Enjoying Beauty at the Cleveland Botanical Gardens

When we travel out East, it is nice to have some places to stop to stretch our legs. On a recent trip, we decided to take a stroll through the Cleveland Botanical Gardens. Admittedly, I did not do much research before visiting the Gardens. Since we are members of the Morton Arboretum, our admission is free, so the Gardens were on my list of cheap excursions to break up the monotony of a long road trip. Without having really researched the exhibits, my family was amazed by the offerings of the Gardens.

Our first adventure in the Gardens led us through the Glasshouse. The Glasshouse showcases a desert of Madagascar and a rainforest of Costa Rica. The rainforest portion greeted us with beautiful butterflies flying all around us. Guests can grab cards to help identify butterflies as well as birds while winding through the rainforest. My daughter enjoyed the challenge of identifying birds and butterflies while on our walk. We were truly in awe while walking through the forest, butterflies all around.

After the Glasshouse, we allowed our daughter to choose one more garden to explore. (Since we were making just a quick stop, we were a little limited on time.) My daughter wisely choose the Hershey Children's Garden.

The Children's Garden was full of fun activities for children. There was a cart that provided a number of scavenger hunt activities as well as displayed the items currently blooming in the Gardens. Additionally, there was a play structure for the kids to run around on and a spring full of frogs.

Activity cart

Lately, my daughter has become obsessed with scavenger hunts. She chose one to complete. It required us to explore all over the garden. Many of the plants were located in the vegetable garden area of the Children's Garden. The vegetable garden was set up in a way that is very approachable for children. Additionally, the vegetable is chock full of color and everything is labeled.

Children's  vegetable garden

After the scavenger hunt, it was time for us to leave and return to the road. We enjoyed our exploration of the Gardens and look forward to venturing through other portions during future visits.

The Cleveland Botanical Gardens can be explored at 11030 East Boulevard in Cleveland, Ohio. Admission is $9.50 per adult, $4 per child (ages 3-12), and free for children under 3. Admission is free if you are a member or are a member of a reciprocal program. There is a cost for parking. You can find information about parking here. Visitor hours are as follows: • Tuesday - Saturday 10:00 am - 5:00 pm, • Sunday 12:00 - 5:00 pm, • Wednesday 10 am - 9 pm (5/31 - 9/6), • Closed Monday, Memorial Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. There is a cafe available and restrooms are easily accessible near the Glasshouse.