Travel the world without ever leaving the city as you make your way round Missouri Botanical Garden and Arboretum. Inspired by the great stately homes of Europe, the gardens were designed by the influential botanist Henry Shaw in the mid-nineteenth century. Spread across 32 hectares in the west of the city, they are the oldest public gardens in the USA and have been designated as a National Historic Landmark.
For just a few dollars, you’ll have access to all the different areas for a master class in native and exotic plant life. Just through the entrance, you’ll find the Climatron Dome – a prizewinning hothouse where you can explore the plants and vegetation of the tropics. Marvel at the tropical foliage and see how many fish you can spot in the indoor river.
To the north, you’ll find an elegant Japanese garden with its serene lake dotted with tiny islets. For a taste of Shaw’s native England, make your way round the spectacular bluebell woods before visiting the German roots of Missouri’s inhabitants in the Bavaria Garden.
During the summer months, enjoy a free tour on the tramway which circles the park. Complete with a guide showing you the highlights of the gardens, this ride is interesting, informative and great fun. The Children’s Garden to the west of the park really comes alive in the summer too, as kids are invited to get to work helping plant and grow vegetables and flowers.
Before you head off, be sure to stop by Tower Grove House. This was Henry Shaw’s summer residence and still contains many of his personal effects. It is worth it just to make your way through the privet labyrinth in the surrounding Victorian kitchen garden as the scents of herbs and flowers waft past on the breeze.
Open throughout the year, the Missouri Botanical Garden has free on-site parking and can be reached easily by bus from downtown St. Louis.
