Everything to See at the Tucson Botanical Gardens

During my long weekend to visit Saguaro National Park, my mom and I made a stopover at the Tucson Botanical Gardens. Considering that we were in town for a literal national park, it may feel unnecessary to also go to a botanical garden. However, as regular readers of my blog will know, I really like botanical gardens and really, any opportunity to see plants. More importantly, I like how manicured gardens often incorporate art and sculpture and display the plants in just a particular way, something you can't get from national parks. 

That all being said, having visited, I can now tell you that the Tucson Botanical Gardens is a decent spot if you have time to kill, but not a must-do. It was a little smaller than we expected, although really nice, and between Saguaro National Park and the absolutely exquisite Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, it did feel a little extraneous.

Great Garden Express Railway

I want to start with the railway exhibit. It isn’t the first exhibit you come to once you enter the garden, but it is the only one you can see from the parking lot, so it will surely pique your interest as it did mine. This is a very creatively and thoughtfully constructed space. The garden features ferns, snake plants, some evergreens, and a number of other foliage mixed in with a very intricate railroad construction.

It’s not clear if all the railways are connected (I don’t think they are) because the trains were not moving (I don’t think they do). But either way, the trains are not nearly as impressive as the gorgeous models of real-life train stations from all around the United States, like the East Glacier Park Station from Glacier National Park in Montana, and the Salt Lake City Union Pacific Depot in Utah. This was a cool part of the Gardens for sure, and I think it would be especially fun for kids. Conveniently, many of the railroad stations are situated on a lower level that would be eye-level for many tots.

Butterfly Garden

One of the main places we wanted to make sure to hit was the Butterfly Garden. It’s a little funny because Phoenix’s Butterfly Gardens was one of the first things we did when we got in town. But you really can’t get too many opportunities to hang out with these colorful creatures. The Butterfly Garden at the Tucson Botanical Gardens was quite small, and it gets crowded fast due to the narrow paths. However, it is a beautiful little space with hanging air plants and Spanish moss, stunning orchids, and little spots all around (and window sills) for the butterflies to perch on. 

It’s nice because the butterflies aren’t terribly frightened by humans, so they don’t flutter away when you are trying to snap a photo. There were fewer butterflies here than I was expecting - due, again, to my recent visit to the Butterfly Garden - but it was still a good stop in the Gardens. There are also a couple of nice benches in here, which leads me to the next thing on my list.

Ceramic Benches

The Tucson Botanical Gardens is full of beautifully crafted ceramic mosaic benches. Many depict a desert-inspired scene or some of the local wildlife. There isn’t a map of where to find these, so you just have to walk through the Gardens with a keen eye and enjoy the surprise when they come up. This was definitely one of my favorite parts of the visit because they were so unique and added great color to the desert landscape.

Zen Garden

The Zen Garden was one of my favorite spots in the Gardens. It was very peaceful and calmed my frazzled nerves. I really enjoyed crafting my design with my fingers in the rock table, and in general, I just really like the aesthetics of a zen garden. The climate really suits itself to xeriscaping, or planting in rocks instead of soil, so it was a perfect addition for the Tucson Botanical Gardens. 

Frida’s Garden

There was a rather large exhibit, which I believe is permanent, dedicated to the art and life of Frida Kahlo. This included a cool pyramid display of a bunch of potted succulents, giant statues of a monkey and a hummingbird, and some other excellent plant-art combinations that you won’t get in a national park. 

Conclusion

I would say the best reason to visit the Tucson Botanical Gardens is for the art and the exhibits, whatever might be on display when you visit. This is probably the biggest draw that you can get here that you won’t get from Saguaro National Park. (There are some gorgeous installations - as well as visual art in the Ironwood Gallery - at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, but I do think the Tucson Botanical Gardens took the medal in this category.) At $19 a ticket (for an adult), I do think that the garden is worth a visit if you have an hour or two to spare.