When summer comes, most people are more than excited to make the rubber hit the road – literally – as a means to get away from the rather chaotic city life and everyday busy schedules. The warmer months present a chance to get that break you so much deserve, unwind, and detach from technology… at least for a little bit.
Well, one of the best ways to do so is to get into your rig and drive miles away, with or without your loved ones to a destination that gives you that calm and serenity. And if you love flowers, a visit to a faraway botanical garden might just be the treat you badly need.
Read on for some of the best botanical gardens to consider as your destination when taking a summer road trip.
Flowers You Can See In Summer
There are many flowers that you can see during the summer in the United States. Some of these flowers include roses, lilies, daisies, and tulips. Each of these flowers is beautiful in its own way, but you may not find them in every garden. The good thing is that you can always or tulip bouquets for delivery to a gift recipient or yourself if you fail to catch them during a trip to a summer destination.
Nonetheless, the following US botanical gardens might make your summer road trip worthwhile if you love flowers.
Best Botanical Garden Destinations Across the States for Summer Road Trips
1. Gibbs Gardens in Big Canoe, Georgia
Just an hour from Atlanta to the North, the Gibbs Gardens in Big Canoe is home to a wealth of fauna and floral beauty. Situated in Ball Ground in GA near the North Georgia Mountains, this botanical garden is accessible to children, adults, and kids at a ticket fee of USD 10, 18, and 20 respectively. It’s primarily known for its colorful daffodils in spring and is open Tuesday through to Sunday, from 9 am to 4 pm, usually closed on Mondays.
If you get a chance to visit the Gibbs Garden at the start of summer, you will have lots of amazing plants and blooms to grace your eyes with, from azaleas to dwarf drift roses, water lilies, and hydrangeas. However, daylilies and crape myrtles seem to dominate summer here, with various other annuals and perennials peaking in the hot season.
If you have a few minutes to spare, you can stop by downtown Ball Ground to grab a bite or a drink, plus there are numerous places in the charming mountain town where you can spend the night as well in case time isn’t on your side. The 14 minutes from downtown to the Gibbs also provide numerous picturesque opportunities, as you’ll be passing through several farmlands and horse-filled pastures.
2. Atlanta Botanical Garden, Georgia
Right at the heart of midtown Atlanta, GA, and overlooking Piedmont Park, sits a 30-acre botanical garden you might want to visit on your summer road trip. Open to the public from Tuesday to Sunday, the Atlanta botanical garden has something in bloom throughout the year, most of them peaking in late spring and early summer.
This is not to mention the spectacular-colored LED lights and displays that grace the holiday season, plus the numerous events and weekly concerts held in summer here.
3. Brooklyn Botanic Gardens
If you love flowers and are planning a road trip to New York, NY, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden is no doubt worth passing by. Situated just 20 minutes from the iconic Brooklyn Bridge via the Blvd, one of New York’s most popular botanical gardens promises a wealth of colorful flowers to enjoy at the Rose Garden and the Native Flora Garden.
The Rose Garden is particularly in full bloom around June, followed by a second flush between August and early September. On the other hand, the Native Flora Garden gives you the opportunity to marvel at various species of wildflowers, not to mention aquatic flowering plants like water lilies, duckweeds, and spatter docks.
Being home to numerous other collections like the Shakespeare Garden, the Rose Arc Pool, and the Plant family collection, the 1911-founded garden is definitely worth considering as a summer road trip destination.
4. United States Botanic Garden
If the Northern summers are far too hot for you, with at least three months of stifling and soul-crushing heat dominating, then perhaps you could consider visiting Washington, DC, a place where you are guaranteed lots of cool relief.
DC’s United States Botanic Garden is open daily except for Tuesdays, boasts a wealth of plant life of all sorts, and flower displays in summer. As it is close to the Capitol Building, you can stop by and see its beautiful architecture while you enjoy the blooms of summer.
5. Missouri Botanical Garden
If you have an interest in botany or are an avid gardener, then you would not want to miss out on a visit to the Missouri Botanical Garden, St Louis’ popular summer destination. With over 1,100 different species of plants to enjoy, the garden is world-renowned for the breathtaking color displays it has to offer.
The Missouri Botanical Garden is home to a vast collection of plants like red iris, trillium, foxglove, and yellow jasmine, as well as the magnificent Darwin’s rhododendrons, which look just splendid in bloom. With an outdoor conservatory, Nature’s Mall, and Skyline Garden at Lindenwood Park, the Missouri Botanical Garden is definitely worth a summer visit. Admissions may cost between $5 and $8, or free depending on age.
These are just some of the best botanical gardens to consider visiting when taking a road trip across America. On your way there, there’s a big chance you’ll get to grace your eyes with other amazing natural eye-catching sites, from flower fields to historic attractions, mountains, pasture lands, and more.
If you’re planning a trip to the UK, we also have an article featuring their best botanical gardens to visit.
Header image from Pixabay.
