The turtle pond and small sculpture garden make this a cute diversion, especially if you live in the area, but it's not necessarily something you have to plan a trip around.

Cornell Gardens are wonderful and a pleasure as an able bodied person to explore. However it is disappointing that the gardens are not accessible for those using mobility devices. ( walkers, wheelchairs, moms with strollers)

Two adults visited the Cornell Botanic Gardens on a Tuesday in mid-August and were thoroughly impressed especially with the Flower Garden area. There are several main gardens near the Nevin Welcome Center that are well maintained and a joy to walk through such as the Flower Garden, the Herb Garden, the Winter Garden and the Ground Cover Collection. There are others also. Our only disappointment was with the “Pocketsights” app for our cellphone with text and audio descriptions of some of the areas. Just not impressive nor very thorough. Parking costs $1.50 per hour for a maximum of three hours with the first hour free. We also visited the adjoining Cornell Newman Arboretum and would rate that at no more than 4 stars. Again, the “Pocketsights” app was disappointing plus there is very little signage in the arboretum to correspond to the app descriptions. Of course, the plants there were impressive and it is a large area to cover so we drove to various spots.

This was our first stop on campus so we weren't sure what to expect. Parking was close although not free. The grounds were beautiful and very well maintained. The staff in the visitors center were super nice and helpful. Some good hiking trails to catch from here as well.

This is a must see after you’ve met your waterfall needs in Ithaca! We stopped here in the evening without knowing what to really expect. The gardens were amazing! The plants are so vibrant and healthy. They are laid out beautifully, in categories and with markers. We want to go back again because we couldn’t see it all in one visit.