America's coolest indoor botanical gardens and green spaces (2024)

Opened in 1893, the Victorian-era Phipps Conservatory in Pittsburgh is enormous—you could spend a whole day exploring the glass-enclosed structure, with 14 distinct rooms featuring horticulture from around the globe. The entrance to the Palm Court offers a grand welcome, with its high glass peaksand lush plant life punctuated by glass installations by Dale Chihuly. Home to some of the oldest "flower shows" in the world, no trip here is the same as curatorsconsistently swapout exhibits and organize events year-round. In the fall and winter, kids cheer on miniature trains winding through the plantsduring the "Garden Railroad" exhibit. In the spring, the Butterfly Forest draws visitors eager to watch the creatures break free of their chrysalises. A self-guided tour will take you about 90 minutes, but you’ll likely want to stop and linger as you take in rooms modeled after Japanese courtyards, perfectly manicured French gardens and tropical jungles.

Golden Gate Park in San Francisco offers several gardens, but the Conservatory of Flowerswas the very first formed structure in the park when it opened in 1879. The building is the oldest public wood-and-glass conservatory in North America, spanning 12,500 square feet and featuring more than 2,000 species of plants and flowers (many of which are rare or endangered.) One of its most fun and unusual attractions is Scarlet, the corpse flower (also known as a Titan Arum). This plant, native to Indonesia, has the largest leaf of any plant species—they can tower as high as 15 feet—and gives off a famously pungent odor when it blooms, which only happens every three to five years. When it does, visitors come from all over to watch (and smell) it happen.

Back in the late 18th century, George Washington (ever heard of him?) had a dream of a botanical garden in the nation's capitol and wrote a letter to Congress in support of it. It wasn’t until 1850 that the U.S. Botanical Garden opened, and in 1933, the Architect of the Capitol constructed the historic Lord & Burnham Conservatory. Thegreenhouse contains two courtyard gardens and 10 garden rooms under glass, totaling more than 28,000 square feet of growing space. Rooms include exhibits featuring towering tropical forests, a primeval garden (flowering plants from 150 million years ago), Hawaiian flora, world deserts, orchids and a children’s garden.

Chicago isn’t exactly lush most of the year. Still, luckily, the Windy City has an indoor green oasis for residents and visitors alike to get "a taste of the tropics under glass," featuring thousands of plant species across eight indoor display gardens—and tropical temperatures to match. The Garfield Park Conservatory hosts programs throughout the year, from yoga in the garden to courses for budding botanists to cultural performances and hands-on classes. It’s completely free to enter, but advanced registration is required.

Open to the public in 1960, the Climatron at the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis stands apart from the more common Victorian-style conservatories with its bold, modern design. As the first geodesic dome to be used as a conservatory, it became the world’s first air-conditioned greenhouse. The design won the 1961 Reynolds Award for architectural excellence in a structure using aluminum—because the 70-foot high structure has no interior support, the more than 2,800 types of plants inside enjoy more light and space. In addition to the flora, visitors can see waterfalls, a viewing bridge and a river aquarium with exotic fish.

Built during the City Beautiful movement—where many American cities underwent beautification efforts—Columbus, Ohio debuted the Franklin Park Conservatory in 1895, including the John F. Wolfe Palm House, a Victorian-style glass greenhouse. The conservatory has served as a major attraction in Columbus ever since. Programming is offered year-round—includingBlooms & Butterflies, which debuted in 1994 asthe first seasonal butterflyshowcasein the nation. Otheractivitiesrange from holiday shows to art classes and culinary events.

Dating back to 1921,the Volunteer Park Conservatoryis situated in Volunteer Park, comprised of 50 acres of land in the Capitol Hill neighborhood in Seattle.The park features several attractions, includinglily pods, an amphitheater, the Seattle Asian Art Museum and a historic water tower. But the crown jewel is the Conservatory.Made up of five houses with distinct offerings, here you can visit the jungle, the desert, a cactus garden, and much more all whilestrolling winding walkways and taking in streaming waterfalls.

Located inside the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx, theEnid A. Haupt Conservatoryhas served as a cultural attraction in New York City since it was constructed by Lord & Burnham Company in 1902. The structure recently underwent a $18 million restoration project and has re-opened in all its glory, featuringanewly designed and replanted palm collection. Otherroomsshowcase tropical plants, cacti, aquaticfloraand more. The most famous event to take place here is theOrchid Show, which has run for over 20 years. This year, in true New York style, it willbe a fashion-inspired celebration with a catwalk runningthrough thousands of orchids.

Located in Como Park, around 275 weddings occur yearly at theMarjorie McNeely Conservatory—and for good reason. TheVictorian-stylebuilding,which opened in 1915,is a breathtaking setting withmore than260 varieties of plants from six different continentsset within both the central domed palm house andits two attached wings. Exhibitsinclude a sunken garden, which hosts seasonal flower displays, an area focused on medicinal plants, and a fern room.

The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is likely most famous for the theft that occurred there in 1990, when 12 works of art worth hundreds of millions of dollars were stolen (and have yet to be recovered.)Butit's also well-known for itslovely glass-ceiling Courtyard Garden. The indoor oasisanchors the museum, featuring lush landscaping that rotates everyfew months, providing a perfect place to take a break from browsing artwork withinthe museum. Each season gives a reason to visit, from chrysanthemums in November to festive-colored plants in December to exotic orchids come spring.