Arboretums and Botanical Gardens to Visit in San Francisco

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When considering a vacation, or even just a day out with the family, why not consider visiting a local arboretum or botanical garden?  You can enjoy a delightful getaway with a visit to one of these beautiful gateways to all that nature has to offer.

Arboretums and botanical gardens work to promote common respect and educate with a drive towards an appreciation of the world of gardening and the insects that work to pollinate our plants and flowers. 

These nature monuments are just waiting to be discovered and welcome all visitors for a day of tranquility, enjoying their peaceful beauty.  Make sure to check out one of the arboretums or botanical gardens listed below.

San Francisco Botanical Garden

1199 9th Ave, San Francisco, CA 94122

Travel the World in 55 Acres.  Escape to a unique urban oasis of extraordinary beauty at San Francisco Botanical Garden, showcasing more than 8,000 different kinds of plants from around the world.

Ruth Bancroft Garden and Nursery

1552 Bancroft Rd, Walnut Creek, CA 94598

A world-renowned 3.5-acre garden, housing a collection of succulents, both unique and beloved, as well as drought-tolerant plants from around the world.  The garden’s found, Ruth Bancroft, lived to be 109 and was a pioneer in drought-tolerant gardening.  Open to the public year-round, the garden showcases fabulous bloom during every season and highlights plant structure and texture in robust plantings.

UC Botanical Garden at Berkeley

200 Centennial Dr, Berkeley, CA 94720

The 34-acre UC Botanical Garden is one of the most diverse landscapes in the world, with over 10,000 types of plants, including many rare and endangered species.  Organized geographically, the Garden features nine regions of naturalistic plantings from Australasia to South Africa, along with a major collection of California native plants.  The Garden was established in 1890, and its living collections are invaluable resources for international research and conservation.

Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt

650 Bellevue Ave, Oakland, CA 94610

The Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt is the home to some of the finest bonsai on the west coast. The Bonsai Garden Lake Merritt, located at Oakland’s Lakeside Park, is the only major all-volunteer bonsai garden in the country and houses some of the most important bonsai in the US.

Regional Parks Botanic Garden at Tilden

Shasta Rd, Tilden Regional Park, Berkeley, CA 94708

Huckleberry Botanic Regional Preserve

Skyline Blvd, Oakland, CA 94620

Huckleberry Botanic Regional Preserve is an ecological jewel. The native plant community here is found nowhere else in the East Bay. It represents a relic plant association found only in certain areas along California’s coast where ideal soil and climatic conditions exist.  The vegetation association of Huckleberry Preserve finds its roots in past climates and geologic history. The plants originated in the distant past along the southern coast of California when the climate was moister and tempered by the cool coastal fog. Today, similar vegetation is found on the islands off the Santa Barbara coast and in isolated pockets on the mainland coast from Point Conception to Montara Mountain, south of San Francisco.

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