United States Botanic Garden

This place was just what the doctor ordered — beautiful scenery, calm and soothing sounds, and a great escape from the city living.
I wanted to check this place out the first time I visited but didn’t have time. This will be added to my list of places to see every time now! The gardens are beautiful with events going on and educational things to do throughout the entire garden.
My favorite place was the outside area with four tables/​chairs surrounding the water fountain. It was a great place to stop, take in the city, people watch, and enjoy Mother Nature.
Will definitely be back to give this place more time!

I am a flowers person, so if you like flora, then this is the place for you. They boast over 6,000 species of plants. This made my group I was traveling with a bit apprehensive about going because they aren’t flower people.
Luckily, it wasn’t an issue. The gardens does a good job of condensing everything to sections. So it took maybe an hr or so to walk around the whole space.
I believe, if you have time it is a must see because they have rose gardens, medicinal plants, and regional plants. But as previously stated, I could have a bias enthusiasm because I am a deep lover of flora.

A perfect, beautiful, and FREE way to spend a nice sunny afternoon in DC.
The US Botanic Garden is best described as lover’s paradise, or with longtime friends that want to roam around that are not allergic to tulips around every corner. The garden is beautifully designed with areas to sit, reflect, and smell the flowers in the Spring.
Inside the flower sanctuary, you’ll find picturesque landscapes that almost demands that you retake your old prom photos from high school. There are a variety of flowers that give off different aromas and colors that it’s hard to not enjoy a walk around this area.
Don’t be afraid to have someone take a photo for you. Everyone we encountered was extremely friendly and willing to snap a shot or two for you to show grandma back home.
Once you’re done, feel free to swing by the Capitol Building or head to the nearby park to continue relaxing after a long day out in the nation’s capital.

The United States Botanic Garden is beautiful, and like most attractions in DC, it’s free!
The botanic garden isn’t huge, but there’s quite a lot to see, so if you want to take your time admiring the plants, allot at least an hour. We arrived about 45 minutes before closing, so we looked at about half the exhibits and went back a second time a few days later to look at the remainder of the exhibits – I didn’t want to miss a thing!
The various exhibits include: medicinal plants, desert plants, tropical plants, Hawaiian plants, Mediterranean plants, and orchids, to name a sample.
The botanic garden was definitely one of the highlights of my trip to DC. I’m glad I didn’t miss it!
Things to note: there is a bathroom, a water fountain (I always note these things because I drink a lot of water and carry a water bottle around with me – I also have to pee a lot…), and the garden is wheelchair accessible.

Stunning and beautiful the arborist and botanists must be constantly at work to keep this as stunning as it appears. Great informative information through it, staff members giving interesting information and in general a quick but fun stop next to the capital. A great little children’s section allowing them to water and dig and be pet of the action!

This is a nice place to walk around. It is less crowded than the other smithsonian attractions and there are lots of nice benches to sit on right outside the compound. They have a good variety of plants from different climates around the world. I do wish the rare plants area had a few more botanical wonders, but if you have children and want to educate them with some botany this makes for a nice stop on a day trip.

This botanical garden is amazing. Right in the heart near the Capitol Building. Especially if you’re a fan of Orchids as I am. I have never been to a botanical garden with an extensive exhibit of orchids not to mention a much larger assortment of plant life from different regions of the world. I really like how the exhibits are displayed and definitely worth visiting especially during a nice clear day. Even if it’s not such a nice day most of the exhibits are indoors.

Funny, I’ve visited DC several times in the past year and have found the botanical gardens one of my favorite sites to visit, despite thinking the monuments and all the obvious spots would easily outrank a place with plants.
I love nature and plants, so it makes sense this place works for me.
Aside from being in a really cool building/​greenhouse, the array of plants is stunning! Tropical, exotic, cactus, flowers — there are tons of great specimens!
Also, it appears there are rotating educational exhibits (I saw one during my first visit on prairie grasses and their root systems. Not sure how they did it, but had plants shown with in-​tact root systems that were like 5 – 6 feet long!)
During my last visit, The Botanic was hosting a cooking demonstration in the atrium/​entry area — looked like fun.
Lots of activities going on… as if spending time among awesome plant-​life isn’t enough?
An easy 5 star attraction.

We were walking to the museums from our hotel and noticed the Botanical Gardens. It made me sad because it made me think of the Milwaukee Domes. It is separated out into different sections similar to our Domes. There was an arid area for cacti, a tropical Hawaiian part, and a larger part with a cat walk which was kinda neat to view the plants from on high. I loved the selection of orchids! There were a few photo ops and learning points too. We were going to leave and the Capitol police stopped us and said there was an active shooter at the Capitol. We could leave if we wanted to but we opted to stay put. This is right across the street from the Capitol. Other than that, it was a beautiful place to visit.

A very welcoming peaceful break… So thrilled that plants are not political. Will come back to enjoy this time and time again. The national botanical gardens orchid show was happening when we arrived, making it especially beautiful. The ladies bathroom had gorgeous orchids adorning it, this was a splendid experience.

I really enjoyed our tour of the Botanic Gardens. I am super glad we decided to take the time to stop and go it. It’s not a huge place and I enjoyed walking around. I love flowers and plants and it was nice to see all the different areas they had from the orchids, to the desert area with all the cactus’s. The medicinal plant area was also very cool. We caught the end of a tour and it was very interesting and informative. I also liked the Flora of the National Parks area. This exhibit will be there till early October.
My favorite part was just seeing all the flowers. You could spend a good portion of the day here, but we just had a short visit. The children’s area and some of the outdoor areas were being worked on.
Admission was free!

A wonderful set of botanical gardens right next to Capitol Hill. Admission is free, and the inside is clean and well-​maintained. The gardens are split into sections, such as tropical, desert, and so on, with different flora in each section. I particularly appreciated the ample number of benches in each section, since all of the walking I had done earlier around Capitol Hill was starting to catch up with me. They had a couple sections closed for renovation which I gather from previous Unilocal reviews is quite common.
They also have a section devoted to medicinal plants, which was very enjoyable for me since I had heard of some of these names in medical school.

What a hidden gem in the hustle and bustle of the city! Even on a cold day, once you step in you feel like you have been transported to a tropical paradise. The garden houses a variety of plants all labeled. It has a large room that is the main tropical room and branches off to smaller ones such as the desert plants room and the medicinal plant room. It is like being inside a large greenhouse that also has elevators to take you to the too so you can view the area from a higher perspective. Wonderful place to relax!

Go on an ordinary day and it’s very pretty… add in a holiday and it’s extraordinary with the addition of the model train exhibit!
Due note that they have a separate entrance for the model train area. One that requires standing in line. Once inside it’s a moderate-​size room with a few model trains. We thought it was pretty cool and worth the wait. Not everyone might agree.
That being said, once you exit that exhibit, the regular ones are very much worth a visit any day of the week!

The Botanic Garden is one of my favorite places in the city to just unwind. I just love going to the jungle room, and it feels like I’m transported to another part of the world. The warmth and humidity in the dead of winter make me feel so good inside. I especially love the orchid room, as I used to grow orchids at home. They have so many species that I wish I could cultivate on my own, but I don’t have the right conditions, unfortunately.
One of my favorite things is to go on Christmas Day and see the train exhibits and all the monuments of Washington on display there. Whenever I take guests there, they are so pleasantly surprised that a tropical world can be found just steps from the Capitol.

I wander in here at lunch several times a year just to see the orchids. I love the layout and the sense that one is surrounded by only nature. They’ve managed to make it seem quite bucolic even when crowded.
I’ve been here for some political events and have found the setting allows me to tolerate the boring speeches. The caterers have always been excellent.
This place is not easy to find nearby parking; meters are nearby but generally mobbed during the work week. Metro is the easiest.
This place does not have any food options but there is food nearby at the National Museum of the American Indian.

A must see, IF YOU ARE A NATURE LOVER.
New York was my favorite Us city until I came to Washington DC.

Bottom Line: Even if you aren’t a botanist you will find the displays here to be very beautiful and enchanting. As an added bonus, you may leave with a deeper appreciation for plants.
The day I went to the United States Botanic Garden it was crazy crowded and I barely got to enjoy myself; nevertheless, I learned some cool things while I here and I really appreciate what this lovely garden has to offer. Moreover, I seriously can’t wait to go back! One of my take aways from the USBG is that it is easy to take plants for granted even though they greatly contribute to our overall well-​being. Not only do we eat them but we use their by-​products for clothing, furniture and life’s comforts. Here are a few notes about this five-​star establishment:
— Admission: The cost of admission is prepaid by federal tax dollars. Some people call this free but I know I make a bi-​monthly contribution to this lovely establishment. In addition to the permanent exhibits, they also have season exhibits.
— Three Parts: There are three main parts to the United States Botanic Garden. (1) The glass conservatory from 1933, (2) the surrounding National Garden and (3) Bartholdi Park across the street.
— History: The United States Botanic Garden was established in 1920 and was the vision of Presidents Washington, Jefferson and Madison. The mission was to grow, collect and distribute plants important to the United States as well as species from around the globe. To fulfill the global park, the Government sent Charles Wilkes on a worldwide expedition in 1938 to find plants to start the collection here.
— Conservatory: To me, the glass conservatory looks like a little jewel on the ground of the Capital grounds. This building has 29,000 square feet of lush plants sores six stories tall. Here is a list of some of the cool stuff you will see in the conservatory:
–The big murals in the Garden Court depict six crops that have been important to global economics and culture. These plants include citrus groves, cocoa, tea, corn, cotton and rice. The tree growing inside the Garden Court with orange pods is a Cocoa Tree. In the United States the only place that cacao substantially grows is the sub-​tropic environment of Hawaii. I saw a banana tree growing in the Garden Court too.
– The garden has historic Cycad trees that were brought back from the harrowing Wilkes Expedition but also survived being moved in 1997 when the conservatory underwent a four year renovation. To be moved, the 15, trees had to be cut and rooted. Phew, chopping on a 150+ year old tree would have made me nervous! Although the ancient Cycads look like palms, they are not related.
– The desert section of plants was really cool. I’ve almost only seen cactus and dessert plants in the wild so it was neat to see them growing in a controlled environment. I was most impressed that they are able to grow Saguaro cacti here! Those tall cacti that you often see in cartoons with the big arms are Saguaros. The ones here are too young to have arms and look like fuzzy pickles but I was still really impressed to see such lovely specimens here because they are very hard to grow outside of the Sonoran Desert and they are super slow growing. I would guess that the Saguaro’s here are about thirty years old even though they are only two feet tall! Keep growing little fuzzy pickles
–The medicinal plants section is interesting. Although must drugs are synthesized (man-​made) today, about 50% of drugs from the pharmacy can be traced back to plants. Some of the medicinal plants here are used for chemotherapy. One of the commonly known medicinal plants here is ginger. Sorry folks, no marijuana here!
–The Orchid room was crazy crowded on the day I visited. All wild orchids are scientifically considered rare and endangered but the real draw here is probably their beauty.
–There is a collection of rare, threatened and endangered plants here. In addition to displaying these plants here and cultivating them at their production greenhouse, they also educate other Government agencies about the plants.
One thing I wish was different about the USBG is that they did not allow the use of big strollers and wagons because this really clogged up the traffic. I remember learning at the National Aquarium in Baltimore that strollers and wagons weren’t allowed and was surprised, but now I totally understand.

The US Botanic Gardens is one of the more over looked places to visit in DC. That being said, don’t let that fool you in terms of crowds at times.
Like most museums, entrance is free, although if you pay taxes, you are paying for it one way or another. On the outside, there is a small garden that you can walk through.
The inside of the building is sectioned off into different areas, a special exhibits, tropics, Hawaii, deserts, etc. Each section is contained to assist with temperature control, so that each area climate is consistent with the plants.(One room might be hotter or cooler than another.
The plants themselves, as others have mentioned, are some what limited and just ok. The Hawaii section is a bit odd in the sense that the waterfall is the focal point and the plants are somewhat forgettable. The desert section has a nice variation of cacti. The Topics area is the largest
and has benches to sit on .
If you’ve been to larger gardens, this maybe somewhat of a quick walk through with a pit stop at the bathroom.
As for the crowds, the xmas exhibit gets crowded on the weekends and the gardens are not a relaxing place to be. During the weekdays at off hours is the best time to visit if your looking for a quiet green retreat from the city,

This was such a pleasant surprise! I always knew it existed but never took the time to visit during my 4 years living here. I’ve been gone for the last almost 2 years, and now I’m back, and want to see everything I missed!
Particularly on a chilly December day, it feels amazing to walk into the conservatory. I felt like I was back in the tropics. But since it IS December, after all, upon entry we were met with very festive holiday décor. The poinsettia chandelier with crystals dangling below is eye catching. The plant material made monuments are impressive. The large indoor Christmas tree is beautiful. From there, you can walk through exhibits of rare plants, Mediterranean plants, desert plants, orchids, etc. At one point I felt like I was in fern gully.
All of this is free! And if you want, you can wait in a long line to see the train display. I’m sure it’s awesome but the line was way too long. Best to time that appropriately to minimize waiting. Anyway, I would totally return here, but I do feel lucky to have had my first visit during the holidays, and would recommend you to visit during this time if you haven’t already.

It would have been so beautiful in spring! It’s beautiful now with the autumn colours. Peaceful too. This is between the state capitol and the national mall.

Visited here a few days ago during a weekend, it was not busy. It did not take long to tour the entire greenhouse, about half an hour, and I consider myself the average plant interested person. Botanical garden is big, no question about that, big enough that there is a cat walk around their tropical exhibit. That particular exhibit though, I thought I would see more color, most of it was green/​ferns. There are different climates for this garden where some are inside and some outside. There are smaller sub gardens I have never seen, like plants used primarily for medicinal purposes. Would not hurt to check out if in the area and you’ve finished the nearby museums.

Zenitude. That’s what I felt when I walked in these gardens with my husband and son the day we visited the Botanic Garden.
They have interesting activities for kids: ask about it.
There’s enough space to walk with a strollers and the elevator allows to go upstairs too.

I love this place! It is a must visit if you are around the area! It is like a tropical rain forest in there with exotic plants, flowers, and fruits! It is really quite beautiful! The flowers are just blooming with colors! Great photo-​op if you enjoy nature and those type of things. It is free to enter! They also have a nice restroom, probably the only restroom around the national mall area! Enjoy!

As a lifelong DC resident, I often forget about all of the beautiful things in my backyard until I catch a monument photo montage during my weekly ‘Scandal’ viewings. #ThankYouShonda
The US Botanic Garden is my happy little fortress of solitude. Located right smack dab near Capitol Hill, it’s an easy (AND FREE) escape from the stresses caused by commuting on 66, tourists standing to the left and other DC problems.
As soon as you walk in you are immediately met with a breath of beautiful fresh air, thanks to all of the oxygen producing plants jam packed into every nook and cranny. There is a glass ceiling so even when it is cold outside you can bask in the sunshine.
There do several fun events here through the year, most notably the train sets from around the world at Christmas time, live music and a few pop-​up yoga classes in the gardens.
My favorite exhibits is always the edible plants (because I’m fat) and the orchids. If you are looking to de-​stress without pills and no money, this is definitely the place to go!

I love the fact that we live so close to such amazing places. One its free and two it was beautiful. How can you not be spoiled?
We stopped by on a sunday morning in September. It was nice bc there was plenty of parking in the lot across from the garden, not directly across but the next one over for the public. I notice as we were leaving the lot was quickly filled.
As we walked in the entrance was very open and inviting. I enjoyed it. It was a gorgeous day out about 70 degrees and it wasn’t crowded. Must see if your in the city!

Quite a long walk from the other museums, but its nice to see. I was hoping for cooler temperature, but it’s still warm and humid in there. It’s smaller than other botanical gardens I’ve been to, but I appreciate that it’s free!

Every time I come here, I feel as if I’ve been swept away into paradise. My favorite time of the year to visit is in the dead of Winter. The coldest day of the year.
It’s as if Ned Stark were to say to me «Winter is coming and here come the white walkers». I’m all. Sorry Ned, not in this beautiful oasis.

I’m writing this review as a botanical nerd and horticulture professional. I am spoiled, opinionated and hard to impress when it comes to plants. But I’m not a complete blowhard– I’ve seen enough to know exceptional from just good. You know I’m not basing my review on frivolous garbage like the tropical glasshouses being «too hot in the summertime». Logically, tropical plants should probably evolve to suit the temperature requirements of the visitor’s fat, pale, midwestern body. Or the Earth should shift its path around the sun? If you want pointless commentary, I’ll tell you the bathrooms were very clean. There.
Point being, I judge this garden on content– and the content is average. The building is beautiful and historic– constructed by Lord and Burnham, I believe. It’s free, yes– but the collections lack overall diversity, especially in the main structure. Granted, NBG is limited by space– but, that being that case, they could certainly make better use of what they have. The Desert and Orchid houses are well done, and there are a few really cool rarer specimens scattered about, but far too much filler material. So many average Philodendrons, Calathea, Sansevieria and the like you might as well visit The Home Depot– which is also free. They’ve limited themselves with the Hawaiian House (rare, but beyond boring to the majority of the public who won’t care about those plants). The Mediterranean House has potential it doesn’t come close to living up to and the biological pest control program here is about as efficient as the dudes in the next building over. That would be Congress. You see where I’m going with that one? There are lots of bugs.
The pots inside and out are a puzzling mix of genius and ineptitude. Dazzling, well-​planned mixed containers sit beside tree ferns baking in the blazing sun or anemic containers full of weak seedlings. Whoever is in charge might perhaps employ a blind assistant with a degree in Political Science or some other useless, non-​horticulture related field. It’s a rollercoaster of yays and boos. The sculptures that grace the outdoor gardens are great, however.
Most people who aren’t as critical will go and have a lovely time. But if my tax dollars are going to fund a botanical garden, I want to see some REALLY killer stuff. Additionally, you’re representing America, guys! This should be the greatest, most powerful garden on Earth! It should push other gardens around and utilize horticultural resources with little to no regard for anyone! I want this garden to wear a baseball hat to the opera and put ketchup on its filet mignon and speak way too loudly while doing it!
Also I’m just a selfish jerk who demands to be impressed. But if I’m the most selfish jerk in D.C., I would be shocked and appalled… so I don’t feel too bad.

Here are some words to sum up my opinion of the U S Botanic Gardens: Beautiful, free, interesting, educational, great way to rest your feet and/​orcool down from the hot sun, and last but not least — excellent picture ops!
My bf and I happened upon the garden when we saw the huge roots sculptures (they are doing a roots exhibition at the moment) and decided to check it out. I am so glad we did.
We were pleasantly surprised that admission was free (unlike in nyc) and we spent a good hour or so just walking through reading /​learning interesting facts, taking pictures, etc. There seemed to be a way to get a tour but we hadn’t planned that far in advance.
The building is quite large, and goes up 4 or 5 levels, so you can take the stairs to the top and get pics of all the trees/​plants down below.

From start to finish this attraction is immaculate.
First off there is an outside garden area which houses sculptures and a wide variety of plant life along with a decent sized seating area for guests to relax and enjoy the scenery.
Inside there are many different pathway that lead to different areas, for example there’s the ‘in the jungle’ section and also an orchid garden. Each pathway leads to another, or back to the beginning so it is very easy too navigate around.
There are stairs and also a lift so that you can view the main inside garden area from a height, allowing you to soak up the lovely smell of plants and flowers whilst gazing down upon a valley of nature.
The staff have so much knowledge and they’re very happy to share it with guests. We asked numerous questions and we’re greeted with in depth answers and were also shown examples.
Definitely worth a visit if you’re looking for something a little more outdoor based than the museums.

You will miss out on one of DC’s great attractions if you pass by the United States Botanic Garden.
Heading up to the US Capitol my friend and I were passing it when we decided to venture off our planned «path» and see why there were so many people hanging around.
We planned to make a quick stop inside — see what there was — and continue on our merry way. What happened was we spent literally 2 hours walking around, constantly amazed at the breadth and depth of the permanent and transitional exhibits. The day was a bit cool so we headed into the center of the garden which housed the «Jungle» — warm and humid — it’s living collection of plants found in tropical rainforests across the world was impressive. They even have a canopy walk to allow visitors to walk above the tree line.
After warming up — we walked around the perimeter of the Garden and starting with the Garden Court — where visitors can look and touch some important and common plants used in our everyday lives. I loved the «Look and Touch» nature of the garden — it gave us (and many of the school children visiting) a great was to get up close and personal with the plants. Many times we see the «fruits» or end products of the plants we use, but this allow everyone to see the plants in the natural form.
Lest you think that was it — the Garden boasts a variety of galleries and it was only after viewing the entire garden that I appreciated the almost 65,000 plants that the US Botanical Garden has available for exhibition, study, and exchange with other institutions. From the galleries housing medicinal plants to the gorgeous and delicate Orchid room, there is something for everyone.
After finally heading out — we also viewed the outdoor Rose Garden. Gorgeous although we were a bit early to see them in full bloom.
Definately take the time to check out the US Botanic Garden — one of the oldest botanic gardens in North America. I think you will come away with a greater appreciation of the variety of plants across the world — and if not at least you will get to see and touch some cool (and sometimes unusual) plants.
Pro-​tip — this is a stop for many school trips so if you want to avoid this I suggest going right when it opens or around lunch time. There are some narrow paths which can make it cumbersome to avoid being trampled.

I love the United States Botanic Garden. This free garden is so well maintained, and there are several rooms full of fauna and educational signs. This is one of the better botanic gardens I’ve been too. It’s also right by the Capitol Building, and there are a lot of great photo ops available inside and outside the garden.
A good portion of this garden is in partial or full outdoors, so about half of the garden is closed during the winter. But it’s so big that it’s still worth visiting on a cold day. And the great thing about the botanic gardens? They’re open every day except when the government closes. Yes, they’re open on Federal holidays. So awesome.

Ce jardin botanique en plein coeur de Washington sous une énorme serre est sans aucun doute le plus beau jardin que j’ai pu voir dans toutes mes expéditions.
Ils ont réussi la prouesse de rassembler une très vaste variété de plantes souvent très rares, une veritable jungle avec des lianes. On en prend plein les yeux.
Et pour couronner le tout, c’est gratuit!
Et parce qu’on en veut toujours plus, à la demande, on nous prête un sac à dos rempli de matériel pour faire des expériences avec les plantes du jardin botanique.

Besonders gefreut habe ich mich als Gartenfreund auf den Besuch des United States Botanic Garden. Das Gebäude hierzu wurde von den Architekten des Kapitols im Jahre 1933 gebaut.
Der Eingangsbereich vermittelt einen mediterranen Eindruck und alles wirkt sehr gepflegt. Auch diese Sehenswürdigkeit in Washington kostet selbstverständlich keinen Eintritt.
Im Gebäude läuft ein vollständig automatisiertes computergesteuertes Umweltkontrollsystem. Das Klima wird automatisch überwacht und bei Bedarf setzt eine Wassernebelanlage ein, gehen Ventilatoren an, Lüftungsgeräte oder Fenster auf.
Im Inneren erwarten den Besucher unzählige Pflanzen, die in verschiedenen Themenbereichen wie z.B. Dschungel, Hawaii, Wüsten, medizinische Pflanzen und Orchideen ausgestellt werden. Die Orchideensammlung zählt etwa 5.000 Exemplare. Darüber hinaus gibt es auch noch zwei Galerien im Ost– und im Westflügel des Gebäudes.
Die Ausstellung hat täglich von 10.00 — 17.00 Uhr geöffnet. Unter der Woche sollte man mit der Metro anreisen, am Wochenende kann man günstig an der Straße parken, wenn man vor 10.00 anreist.
Ein wirklich beeindruckender botanischer Garten, der jeden Gartenfreund verzaubert.

Der botanische Garten von Washington ist schon was Besonderes.
Der Stahl-​Glas-​Bau wirkt nicht nur beeindruckend, sondern beherbergt auch eine Vielzahl an exotischen Blumen und Bäumen.
Gerade in den Wintermonaten ist es ein bliebtes Ausflugziel, um einen Kurzurlaub in den Tropen zu machen.
Die Wärme, der Duft der Orchideen und das Plätschern des Wasser, wirkt wie eine Oase mitten in der Stadt.
Der Eintritt ist natürlich wie in allen öffentlichen Einrichtungen der Stadt kostenfrei.