Appreciating Gardens, Chihuly Glass Art and Butterflies at Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Columbus, Ohio

Wandering Through a Quilt of Gardens and Chihuly Art at Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Columbus, Ohio

Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Columbus, Ohio welcomed us to the brilliance and warmth of the gardens within its conservatory on a cold March day. The gray skies teased with a forthcoming rain, so we were glad to have such a beautiful indoor nature adventure ahead. 

Dale Chihuly glass pieces highlight the joy of nature.

The Art of Dale Chihuly Delights

While planning our trip, I learned that the Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens feature Chihuly Glass Art which blends within a nature setting molding stunning scenes. Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens holds the largest private collection of Chihuly art within a botanical garden. From beginning to end, the Chihuly art throughout the conservatory dazzled us. 

Wandering under a ceiling full of vibrant Chihuly glass pieces.

One of my favorite discoveries within the Chihuly exhibition lends a bit of an ode to the Chihuly Bridge of Glass in Tacoma, Washington. Walking through a bit of a cave, we gazed up to find a maze of Chihuly pieces in the ceiling above. Pretty cool!

Interesting Fact: Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens has a Hot Shop where visitors can watch glass-making demos and even sign up for a class to make a glass piece.

Chihuly blazes in the desert biome!

Dale Chihuly's goal is to create art that appears formed from nature, that it belongs in nature. So, seeing his creations melded into the various biomes of Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens really makes that vision come alive. The exhibition is truly beautiful to view, so very much worth a visit. 

Butterflies at Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens

We were delighted to learn that butterflies are currently in residence inside the Pacific Island Water Garden. Once again, we were so fortunate to visit the gardens when we did! The garden features multi-layers allowing for a variety of vantage points and an experience in the tropical canopy. Water features further captivate. Visiting during the Blooms & Butterflies event adds brilliant butterflies fluttering around throughout the tropical garden. We were totally swept up in the moment savoring the island setting viewing the dancing butterflies.

Butterflies are currently fluttering at  Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens.

If you visit, don't forget to wind your way up to take in the vantage points from atop. Stunning! The butterflies are visiting through May 30 if you would like to experience their joy as well.

A view of the Pacific Island Water Garden from above.

Delicate Artistry of Bonsais

The conservatory's bonsai collection wows visitors from late March through October. We enjoyed viewing these delicate creations during our visit. The artistry is truly breathtaking! Viewing the bonsais, we did take time to really pause and admire their grace.

Bonsai trees impress with delicate features.

Outdoor Gardens

We did not get to visit many of the outdoor gardens on our visit. However, there were spring flowers starting to pop which delighted us.

Magnolia flowers bloom!

Perfect Garden Adventure

Overall, Franklin Park Conservatory exhibits quite a range of gardens both indoors and out. The conservatory is fairly sizeable which provides an avenue for a warm weather nature adventure no matter the weather outside. In addition to the gardens, Franklin Park houses a divine gift shop with plenty of local products as well as a nursery for picking up plants. We would like to return in the future to uncover treasures in the outdoor gardens. Franklin Park Conservatory provides such a nature quilt of gardens to inspire all year round.