditate.
Ms. B — Google review
In December I stopped by with my family & we enjoyed walking around looking at all the different garden areas. While I do enjoy seeing the gardens, the part of the botanical gardens that had me most excited to visit was seeing the butterflies & it did not disappoint. I loved being inside of the butterfly pavilion & seeing not only the butterflies but the gorgeous fish they had in there as well. I think the prices for tickets is just right, we spent about an hour here, we could have spent slightly more time but it started to rain pretty hard to we left a little bit early to get out of the rain, get dry and warm up a bit. The gardens were well kept, clean & there were plenty of areas to stop and take a break if you needed it. Great stop to visit if you are looking for something to do for a short amount of time, it was a relaxing walk through.
Luna B — Google review
Tucson Botanical Gardens offers an enchanting experience with meticulously labeled plants, including a captivating array of cacti and herbs, each accompanied by their Latin names. The diverse gardens showcase the beauty of succulents, featuring a remarkable collection of aloe plants from Africa that adds an exotic touch to the landscape. One of the highlights during my visit was the awe-inspiring Washed Ashore art exhibit, seamlessly blending environmental awareness with artistic brilliance. The gardens, with their thoughtful organization and informative signage, provide an educational and visually stunning journey through different botanical realms. The attention to detail in naming and categorizing the flora enhances the overall experience, making it a haven for nature enthusiasts. Tucson Botanical Gardens is a must-visit, offering a harmonious blend of horticultural excellence and artistic expression.
Gary ( — Google review
I had a wonderful time at the botanical gardens! Coming from a totally different biome (Kentucky), I was fascinated by all of the desert plants and the critters I saw during my visit. There were lizards, birds, and butterflies galore and I even saw a squirrel lazily munching on a cactus fruit! It was amazing!
Kate A — Google review
We've had annual membership to TBG up until 3 years ago. Just rejoined for 24/25. We attended the Members Day event. Lots of changes, all good. The focus areas and trails have been revamped. The model train exhibit is totally changed and is outstanding. There are also many large sculptures with an oceanic theme made with plastic recovered from the sea. Quite impressive. Took several photos and will try to post them.
Richard W — Google review
Stunning gardens full of glorious colours and fragrant scents. A real pleasure for the senses.Designed to perfectly display the flora of different regions, it's a delight to wander around the gardens and relax. You can feel the stress leaving your body as you absorb the peace and harmony of this oasis of nature.
Michael L — Google review
Came here as I had some time before I needed to be at the airport that’s ~20 mins away. I was very pleasantly surprised by my visit. Parking and getting in is very easy. $19 I think was my adult ticket? There’s all these different sections sign their own theme. For example there’s a huge area that’s just cactuses, there’s a greenhouse like structure you can go in and see butterflies, there’s a herb garden. The list goes on. Very informative and fun trip. Really happy I went here. The gift shop has some cool stuff in it too. Highly recommend. Oh and bring water and protection from the sun!
Rachelle M — Google review
The botanical gardens are lovely to visit! I enjoy that they have different artistic displays. When I went this August they had sculptures crafted from plastics salvaged from the ocean, and in October they had a día de los muertos themed exhibit.
Ash D — Google review
If you are in Tucson, you have to go to the botanical gardens. The place is absolutely massive and the scenery with all the cacti and flowers and all the other exotic plants that you would only find in Arizona is worth the price and much much more. All of the flowers were beautiful and well-maintained and the cacti are so cool and they had some other fun plants that I’ve never seen before.
Ethan R — Google review
While killing time before checking into our Airbnb, my wife and I decided to visit Tucson Botanical Gardens. The large cacti and creative sculptures dotted throughout the garden were impressive, and the butterfly exhibit was definitely a highlight. However, we couldn't help but feel that the $20 entry ticket was a bit steep for what the garden had to offer. Nonetheless, it was a pleasant way to spend some time surrounded by nature.
Shinobi — Google review
I visited from Oregon last week and, despite the sun and heat, it was a beautiful place to see! There were tons of different types of (gorgeous) cacti in bloom, succulents! The recycled ocean trash exhibit was really fun and the model trains were a fun surprise.
Em — Google review