San Diego Botanic Gardens
San Diego Botanic Gardens anaheimer Sat, 07/11/2020 - 16:39
The Botanic Gardens north of the city of San Diego is a great place for the whole family to spend a few hours walking among plants from around the world – and learning about the different environments and the species that inhabit them.
On a recent Saturday, I took the family to explore the gardens for the first time. Our trip was right after the reopening during the Covid-19 pandemic. As a result, not all the exhibits were open – but on the plus side, the place was less crowded.
The gardens cover 37-acres and have more than 5000 species of plants in 31 distinct areas. There is so much to see; you probably won't be able to cover it all in one day. So it might be a good idea to plan ahead and target the areas that most interest you.
For example, if you have young children, you may want to visit one of two children's gardens (or both).
At Hamilton Children's Garden, the kids can climb a treehouse, play in a stream, or chase quail around.
At the Seeds of Wonder Children's Garden, families can connect with nature while playing in a dinosaur garden, playhouse, topiary, and a miniature garden railroad.
The whole family can spend time in intriguing places like the Bamboo Forest, Subtropical Fruit Garden, or the Mediterranean Garden.
One of my favorite places to sit and enjoy nature is the pond with floating lilies at the Bamboo forest. You can find other tranquil ponds at the Native Plants Garden and at the Rain Forest.
Another great place to visit is the waterfall on the way to the overlook. The overlook is a great place to get a birds-eye view of the whole area - and to get a glimpse of the ocean in the distance.
The botanical gardens have a shop where you can buy souvenirs and plants for your garden.
300 Quail Gardens Dr
Encinitas, CA 92024