San Diego Botanic Garden

Located 30 minutes north of San Diego in Encinitas, California,  is the 37-acre San Diego Botanic Garden. The garden offers visitors a chance to see all sorts of lovely foliage. There are rare bamboo groves, desert gardens, a tropical rainforest, California native plants, and Mediterranean climate landscapes. There are also succulent gardens, an herb garden, a subtropical fruit garden, and native coastal sage natural areas. It’s a wondrous place! Kids love the Hamilton Children’s Garden and its climbing structures, a petting zoo, interesting crafts, and a new scavenger hunt every month!

San Diego Botanic Garden

4.7

Based on 2936 reviews

E&C Cox

15:39 20 Feb 23

What a great garden! Parking is on-site. Inside you'll find a garden with many trails to lead you through a... Mediterranean world tour. Get ready to spend about 2-3 hours. There are hills to traverse, so wear comfortable shoes. Enjoy the colors and sounds of nature!read more

Alison Patron

03:34 05 Sep 22

If you are a plant lover, this place is just amazing. If you like walking through a green forest or a bamboo grove, you... will equally love this place! The area this place covers is quite huge. They also rent out certain areas of the gardens for events. I just love going through the different areas of the garden. They hold plant shows in their huge glass greenhouse! There are also booths where you can buy rare and popular household plants. Just a spectacular place!read more

Ronald Dolsky

02:22 21 Aug 22

First time here and glad we came. It's like a 4 mile loop but they've done a great job of sectioning it off into... categories and placing numerous benches throughout. Plenty of spots to take a quick break and enjoy the views.There a couple lily ponds, a waterfall, and quite a few areas for photos. We packed a small cooler for sandwiches and drinks, and got to eat on a bench under a grape tree!The plant varieties were countless and in well placed habitats. There were sections for California, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, South America, and plenty of gardens. Definitely worth spending 2-4 hours...bring your comfy shoes!read more

Jessica You

14:31 07 Aug 22

I love Botanic Gardens! Came here with my friend and husband (they both love plants and I like flowers) to... explore.Admission is $18 which I found pretty high. I would think for that amount, there should be a bigger parking lot (we found parking on the side street, not even in the lot).The garden is huge though and we spent 2 hours exploring. There weren't any water fountains (that we saw) and I was dying of thirst after walking so much and emptied out our water bottle!The greenhouse had really cool plants like the corpse plant and a helpful and creative display of how to care for your plants and visual examples of them.I have to say, the gift shop was a little disappointing and didn't have too much stuff. They definitely sell a lot of plants though.On our exploration of the gardens, it is easy to get lost and miss lots of things cause there is so much to see! From a blue lined lizard to the real tree house with a great view and lots of different fruit and flower trees!Admission price is high but I will say there is plenty to see and walk around. It definitely helps to bring a hat or umbrella.read more

Suzan Luu

19:27 08 Jul 22

It was our 2nd time here, this time we got the membership. On a Thursday at 2 pm, summer time, it was very crowded. We... love the space, it is very play based, child centered place. I love the design as a grown up. I hope they will have better hours soon (the lunch break makes it more crowded when it opens I bet). The parking lot was all full but we happily found metered parking down the road.read more

Ray Frohnhoefer

01:58 03 Jul 22

Beautiful grounds with plants and trees from around the world. Their augmented reality art exhibit added art and music... to the gardens. It was a little tricky to use, but we got to see all but one. The lookout tower offered great coastal and inland views. Well worth the time and a relaxing way to spend a few hours.read more

Herabelle Febhe Ceniza

19:06 07 Mar 22

Wonderful place to roam around and bask in the sun. Enjoy nature with family and friends. Lots of wonderful plants and... flowers around the garden. ☺️ You can also do a picnic in any of the grass areas. We saw a couple having a picnic there. I suggest going there at around 3pm. It wasn't crowded at all when we went there. Buy tickets before-hand. Visit the dome and have your picture taken in one of the posts there where you can put your phone and set it on timer. Fun!read more

Jon Thorn

22:27 17 Feb 22

The nighttime Valentine's Day experience was great! I got an email about the event several days in advance since my... wife and I are members. Being made aware of this event was appreciated and it was really easy to buy tickets via the website. It was a really unique experience to have at the gardens. The lighting was very nice and they had scent stations which I thought was a nice addition. Can't wait to visit again during daylight hours!read more

Katie Armstrong

16:53 11 Feb 22

My husband and I love to have long walks in the botanical garden at least once every few months. The lookout tower is... an amazing spot, but the Mexican Garden is my favorite. There are so many beautiful spots in this garden - it's soothing to my body and soul to be around in such calming environment. Just sitting on the bench and sharing silence sometimes is the best way to level with our daily stress.read more

Ian Lenahan

15:16 19 Dec 21

THE place to get married in San Diego, a great day trip destination for locals, and a "must visit" for vacationers in... the San Diego area. The garden is the most beautiful in the US and the staff is very friendly and knowledgeable. My family really enjoys visiting annually during the holiday season to see the Christmas light displays through the garden, and as a bonus we get to see Santa! This garden is an excellent option and very cost friendly for couples looking to get married at an outdoor venue. My wife and I were married here in 2018 and our guests still talk about how beautiful the day was! Enjoy!read more

Gray Strickland

14:06 15 Jun 21

A VERY LOVELY BOTANIC GARDEN!We are sustaining members of our own hometown botanical garden, which allows us to visit... all of the gardens in the US which are members of the American Horticultural Society Reciprocal Admissions Program (nearly all in the country) for free or at a reduced price. Consequently, we have visited botanical gardens all over the country for years. So we can say with authority that the San Diego Botanical Garden is top rate, well curated and lovingly cared for - and they have many species which I haven't seen elsewhere. There are bigger gardens (hello Dallas, hello Chicago...), but don't miss this one if you have the opportunity. You will be pleased.read more

Eric Christensen

15:07 28 May 21

Absolutely beautiful garden. I would highly recommend spending the money and time. The price of admission is very... acceptable for the amount of work that goes into maintaining this garden. It takes about two hours to make it through the whole garden at a steady pace.I love that they have different sections based on where the plants and trees come from in the world, so at one moment you feel like your walking through the Australian outback and the next your waking through a Chinese bamboo forest! Beautiful plants and trees, extremely vibrant flowers and plenty of shade.read more

William Barnes

14:09 19 Jul 20

The Botanic Garden is a peaceful, low key place to come to for relaxation & reflection. It has beautiful flora &... fauna representatives, some of who are very exotic. It is located in a quiet and uncrowded part of Encinitas. For those who want to be off the grid for a while, this is the place.read more

YsY SoCalProHealth

02:15 12 Jul 20

Wow! We are a bit partial to the Huntington Library and Gardens but this place wowed us. Staff is so friendly. Lots of... acreage, variety of terrain and plants. Definitely will return. Well worth the membership and reciprocal gardens deal.read more

Jeremiah Sherman

11:02 09 Jul 20

I love this place for a short walk or hike around all day. I have very fond memories from my childhood and have taken... my two-year-old many times. It is very special to have a place like this so close to town.read more

Emiliano Rodrigez

08:29 04 Jul 20

I took a tour of this location and absolutely love it. It has so much variety and they even have special events for the... holidays. This is a great place to bring the family, go on a walk or just spend some time meditating in the gardens.read more

Carolyn Fisher

18:30 24 Jun 20

Must book online. Beautiful. Peaceful. Come by yourself and relax and unwind a while from covid crazy....

Mike Thornton

17:27 22 Jun 20

Great place to relax and recharge. Fresh air with extra O2 and negative ions help get rid of the stresses and get a... good night sleep.read more

Terry O Donovan

01:19 19 Jun 20

Enjoyed 3 hours walking around the Botanical gardens with a good friend I haven't seen since the beginning of the lock... down. The gardens are beautiful and our visit was exactly what I needed. Lots of fresh air, good conversation, photo ops all at a safe distance with face masks. I strongly recommend.read more

Clayton Casipit

03:25 18 Jun 20

Beautiful! Old, established trees from South Africa (Dragon trees), Madagascar.... and a huge bamboo collection. One... of the better botanical gardens I've seen in CA.read more

Roberta Nicole Photography

17:13 15 May 20

I photograph weddings all over San Diego County, and San Diego Botanic Garden is easily my favorite wedding venue. It... is the most beautiful location for photos. It's also easily accessible for all your guests, yet it feels like you are tucked away out in nature.read more

Tayler Suterko

18:32 01 May 20

I'm the owner and photographer of Tayler Ashley Photography and I have had the pleasure of shooting at this beautiful... venue! The staff is very helpful and the area is stunning. Brides would be lucky to get married here!read more

Cheryl McLeod

00:41 17 Mar 20

I am glad that we have such a large botanical garden near our home. It is nice to walk thru on the first Tuesday of... each month when they waive the admission fee for locals. This was my first time in the new green house. I enjoyed the displays of chocolate, vanilla and cinnamon plants -- probably because a nice docent told us about the plants, a little about how they arrived at the gardens, and some of the staff's struggles to keep them healthy. I would recommend a docent-lead tour if one is available during your visit, and I might even look into becoming a docent now that I am retired. The main garden is huge and amazing, but only sparsely labeled. I think they could use more volunteers to help remove any invasive weeds, repair fading signs, and create audio walking tours so you can slip in one ear piece and learn about the garden and it's plants.read more

Sarah Kelley

16:07 11 Mar 20

So so so beautiful. This is the most diverse garden I have ever been to. They mimic natural landscapes from all over... the world and have winding paths that make you feel like you are discovering something new. I spent 3.5 hours here and saw a total of 6 people. You HAVE to go here!!!read more

Sebastian Arteaga

19:33 13 Feb 20

A beautiful place to walk around and enjoy all different kinds of plants all in one place. I love what they have done... with the concrete tree house and area around it. Additionally the sculptures scattered around the gardens are beautiful. During the winter season there are beautiful lights set up and marshmallow roasting! All in all, this place is very well rounded and offers pleanty to do in a day.read more

Johny Clancy

00:35 10 Feb 20

Very nice. We went in February so some things were still under construction but it was beautifully laid out. The new... conservatory was really nice. Lots of kid areas that we all enjoyed (the youngest in our group was 16 so not just for kids).read more

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