WW Seymour Botanical Conservatory

I guess I haven’t been to too many conservatories because usually when I am going to see plants that love hot weather and are tropical I’m going to botanical gardens which are much larger than a conservatory but conservatories after poking around are really not all that big.
There is an entrance fee which I understand to keep the place maintained and to bring in a profit but since it’s so small I kind of question if I’m getting my money’s worth. What plants are in here are really beautiful and the set up is very, very nice.
Probably what is best suited rather than tours is to hold special events here which would create a great atmosphere for birthdays, weddings and other fun events like that.
The WW Seymour Botanical Conservatory is located in Wright Park.

There is a lot packed within this little space. I was expecting it to be a bit more greenhouse-​ish and maybe even a bit warmer inside but regardless of my expectations, it’s still a great place to conserve a variety of species of plants. The general structure of the conservatory is actually really cool. When you enter, the space is sort of open and as you move further to the back there are plants overhanging and creeping all of the place. It gets more like a jungle in the second room. One thing I noticed is there wasn’t a lot of informational plaques or markers within the conservatory. I guess if you have questions you’re supposed to go find the person that works there. If you don’t know a lot about plants you might just say, «Oh that was cool» but not really understand the process that the conservatory goes through to keep the plants growing and alive or understand what the plant is in general. The koi pond was also pretty neat as well. I’d visit again, and maybe I’ll ask more questions next time.

FREE but I highly encourage a donation to keep it alive. Nice serene place. Great for use as a background for photo sessions. Flowers and plants are labeled for those who failed botany 101

We used the conservatory as the setting for a small wedding with a party of 17 people. The service was conducted right inside, with exotic flowers and plants blooming all around. We had a singer/​guitar player and the acoustics were good. It’s just a lovely place, with decent parking and easy access for the elders.

This was one of the high points of my recent trip to Tacoma. Although not large, it is a beautiful showcase for some outstanding plants. It is located in beautiful Wright Park, not far from the historic classical revival church designed by Frederick Heath. Gorgeous orchids and I especially enjoyed the spice collection and the helpful young staffer who was eager to explain characteristics of plants such as the ones that produce black pepper. It is lovely inside and out.

Wonderful and Exquisite place! Super friendly staff and very knowledgable! A must visit!

This botanical garden is OK. I guess I have been spoiled by the others I have been to. The problem I have with this one is that a large portion of this one is taken up by the gift shop. The gift shop could be another area for wonderful plants! I understand they have to pay to keep the lights on and such, but still. The plant variety is OK. The small koi pond has one of the largest koi in it I have ever seen. The staff at the door taking my $ 3 for entry was not very welcoming. She and a coworker were too busy gossiping, loudly, to welcome us. Oh well, still fun to see. I doubt I would ever return though.

Beautiful! Located on the hill top of historic Wright park, this enchanted secret garden is enclosed in a classic Art Deco green house.
This giant terrarium is a transparent glass fortress preserving tropical plant species and well kept floral arrangements.
It is serene and peaceful inside, I feel time slow as I am captivated by the life of the vegetation. So calming.
The architecture is lovely from the outside. It looks like a fairytale ice castle :)
I’m not sure if its free or not. I think there is a «suggested donation».
This feature of Wright park really makes the park unique, enchanting, and a must see.

Beautiful! Located on the hill top of historic Wright park, this enchanted secret garden is enclosed in a classic Art Deco green house.
This giant terrarium is a transparent glass fortress preserving tropical plant species and well kept floral arrangements.
It is serene and peaceful inside, I feel time slow as I am captivated by the life of the vegetation. So calming.
The architecture is lovely from the outside. It looks like a fairytale ice castle :)
There is a «suggested donation» of $ 3.00 per person.
This feature of Wright park really makes the park unique, enchanting, and a must see.

A classically styled conservatory greenhouse nestled along the edge of Tacoma’s second-​prettiest park. This place looms as a staggeringly immense castle in my childhood memories, but in fact it’s probably not too much more than a couple thousand square feet. Still, it’s gorgeous at any age and I will never tire of visiting here.
There’s parking on the street and in the driveway, and admission fees are optional (though encouraged at $ 4 in the honor-​system drop box). The flowers hit you right at the door – lillies, tulips, orchids, bromeliads, all kinds of pretty things, including a lot of subtropical stuff from all over the world. Most of the plants are tagged, so you can figure out what you’re looking at and where it comes from.
The profusion of colors and blooms and foliage textures is fairly well riotous right from the door through the whole place. Ferns and mosses and other unusual textures lay in as accents behind or next to anything that could be seen as pedestrian, and, even in February, it seemed like every growing thing in the building was exploding with blossoms. In places like this, I always think of how my grandfather loved to say «you notice, in nature, colors never clash.»
And here, it’s so true. Every conceivable shade of green leaf and brown trunk is here, along with most of the known warm colors on flower petals and many of the known whites on the blooms, too. Some of the flowers are so ornate and lush that they look like they might eat you if you stand still too long without paying attention.
There is a little gift shop, and they have a few notions – cards, knickknacks, some things for the gardener. I think they take plastic, but you don’t have to pay to get in if you don’t have cash.
Maybe best of all, there’s a change of pace in the central atrium, where the tallest specimens grow, next to a small koi pond with a waterfall. All these little jewels of the natural world always help to brighten my days, and I find that they make a nice low-​key change of pace when entertaining out-​of-​town company as well. I love this greenhouse.

A small conservatory, but very pretty displays. We were there at Christmas time and enjoyed the poinsettias. They also have a nice collection of orchids and bromeliads. Free, but you can make a donation in the box. Easy to park. We parked right in the drive way.

This is a conservatory with beautiful plants inside. It is located in Wright Park. The plants and flowers are pretty and change with the seasons. There is a little water area with koi fish.
There is a suggested donation but they don’t pressure you to pay it. There is also a gift shop.

Lots of orchids packed into this petite conservatory.
If I had a billion dollars I’d have a conservatory just like this one in my back yard. It is very charming.
The burst of color and summer smells when you first walk in seems to be over-​done… and there’s not enough emphasis on educating the public about what they are seeing… but the place would be a nice place to go on a dreary winter day.
There is a 4 dollar suggested donation.

I love plants.
I love biology.
And I love being left alone to browse without being bothered.
Just don’t make any sudden movements or someone will scream «don’t touch the glass!» at you.
It’s pretty small in here, but they change things around monthly so there’s always something new to see. It is free, but they gladly accept donations so try to contribute a couple of bucks if you come.
Even though it’s tiny, I still find it beautiful. I’m so glad I can walk here and waste some time on a cold day.
Man, I just love plants.

This conservatory was a lovely little gem, the highlight of Tacoma, BUT that is not saying much! It was nice, just really really small. I love conservatories so went out of my way to check this one out… it was not worth the trip to Tacoma.

A conservative conservatory? A half-​height hothouse?
Whatever witty alliteration I come up can’t quite dress up the fact that this place is the smallest conservatory I’ve come across.
In short — it’s not bad to check out if you’re already in Wright park, but if you make a trip just for the conservatory, you might feel like your trip wasn’t worth it because there’s not more than 10 – 20 minutes worth of distraction to be found here.
On the plus-​side, it was chock-​full of Chihuly’s glass and it they worked well mixed in with the organic environment.