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Arizona (AZ)
Central Arizona
Phoenix
Things to Do in Phoenix
Desert Botanical Garden

Desert Botanical Garden, Phoenix: Hours, Address, Desert Botanical Garden Reviews: 4.5/5

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Desert Botanical Garden

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Desert Botanical Garden
4.5
8,949
#3 of 244 things to do in Phoenix
Gardens
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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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What is Travelers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.

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The area
Address
Neighborhood: Camelback East
Best nearby
Restaurants
683 within 3 miles
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Attractions
174 within 6 miles
Hole in the Rock
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0.5 miGeologic Formations
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849
0.6 miParks
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1.8 miBodies of Water • Parks
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295
2.9 miUniversities & Schools
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433
2.1 miArenas & Stadiums
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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
Botanical garden at dusk
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
Wonderful Covid friendly place to visit
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
Stunning displays - especially for plant geeks like us!
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
Quite disappointed with Chihuly and crowds
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.
Written May 7, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
bookworm8
Memphis, TN227 contributions
Beautiful
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
just how many cacti are there?!
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
Gotta Do It!
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
Memorable away to spend an evening
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
An all-around spectacular visit
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.
Written May 3, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
stkatravels
57 contributions
Very friendly staff. Chihuly exhibit was really cool!
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.
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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