Desert Botanical Garden, Phoenix: Hours, Address, Desert Botanical Garden Reviews: 4.5/5
Desert Botanical Garden
Desert Botanical Garden
4.5
7:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Monday
7:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Tuesday
7:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Wednesday
7:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Thursday
7:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Friday
7:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Saturday
7:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Sunday
7:00 AM - 9:00 PM
About
Discover the tranquil vibrancy of desert plants nestled amid the red rocks of the Papago Buttes. Visitors can stroll through five thematic trails to explore the fascinating beauty of the Sonoran Desert, from towering cacti and alluring succulents to brilliant wildflowers and lush trees. Scroll through the Garden's calendar so not to miss festive events and dazzling exhibitions. Delve deeper to learn about desert landscaping, nature art, cooking and wellness and more through the Garden's various adult and children's classes.
Suggested duration
2-3 hours
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Top ways to experience nearby attractions
The area
Address
Neighborhood: Camelback East
Best nearby
Restaurants
683 within 3 miles

Gertrude's
763
512 ft$$ - $$$ • American • Vegetarian Friendly • Vegan Options
Patio Cafe
2
362 ft

McFate Brewing Company
130
1 mi$$ - $$$ • American • Pizza • Vegetarian Friendly

Hole in the Rock Lounge
7
0.9 mi$$ - $$$ • Bar

Fate Brewing Co
104
1.1 mi$$ - $$$ • American • Bar • Pizza

Caribbean Palm
12
0.9 mi$$ - $$$ • Caribbean

DeFalco's Italian Deli and Grocery
364
1.3 mi$$ - $$$ • Specialty Food Market • Italian • Pizza

Dutch Bros Coffee
42
1.1 mi$ • Quick Bites

Green New American Vegetarian
157
1.2 mi$$ - $$$ • Quick Bites • American • Asian

Red Kimchi
19
1 mi$$ - $$$ • Asian • Korean
Attractions
174 within 6 miles

Hole in the Rock
1,067
0.5 miGeologic Formations

Papago Park
849
0.6 miParks

Hall of Flame Museum of Firefighting
406
1.2 miSpeciality Museums

Phoenix Zoo
3,022
1 miZoos

Western Spirit: Scottsdale's Museum of the West
640
2.2 miSpeciality Museums • Art Museums

Hunt's Tomb
6
0.6 miHistoric Sites • Points of Interest & Landmarks

Tempe Town Lake
314
1.8 miBodies of Water • Parks

Arizona State University
295
2.9 miUniversities & Schools

Scottsdale Stadium
433
2.1 miArenas & Stadiums

Scottsdale Civic Center
166
2.1 miCivic Centres
Contribute
Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
8,950 reviews
Excellent
6,762
Very good
1,720
Average
340
Poor
75
Terrible
53
J W
Minneapolis, MN210 contributions
Jan 2022 • Family
Absolutely fantastic gardens especially if you are a succulent lover. Currently there is a special exhibit, Chiluly, which is worth seeing. We bought admission tickets for 4:45pm and dinner reservations at the gardens for 5:30pm. We were able to explore some of the gardens during daylight, eat dinner and then return to the gardens at dusk and sunset. The lighting was magical and the exhibit also had night lighting.
Written January 29, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Debbi D
mattapoisett, ma702 contributions
Dec 2020
We had a beautiful 2 hour walk around the gardens. We learned alot about Cactus, yucca and succulents. At $25 per person it was a little expensive but well worth the splurge. We also ate at the restaurant which was lovely and outside among the plants. I would recommend reserving your tickets in advance since they limit the amount of visitors.
Written December 31, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
197labs
Sherburn, MN7 contributions
Apr 2021
Beautiful displays of the vegetation you can find in the desert and so much variety! We came in the evening around 5:00 and stayed till closing at 8pm. My daughter and I LOVE plants and botanical gardens, and this exceeded expectations. Everything we saw was outdoors and the displays of all the cacti and succulents were stunning. We were so fortunate to see so many things flowering too! They started closing off parts around 7ish, so I would recommend making sure to hit the outside areas as soon as you can if coming in later in the day. They required masks due to COVID, which I appreciated, although I do have to say it did get hot wearing a mask all the time outside (it was about 95 out when we visited).
Written April 8, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Europelover2014
Chicago, IL2,294 contributions
Apr 2022
Sorry to be the nay sayer, but I found the Chihuly exhibit extremely disappointing. Required Chihuly tickets also made the visit too expensive for many visitors. We met families who decided to forgo the Gardens when the visit would have ended up costing over $100 for the group. Even for two seniors, I felt it was overpriced.
I've seen much better exhibits of Chihuly at Kew Gardens. As another widely respected botanical garden, Dessert Botanical should compete with Kew for installations that were more creative and better fitted to the environment than displayed in Phoenix. The color choice for Desert Botanical Gardens was odd - almost exclusively the most garish of Chilhuly's color options. Few installations fit the local terrain or provided a contrast that enhanced the desert environment.
My experience with Chihuly at a lesser known garden - Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids, Mi - was also more positive than Deser Botanical's installation.
I will not return to Desert Botanical for another experience of Chihuly. Would I come back without Chiulhy? Maybe. Perhaps it was the Chihuly draw, but the garden was packed with people, lines to enter the garden, and more lines once in the park. Not my idea of an enjoyable stroll through nature.
I've seen much better exhibits of Chihuly at Kew Gardens. As another widely respected botanical garden, Dessert Botanical should compete with Kew for installations that were more creative and better fitted to the environment than displayed in Phoenix. The color choice for Desert Botanical Gardens was odd - almost exclusively the most garish of Chilhuly's color options. Few installations fit the local terrain or provided a contrast that enhanced the desert environment.
My experience with Chihuly at a lesser known garden - Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids, Mi - was also more positive than Deser Botanical's installation.
I will not return to Desert Botanical for another experience of Chihuly. Would I come back without Chiulhy? Maybe. Perhaps it was the Chihuly draw, but the garden was packed with people, lines to enter the garden, and more lines once in the park. Not my idea of an enjoyable stroll through nature.
Written May 7, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
bookworm8
Memphis, TN227 contributions
Apr 2022
We flew in and out of Phoenix while seeing sites in Arizona, so we booked the Desert Garden/Chihuly exhibit. It was lovely. Many of the cacti were in bloom as well. I had planned to visit the garden on a prior trip, but it was too hot for me. The cost of the Desert Garden was high which I assume was due to the Chihuly exhibit. It would be fun to see in the evening and to see the sunset from the garden.
Written April 2, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Jim L
Orillia, Canada684 contributions
Mar 2022
The Botanical Gardens is a great reminder of the amazing diversity of the desert. It’s a compact park, so almost every step along the paths reveals something new. We had 2 hours before heading to the airport, which was barely enough time for a quick walkthrough. Would have preferred 3-4 hours to enjoy the gardens properly. We were there on a weekend – which was very busy. Extra busy actually, as Sunday mornings are “dogs day” and also, the Chihuly in the Desert sculptures are a popular draw. It is pricey - $40 per person (plus Canadian exchange – yikes!) made it the most expensive 2 hours in our two-week trip.
Written April 1, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Peter O
Buffalo, NY86 contributions
Jan 2022
Took the check in 5-5:30 pm and great visit. Took my 24 yr old son, thinking he's not going to like it so much, but....he kept saying, we got to go this way as hadn't seen it yet. Sun was setting so we got to see a lot of the items during the daylight and nicely lit afterdark. Glass work was cool, and the pictures shown on the web site just don't do the place justice, as seeing is spectacular. I'd say a MUST as we had limited time in the area and well worth the $ and time. Both son and I and not much about botanical stuff, but surely glad we made the time to go. It seemed that there were all ages in the place while we were there, so would recommend for all ages, small kids 4 and up to older personnel age 100. Take your time and enjoy!
Written January 29, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
LovemyAcura🌵
Phoenix13,262 contributions
Mar 2022
We have visited DBG many times in the past and were drawn back to see the Dale Chihuly exhibit again. We saw this exhibit a few years ago when it was here and wanted to enjoy it again. Purchasing tickets online is highly recommended. It is also recommended to visit before sundown to view his glass creations (and enjoy the plants if you haven't seen them) and stay after sunset to see the dramatic appearance of his artwork as they are lit against the evening sky. Stunning! This is a lot of walking but with gradual inclines and there are benches scattered around for when you need to take a rest. Water and drinks are sold in case you forget to bring water with you. The gift shop has nice options at fair prices plus a couple of Chihuly's glass creations at a 4 figure price. Be forewarned that there is road construction on the road leading to the roundabout exit for the DBG - take your patience.
Written March 14, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
NatureandLuxury
Billings, MT64 contributions
Apr 2022 • Friends
We visited the DBG while Dale Chihuly’s exhibition was there. We started in late afternoon. I don’t live in the desert, so especially enjoyed exploring among the cacti and other desert plants. We were there in the spring so many of the cactus flowers were in bloom. We ate dinner at Gertrude’s (reservations well in advance a “must.”) and stayed at the DBG until after sunset to see the Chihulys lit up after dark.
Dinner was very enjoyable, not to mention tasty! We shared an order of the elote fritters—YUM!. I had the Arugula Salad and Duck Enchiladas; my friend had the Shaved Root Salad and Boar Pozole Verde. All of the dishes
were excellent, as was the service. I look forward to a return trip, even after the Chihuly exhibition is gone.
Dinner was very enjoyable, not to mention tasty! We shared an order of the elote fritters—YUM!. I had the Arugula Salad and Duck Enchiladas; my friend had the Shaved Root Salad and Boar Pozole Verde. All of the dishes
were excellent, as was the service. I look forward to a return trip, even after the Chihuly exhibition is gone.
Written May 3, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
stkatravels
57 contributions
Feb 2022 • Family
We enjoyed seeing the different desert plants, but the Chihuly exhibit really made it worth the money. It was very busy and even tho the website said absolutely no walk ins, people were allowed to buy tickets at the door. It wasn’t the best time of year to see wildlife. We only saw one butterfly. We did see a few birds, but no hummingbirds. All of the staff we encountered were super friendly and helpful.
Written March 3, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
may you bring food and beverages?
Diane B
Edmonds, WA726 contributions
I don’t know as I didn’t pay attention. I would suggest looking at website.
Can you bring drinks and food?
veryuniquetraveler
NEBRASKA505 contributions
I am not sure. We took bottled water and no one said anything to us. Saw other people with water. I don't recall seeing a picnic area.
Janice L
1 contribution
What is the Senior discount for the gardens tomorrow, Monday, March 21st at the entrance?
Don S
Cody, WY49 contributions
They told me there WAS NO SENIOR DISCOUNT!!? There is absolutely NO posted pricing (except online which differs from what the “people behind the portholes are charging”)!? If you tell them that you have AAA, or AARP, I believe they’ll give you 10% off!!?
Janice L
1 contribution
Want to attend the gardens tomorrow, Monday March 21st. What is the ticket price for Seniors before going into the park?
LovemyAcura🌵
Phoenix13,262 contributions
You buy the tickets online in advance. Walkups not usually allowed. Choose to go around sunset for best presentation of Dale Chihuly’s art
carol s
Branson, MO32 contributions
How do you get a ticket for the Free 2nd Tuesday of the month for the Desert Botanical Garden?
DiningDuoKC
Kansas City, MO33 contributions
I would contact the park.
funplace
Gridley, CA201 contributions
If you have been to both day and night Chihuly exhibit, which was your favorite?
funplace
Gridley, CA201 contributions
If you have been to both day and night Chihuly exhibit, which was your favorite?
Frequently Asked Questions about Desert Botanical Garden
- Desert Botanical Garden is open:
- Tue - Wed 7:00 AM - 8:00 PM
- Thu - Mon 7:00 AM - 9:00 PM
- Hotels near Desert Botanical Garden:
- (2.28 mi) AC Hotel Phoenix Tempe/Downtown
- (2.20 mi) Hotel Valley Ho
- (1.67 mi) Hampton Inn & Suites Phoenix Tempe
- (2.23 mi) Canopy by Hilton Scottsdale Old Town
- (3.03 mi) The Canyon Suites at The Phoenician, a Luxury Collection Resort, Scottsdale
- Restaurants near Desert Botanical Garden:
- (0.10 mi) Gertrude's
- (0.07 mi) Patio Cafe
- (1.28 mi) DeFalco's Italian Deli and Grocery
- (2.23 mi) Cafe Monarch
- (1.04 mi) McFate Brewing Company
- Attractions near Desert Botanical Garden:
- (0.52 mi) Hole in the Rock
- (0.61 mi) Papago Park
- (1.21 mi) Hall of Flame Museum of Firefighting
- (1.92 mi) Arizona Party Bike
- (1.77 mi) Alcatraz Escape Games