These gardens were the best of their kind I have ever visited. The herb garden, especially, was beautifully laid out with many, many species and varieties. Each of the plants was labeled with its name and use in cooking, dyeing,, or as a medicinal herb. The flower gardens were inspiring and included species and varieties for every Northern garden habitat. Because it was so hot and humid when I visited, I went early in the morning and left before the visitor center opened, so can't comment on it. The arboretum was vast with ponds and many tree species in groups such as oak, beech, and others, all laid out with pleasant walkways. Maps with good directions were available for free in locations throughout the arboretum. It would have been nice to have the common names as well as the Latin on the trees. I would definitely recommend the gardens as must-see for any plant lover.

We stumbled across this botanic garden when we were driving through the Cornell campus. The gardens are completely free and stay open until dusk. We arrived after dinner and had a pleasant stroll through the grounds. I’d love to come back for a much longer visit to see the wildflower garden and arboretum area.

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.

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.

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.