Cornell Botanic Gardens in Ithaca
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Ithaca, Tompkins County, New York, US
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The botanical gardens are much larger than a lot of photos made it seem. This was totally worth going, there was a lot to look at and so many beautiful plants. Parking is normally $3, it was free the day that I had went. This is a great stop if youre between a hike and dinner, or trying to fill your day in with something that requires less physical activity between hikes.
A great place to walk, not extremely crowded and populated beautiful views and will maintain walking paths around the property. Definitely worth a stop if you are in the area! take some time to check out the ponds that are filled with beautiful little goldfish, and a bridge where you can relax for a bit of a breather!
Beautiful gardens and nature spaces- you definitely need more than one day if you want to appreciate it all! We only got to the Herb garden and the areas around the Welcome Center.If you come right after the rain clears up, theres a wonderful air to the gardens, with dew on everything, bugs peeking out, and hummingbirds chasing each other around the Herb garden.Parking is free by the Welcome Center on weekends.
Gorgeous gardens, nicely labeled and pleasant to walk around. also, there are very pretty walking trails surrounding the gardens. We particularly enjoyed the herb garden as inspiration for our own home garden endeavors. The gift shop had a lot of unique items available as well.
A really nice and quaint botanical garden! Came here as a tourist and I enjoyed my time walking around.The garden is definitely smaller than average and I kind of wish there was a water component like a koi pond, but you really can’t complain much since there’s no admission fee. Bonus point for the parking being free for one hour! (Plus free wifi at the visitor centre)
This is a lovely place. I only gave it 4 stars because the information you read before hand does not indicate that many of the plants were spring flowering, so were past prime when we went (ie, Rhodedendron). Still, plenty to see. Not all plants were tagged/identified. We did enjoy ourselves and took advantage of driving around the arboretum. Theres one or two nice vistas. Gift shop was nice, but t-shirt collection did not have a big range of sizes.
These gardens are absolutely stunning. there are so many different things to see and explore. there is so much to learn and the spaces are beautiful. I loved the time I got to spend at the gardens. the big building closes at 5 but the gardens did not close so I was still able to walk around even though I couldnt enter the building.
Beautiful gardens to walk around in. Great for little kids to explore! There are some good trails that are well maintained through woods and along the river as well. This made for a great afternoon stroll. You pay for parking but it doesnt cost to walk the gardens or trails.
Great place to spend a couple of hours walking through the various natural (formal gardens, arboretum, wildflower gardens) - most trees and plants have tags or plaques to help with identification. Spring flowers start blooming around mid April and foliage changes colors in September/October. There is also an interesting sculpture garden designed for framing photos near the ponds. Finally, a rare find for Ithaca, NY: banana trees in the Crops of the World Garden.
Drove through the arboretum, visited the Mundy Wildflower Garden, and then stopped at the Visitor Center. The gardens around the visitors center are beautiful. Lots of cool plants, and some really spectacular plantings that were just popping with color. We spent about an hour and a half at the visitors center, and it was a wonderful way to end the afternoon. We saved the best for last and are glad we stopped by. It doesnt look like much from the road/parking lot, but what a pleasant surprise!!!
The flower gardens are wonderful.Plentiful,colerfull and well maintained. Well worth the visit. The vegetables gardens were interesting; however, I was disappointed that a number of vegetables which are to be given to feed members of the community were left to rot on the vines.I was at a loss for words.Cannot believe there werent members if the Cornell community who wouldnt have volunteered to pick the vegetables at the appropriate time and delivered to people with needs for food.
The place is amazing during the warmer months of the year, they have an incredible amount of different species of plants from conifers to herbs. They have a vegetable garden, a winter garden, basically a whole entire forest, and a lot more. Walking around isnt a bad idea, though driving is preferred if you dont want to walk around in 40° weather for an hour and a half. Its a great educational and natural experience for everyone without literally going into the middle of the wilderness. During the mid fall to early spring months, half the fauna is dead but its still nice.
Great botanical garden with a wide variety of plants. My only complaint is that not all the plants are labeled. The plants are all very well cared for. The plants are also organized into areas with different themes like herbs, ground cover, etc. Parking is free for the first hour, and you can get another hour free if you go back and get another ticket.
I walk here in all seasons and every one has peace and beauty to offer. We also cross country ski here in winter. On a recent walk we found two different kinds of turtles laying eggs! I like to park at the overlook and walk down to the right , around the pond and down through the border displays before heading back up around the rim of the bowl and back to the overlook - just under 2 miles. All easy terrain.
A beautiful afternoon out in these gardens. Parking was free on Sunday, which was a nice surprise. There are a few trails through tree covered areas and a very impressive herb garden. We also enjoyed the vegetable garden, where there were informative signs telling us what was growing and what techniques the university students were working on.
What a beautiful place!! Wonderfully designed gardens and a truly educational place! We did not make use of the free audio tour, but I was told by another visitor that is was well done.The only reason for the 4/5 stars is: While it is completely understandable that the Welcome/Visitor Center is currently closed, the condition of the single, available porta-john was completely NOT acceptable!! Cmon, Folks... Youre Cornell University. You can do better than that. 😎
Gorgeous, small garden with beautiful glowers and well maintained. Its free, but you do have to pay for parking unless its after 5pm. The flowers here are a photographers dream - theres so many to choose from, and tons of colors. Its not a big place, so it took us maybe 25 minutes to walk around and enjoy it.
Usually awesome, but this time it was the middle of winter and slushing like crazy and I had mucked all the way up there just to use the bathroom and get a beverage, a snack and keep warm while my friend was getting chemo at the animal hospital... But quite sadly the posted hours were incorrect. Very disappointing.
It is a TERRIBLY SMALL garden, do not bother if you want a walk that can last over 15 minutes. The paths are narrow and muddy. Parking is not free, apparently because it is Cornell so everything costs a bit (even it is just a small amount). It’s close to a busy road, then you have to decide between super dirty shoes out of melting muddy snow or dangerous cars racing by.
This Botanical is one of the best kept secrets in this entire Finger Lakes region. Friendly to traverse, natural, educational and very loyal to the visions of its Founders. It is my observation it represents a high water mark in the annals of Cornell University. It is beautiful every season of the year.
😎 Amazing!! Truly a beautiful place to retreat and get lost in the trees. Almost everything is labeled so you know what you’re looking at and a nice foot path to take it all in. Also some art and sculpture on the grounds really add to the beauty. Highly recommend waking around if you have an hour to kill.
This is the second time coming to the Cornell Botanical Gardens. It was very relaxing and interesting to see all the different flowers and herbs they grow. The center courtyard was my favorite with the different sections dedicated to different categories of flowers and herbs.I had been there before but didnt realize the plaques with the flower and herb names also had descriptions relevant to the section of the courtyard they are in. VERY COOL. It was fun to see the herbs I cook with in my kitchen growing in a garden, having never seen the full plant before.And its awesome to see so many dedications to great men and women of the past who helped build such a beautiful and lush space for anyone to walk through.Definitely a must see for any visitors looking to see what beauty Ithaca has to offer.
Nice botanic garden. They offer tour guide, $5/ person. Parking is not free on weekdays. The gift store is expensive. Didnt see Indigo plant in Due herbs section. Also, the herbs section lacks Asian spices. My guess is different climate zone made it difficult for those plants to grow.
Total reviews rating 4.7
199 Reviews for Cornell Botanic Gardens 2023:
Review №1
2021-07-27Really enjoyed this botanical garden and the grounds. It’s bigger than I expected and the diversity of flowers were amazing! The visitor center was closed but it looked modern and nice! This has tons of nooks and crannies to explore so bring your walking shoes! The vegetable garden was worth a see too! I highly recommend this place!!
Review №2
2022-06-07Amazing place to wander at any time of the year. Park your car at any of the many parking places around the Cornell Botanical gardens and Arboretum.
Review №3
2022-06-06Gardens have a great collection of hydrangeas with many tropical plants. Also interesting evergreen trees on the grounds.
Review №4
2021-08-18The late summer flowers (August 15) were in full bloom. A wonderful shade plant and ground cover display was encountered along a meandering path under mature tree cover. I saw the biggest Cornus Mas Ive ever seen, about 18 caliper. Definitely worth a visit. We spent 1 1/2 hours in the garden near the visitor center. We needed another couple of hours for the arboretum and the trails. Well have to come back again.
Review №5
2021-08-18The best botanical garden I have been to by far. It was very interesting to see the vegetable garden. The herb garden is put together very well and is divided by sections based on medicinal use or dye use or even herbs in romance novels.
Review №6
2021-09-05One our favorite places in the Ithaca area. So much to explore! The grounds are well maintained. There so much information about all different types of plants and trees. Each season offers a different perspective.
Review №7
2021-09-05Must visit even if you are not into flowers, plants or trees. Just take a stroll and let it nourish your soul. Budget for some fair amount of time while visiting this place. Place is simply too gorgeous and nourishing.
Review №8
2021-07-22Beautiful place! A couple of points: we went on a weekday in July. The visitor center is not open on weekdays this summer. There was no notice posted about when of if they opened at all. These were the only bathrooms we knew about. Bring your own drinking water, too. No entry fee, and parking is $3.00 IF you can use their parking app and get thru all the pay hurdles. This place may not interest children-- really more of a grown up thing.
Review №9
2021-09-15We loved this place! So many different kinds of plants and flowers.Very well maintained. Will definitely go again.
Review №10
2022-06-16The gardens were lovely, I wish there had been a guide to point out some of the more exotic species.