Phoenix Desert Botanical Gardens

The Phoenix Desert Botanical Garden is a must-do romantic date.  This beautiful garden boasts 50 acres of outdoor exhibits and contains thousands of desert plants from all over the world.  Stroll along the four loop trails, including the Sonoran Desert Trail and the Desert Wildflower Trail.  You can also tour the herb garden, the yucca forest, and the butterfly pavilion. 

Each loop has information on the various plants along the loop.  The Sonoran Desert loop also has information about the lives of the natives and the first explorers in the region.  There are even replicas of their homes and gardens, and information on the plants they ate and used for tools and medicine.

The Botanical Garden is a wonderful setting for a romantic walk, and if you are on a first or second date, the educational signs and wildlife will give you good conversational material.  If you like gardens, it is a good place to get ideas for your own garden, to learn about plant varieties, and to see the plant in their various stages of growth.  The garden even offers classes and lectures on gardening and bi-annual plant sales.

Even if you aren't a garden lover, you may still enjoy this date as the garden offers special events.  Enjoy the live musical performances held in the garden year round.  Or for a magical holiday date, go during the Las Noches de las Luminaries when the garden paths glow with thousands of luminaries and live music whispers through the night.  If either of you is a shutterbug, go on a photography date.  The garden has opportunities for shots of landscapes, close ups, and interesting backgrounds for portraits.

All in all, we think the garden is at its best in the spring, when the plants are in bloom.  However, we've visited in the spring, the winter, and the summer and every season offers an array of beauties.   It is hot in the summer, so carry water and wear a hat.  The trails are level, and either paved or gravel, so wear comfortable shoes that won't get scuffed.

Admission starts at $15 per person.  There is usually an additional fee if you want to attend a special event.

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The Desert Botanical Garden offers free admission on the second Tuesday of each month, from 1-8 p.m.  Double check on their website before you go, just in case the day or hours change.

The Desert Botanical Garden
1201 N. Galvin Parkway
Phoenix, AZ  85008
www.dbg.org

The Sonoran Loop.  This loop is dedicated to the people and plants native to Arizona.