25 Most Fascinating Gardens on the East Coast

Take in stunning ocean views from Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens

Stretched along the waterfront on Barters Island Road, overlooking Boothbay Harbor, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens is a popular botanical garden that features a modern visitor’s center, seasonal café, and gift shop.The waterfront Fairy House Village encourages children to use their imagination to build homes for fairies and folk of the forest without disturbing the environment, while adults can admire the many sculptures by local artists that are scattered throughout the gardens.

Address: 105 Botanical Gdns Dr, Boothbay, ME 04537, Phone: (207) 633-8000

Explore the Children's Garden at the United States Botanic Garden, Washington D.C.

Established by the U.S. Congress in 1820 more than 200 years ago and based on the grounds of the United Stated Capitol in Washington D.C., the United States Botanic Garden (USBG) is the oldest continually operating botanic garden in the U.S. The Jungle boasts a high catwalk in order to view the canopy from both above and below, and a special Children's Garden offers a courtyard with a magnificent display of temperate annuals to encourage an interest in plants.

Address: 100 Maryland Ave SW, Washington, DC 20001, Phone: (202) 225-8333

Stroll through 50 acres at Mt. Cuba Center, Delaware

Founded in 1935, Mt. Cuba Center is a beautiful botanical garden and historical preserve located in the gentle rolling hills of the Delaware Piedmont. The gardens feature pastures, fields, forests and woodlands, and are home to some of the most spectacular displays of wildflowers in the mid-Atlantic region. Mt. Cuba Center’s breathtaking display gardens are spread over 50 acres, with an impressive plant collection of eastern North American flora, focusing on the Appalachian Piedmont.

Address: 3120 Barley Mill Rd, Hockessin, DE 19707, Phone: (302) 239-4244

Admire Frederick Law Olmsted-designed Bayard Cutting Arboretum, New York

The gardens at Bayard Cutting Arboretum offer a range of activities, tours, workshops, and programs for the whole family. There is a beautiful nature trail to walk, as well as a variety of recreational programs, the Hidden Oak Café for homemade refreshments, and a gift shop at Westbrook.

Address: 440 Montauk Hwy, Great River, NY 11739, Phone: (631) 581-1002

Visit Sailor’s Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden, New York

Sailor’s Snug Harbor is a cultural center formed around a collection of architecturally significant 19th-century buildings along the Kill Van Kull on the north shore of Staten Island.

Address: 1000 Richmond Terrace, Staten Island, NY 10301, Phone: (718) 425-3504

Admire tropical at Flamingo Gardens, Botanical Gardens and Everglades Wildlife Sanctuary, Florida

Flamingo Gardens, Botanical Gardens and Everglades Wildlife Sanctuary is a tropical paradise set in the heart of Florida’s Everglades. Home to over 3000 species of rare and exotic, tropical, subtropical, and native plants, as well as some of the largest trees in the state of Florida, the Everglades Wildlife Sanctuary also hosts a variety of permanently injured and non-releasable birds and animals, and native wildlife.

Address: 3750 S Flamingo Rd, Davie, FL 33330, Phone: (954) 473-2955

Relax next to the lily pond at Tudor Place Historic House and Garden, Washington D.C.

Built in 1816 by Martha Washington’s granddaughter and her husband and home to five generations of her descendants, Tudor Place Historic House and Garden is a beautifully preserved Federal-style mansion in historic Georgetown, D.C. The gardens can be explored via a network of walking paths through “garden rooms” that identify past and present uses, including orchards, rose gardens, tennis lawns, quiet groves and fountains. The grassy Bowling Green features a charming lily pond.

Address: 1644 31st St NW, Washington, DC 20007, Phone: (202) 965-0400

Admire the rhododendrons at Heritage Museum & Gardens, Massachussetts

Heritage Museum & Gardens is located in historic Sandwich, Massachusetts and features three galleries for American Folk Art, automobiles, special traveling exhibitions, and beautifully maintained gardens. The highlight is the collection of thousands of rhododendrons, including the world-renowned Dexter variety, with the garden attracting visitors in flocks to see them in bloom from Memorial Day Weekend to mid-June.

Address: 67 Grove St, Sandwich, MA 02563, Phone: (508) 888-3300

See colorful displays at Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens, New York

Designed by world-renowned landscaping architect Frederick Law Olmsted, conservatory architects Lord & Burnham and botanist John F. Cowell, Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens are one of America’s most beautiful botanical landscapes, located in South Park in Buffalo.

Address: 2655 South Park Ave, Buffalo, NY 14218, Phone: (716) 827-1584

Take a guided tour of Mounts Botanical Gardens, Florida

Located in West Palm Beach in Mounts Botanical Gardens is Palm Beach County’s oldest and largest public garden with over 2,000 species of tropical and subtropical plants from around the world. Mounts Botanical Garden’s fourteen acres feature a range of flora from Florida natives, edible landscapes, and the rarest of tropical fruits, to temperate North American trees, aquatics, and arid-land plants. Enjoy guided tours through the gardens, plant sales, lectures, and special family workshops.

Address: 531 N Military Trl, West Palm Beach, FL 33415, Phone: (561) 233-1757

Explore historic Blithewold Mansion, Gardens and Arboretum, Rhode Island

The former residence of the Van Wickle family, Blithewold Mansion, Gardens and Arboretum is an exquisite estate overlooking Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island.

Address: 101 Ferry Rd, Bristol, RI 02809, Phone: (401) 253-2707

Visit the herb garden at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens, Virginia

Situated in Vienna, Virginia, the Meadowlark Botanical Gardens is a botanical garden of extreme beauty that hosts a variety of events throughout the year, such as weddings and other special occasions. The gardens feature a beautiful atrium, natural ponds, gazebos and an island bridge, and are home to a variety of annual and perennial flora, including azaleas, ferns lilacs, and a herb garden.

Address: 9750 Meadowlark Gardens Ct, Vienna, VA 22182, Phone: (703) 255-3631

Learn about native animals at Tree Hill Nature Center, Florida

Located in the center of Jacksonville, Tree Hill Nature Center is an eco-driven nature center that focuses on education about the environment. The park features a range of areas to explore – the Animal Encounter provides an opportunity to learn about native animals, such as snakes, alligators, armadillos, and raccoons, while the Guided Trail Tour is a fantastic trail led by expert naturalists, who point out different animals, their habitats, and explain their survival techniques.

Address: 7152 Lone Star Rd, Jacksonville, FL 32211, Phone: (904) 724-4646

Relax next to the scenic lakes in Airlie Gardens, North Carolina

Dating back to 1886 and celebrating more than a century of gardens by the sea, Airlie Gardens in Wilmington delight visitors with breathtaking scenery, natural landscapes, and of course, the grandeur of the 467-year-old Airlie Oak.Featuring 10 acres of freshwater lakes, a network of hiking and walking trails winding through both natural and formal gardens, historic sculptures and structures, and more than 100,000 azaleas which bloom in the spring, the garden is well worth a visit at any time of the year.

Address: 300 Airlie Rd, Wilmington, NC 28403, Phone: (910) 798-7700

See the lush flowerbeds at Howard Peters Rawlings Conservatory, Maryland

The Rawlings Conservatory of Baltimore is a vast botanical garden and historic conservatory situated in Baltimore’s Druid Hill Park. Covering 1½ acres, the Conservatory grounds are home to over 35 well-maintained flowerbeds.

Address: 3100 Swann Dr, Baltimore, MD 21217, Phone: (410) 396-0008

Visit Maymont Gardens, Virginia for free

Maymont is a vast Victorian estate and public park in Richmond, and home to Maymont Mansion, an arboretum and formal gardens, a nature center with native wildlife exhibits, and a Children's Farm. Maymont Gardens feature a beautiful Italian and Japanese Garden, as well as an arboretum with over 200 species of woody plants and trees. Admission is free.

Address: 1000 Westover Road, Richmond, VA 23220, 804-525-9000

Visit the lovely Southern Moore Farms Botanical Garden, South Carolina

Wildly beautiful, creative and inspiring, Moore Farms Botanical Garden is a dynamic 50-acre garden tucked away among fields of corn and soybeans in the rural Pee Dee region near Lake City in South Carolina. Boasting expressive plant displays in a pastoral setting, the garden combines rural gardening traditions with cutting-edge horticultural practices to create a modern day take on a traditional Southern garden.

Address: 100 New Zion Rd, Lake City, SC 29560, Phone: (843) 210-7582

Learn about native plants at Coastal Georgia Botanical Gardens, Georgia

Located in Chatham County, southwest of historic downtown Savannah, Coastal Georgia Botanical Gardens is a 51-acre botanical garden that features a variety of collections, including winter-hardy palm and dwarf palmetto species, an impressive selection of camellia, native plants of Georgia and the largest American bamboo collection open to the public east of California.

Address: 2 Canebrake Rd, Savannah, GA 31419, Phone: (912) 921-5460

Admire the orchids at Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens, Washington D.C.

Once the residence of philanthropist and socialite Marjorie Merriweather Post, the Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens is a renowned estate and museum in Washington D.C. Boasting an unrivaled collection of decorative arts, particularly from the House of Romanov, the estate is also home to pristinely manicured gardens and one of the country’s finest orchid collections.

Address: 4155 Linnean Ave NW, Washington, DC 20008, Phone: (202) 686-5807

View the wildflowers at Rhododendron State Park, New Hampshire

Rhododendron State Park is a state national park in Fitzwilliam, New Hampshire. A wildflower trail winds through the forest adjacent to the grove with wildflowers in full bloom from early spring to the first frost, creating spectacular natural scenes and views. This park is open all year round, however, is not staffed during the winter months.

Address: Rhododendron Rd, Fitzwilliam, NH 03447, Phone: (603) 532-8862

Spend time at The Orchid Conservatory at Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden, North Carolina

Resting on the banks of Lake Wylie, Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden is a garden for all seasons, providing over 380 acres of spectacular gardens, fountains, a stunning conservatory filled with tropical plants and orchids, and a network of walking trails to explore. The Orchid Conservatory features a year-round display of tropical plants, including a spectacular selection of orchids and is the region’s only public conservatory with such an exhibition.

Address: 6500 S New Hope Rd, Belmont, NC 28012, Phone: (704) 825-4490

Stroll through Heathcote Botanical Gardens, Florida

Home to the largest public display of tropical bonsai trees in the world, Heathcote Botanical Gardens feature an outstanding assortment of specialty gardens, ranging from an immaculate Japanese Garden and Tropical Rainforest Display, to a Native Plants Garden and a Palm & Cycad Walk. The gardens can be enjoyed on self-walking explorations or on guided tours with expert botanists, and there are a range of educational programs and workshops that are held in the gardens, such as Floral Arranging, Butterfly Gardening, and Decorative Crafting.

Address: 210 Savannah Rd, Fort Pierce, FL 34982, Phone: (772) 464-4672

Navigate Longwood Gardens, PA

Covering nearly 200 lush acres, Longwood Gardens are a joy to behold at any time of the year. The gardens include open meadows, winding pathways, staggeringly beautiful formal gardens and intricate fountain systems. You can download a mobile map to help you navigate the garden.

Address: 1001 Longwood Rd, Kennett Square, PA 19348, 610 388 1000

Explore Brooklyn Botanic Garden, NY

Nature lovers and garden enthusiasts should definitely include a visit to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden in their New York itinerary. The massive garden covers 52 acres, providing locals with a wonderful green lung within the concrete jungle of New York City.

Address: Brooklyn, NY 11238, 718 623 7200

Admire 1 million plants at New York Botanical Garden, NY

Established in 1891, the New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) is one of the oldest of its kind in America. The massive garden covers 250 verdant acres and is home to 50 distinct themed gardens and more than 1 million plants from all over the world.

Address: 2900 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, NY 10458-5126, 718 817 8700