I was trying to think back and remember if I visited the botanical gardens as a student at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor before visiting... I couldn't remember until I was standing there and realized it was where my beloved Practical Botany class' lab was senior year! To be fair we got on the bus on campus and got off the bus at a greenhouse and I wasn't paying much attention to my surroundings when I was younger (and this wss before smartphones!). We spent countless hours in the greenhouses learning about and cultivating plants and it was one of my fondest memories from the four years at the University.Returning as a family was amazing as it is now a destination for nature in the area. There are many family friendly activities for all ages. In addition there are countless trails and gardens where you can wander around by yourself aimlessly for hours.

These are possibly the most stunning gardens that we have ever visited. the gardens are interesting and ever well kept but when you add to that the exceptional sculpture garden it is almost unbeatable. If in the local area do not miss it.

This garden in not huge and walking you could spend a couple of hours, depending on how many of the outer trails you use. As a photographer I was there three hours without doing any of the outer trails. The grounds are well maintained and it has a couple of interesting spaces. The kids garden is huge and has lots of different things for kids. The bonsai tree collection is unusual. I really enjoyed the water sculptures in the garden to the left of the entrance. Outer trails are among the trees and fields. In addition to flowers, I saw lots of insects, butterflies and a hummingbird. Also a hawk and some song birds. While there are picnic tables and there is a gift shop where you can purchase bottled drinks there are no other food options other than a vending machine. The garden is away from other things so pack food if you plan to go for a while.

This is a lovely botanical garden with indoor and outdoor spaces featuring tropical and arid conservatories, bonsai, herbs, and more. If you're interested in plants, it's well worth a visit. We spent about an hour and covered most of the garden. Admission was free. The friend we stayed with dropped us off and picked us up, so I don't know if there was a parking charge as others have mentioned.

Last time we were there, we spent about 4-5 hours there, even though the conservatories were closed. We walked about 5 miles around some of the trails and the outdoor gardens. There's a kid's garden, a few large central gardens, a bonsai garden, and lots of trails outside. There's also a picnic area. Inside there are I believe 3 conservatories. We hope to go back this weekend to see those and to take another trail walk. It's only $5 to park for the whole day. Obviously what plants are in bloom are going to depend on the time of year, but they have a lot of plants and flowers that bloom all spring and summer long. It's a beautiful place. If you don't intend to use the trails, it probably would only take 1-2 hours walking around the main attractions if you take your time.