Denver Botanic Gardens
The Denver Botanic Gardens fill more than 24 acres (10 hectares) with a diverse collection of plants from across the world, offering a natural haven in the middle of the Mile High City. The dynamic grounds showcase drought-resistant gardening techniques suited to the local climate as well internationally inspired gardens such as Japanese gardens and a tropical conservatory.
The Basics
You can stroll the garden at your leisure or join one of the many tours that dive into different aspects of the park. Explore the tropical plant collection with a guided walk through the conservatory, learn the history of plants in North America with a tour dubbed, “a walk through tyme,” or tour the Old England portion of the garden on a midsummers eve tour.
Things to Know Before You Go
- The Denver Botanic Gardens are a must-visit for gardening and culture enthusiasts.
- The garden has a cafe, library, and shop selling gifts and gardening supplies.
- Personal photography is unrestricted but permits are required for commercial photography.
- Most of the gardens are wheelchair accessible but a few areas have limited access.
- Wheelchairs and strollers are available free of charge at the Boettcher Memorial Center.
Trip ideas
How to Get There
The main gardens are located on York Street adjacent to Cheesman Park, 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) from downtown Denver. Limited free parking is available and you can reach the location by public transportation (use route #24 or #10). The Denver Botanic Gardens Chatfield Farms (a native plant refuge and working farm) is located in Littleton, Colorado, 22 miles (35 kilometers) southwest of Denver.
When to Get There
The York Street gardens are open from 9am to 8pm in the summer and 9am to 5pm in the winter. Some areas and tours are only available in certain seasons so look ahead to ensure you will be able to visit your desired attractions. Throughout the summer the park hosts concerts and special events. During the winter holidays, the gardens celebrate with elaborate light displays.
Denver Botanic Gardens Chatfield Farms
To see a different side of the Denver Botanic Gardens make a trip to Chatfield Farms. Here, you can observe a working farm in action on docent-led tours. The farm demonstrates historic farming techniques as well as displaying modern-day agriculture. You can roam the farm on a self-guided tour that includes 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) of nature trails, a butterfly house, Deer Creek Discovery children’s play area, and wildflower gardens.
- Molly Brown House Museum
- Denver Zoo
- Colorado State Capitol Building
- Denver Museum of Nature & Science
- Denver City Park
- Denver Civic Center Park
- Denver Art Museum (DAM)
- Denver Mint
- Hard Rock Cafe Denver
- Denver Firefighters Museum
- Denver 16th Street Mall
- Denver Center for the Performing Arts
- Larimer Square
- Washington Park
- Lower Downtown Denver (LoDo)