Shake off winter blues with an early visit to one of the nation's premier botanical gardens, where spring's first bulbs and magnolias begin to unfurl. Enjoy refreshing strolls through diverse collections as life returns to the landscape.
Shaw is a neighborhood in St. Louis, Missouri. It is bordered on the north by Interstate 44, the east by South Grand Boulevard, the west by Tower Grove Avenue and the Missouri Botanical Gardens, and the south by Tower Grove Park. The Shaw Neighborhood is a local historic district whose historic structure and character is protected by ordinance.
Read more on WikipediaWe are out-of-towners and visited the garden on our last day in St. Louis. We are members to another garden in our hometown that is part of the AHS (American Horticultural Society), so we were able to receive free admission through reciprocity at the ticket desk. We went on a Wednesday, so there was ample parking and no lines. We went in early March, so obviously a lot of plants were out of season, but the garden property is large and expressive and still very beautiful. The weather was very poor, cold and raining, but we were determined to see what we could see. I homeschool my two children, so I did a lot of research about the gardens prior to our visit to plan out the educational aspects. I specifically wanted to tour the Climatron. It was absolutely amazing. An indoor climate-controlled rainforest in the American Midwest. Definitely worth seeing any time of the year. We also visited the Arid House, the temperate desert space, which was also wonderful. The garden design is so well planned out to showcase the plants as they would appear in their natural settings. We walked by the Japanese Garden area, but with the rain and limited-timing we were not able to explore much, but it would be amazing in the right season. We spent a long time in the Children's room, a huge space specifically for young nature lovers. There were so many interesting rooms and places for kids to play, hide, and explore. There were many coloring and other worksheet activities for kids to complete there or take home. There was an educator inviting kids to engage in activities and answer questions. Highly recommend for families, especially St. Louis locals. If our local garden had such a fantastic section dedicated to kids, we would be there all the time. They also had a huge outdoor Children's Garden, which looked amazing, but it was closed for the season. Overall, we only had around an hour and a half to explore this garden, and I am determined to go back some day. It was beautiful, highly educational, and engaging for all ages and levels or interest.
I highly recommend this place. It is full of walking trails. There is plenty of beautiful scenery. It is a good place to go for a nice scenic date. It is also a nice place to go to get your steps in. There were people that were walking multiple times around the garden getting their steps in the weather was perfect. There is also a fish pond. Some of the guest will feed the fish. There is fish food on site to buy the bathrooms are clean and plenty of bathroom stalls. The people that worked there are very helpful and friendly. You are often greeted by the workers there I can’t wait to visit the botanical gardens again
The 2026 Orchid Show was outstanding!!! And even though we visited while it was raining, the Garden staff made sure to have everyone out of the elements, we will definitely be back throughout the year. This place always has rotating exhibits and is very affordable to get in.