What’re your “plant” this spring?
Garden staff has compiled the ultimate guide to the best activities and events to experience while visiting the Valley.
Explore the most beautiful season of the Sonoran Desert at Desert Botanical Garden. Whether you’re visiting for spring break or are a local, the Garden has several activities for the entire family. From wildflower-spotted strolls to Chihuly in the Desert and visiting before or after a spring training game, visitors will want to extend their stay to catch more of the Garden.
Here’s a list of five things to do this spring:
1. Wildflower season at the Garden
Gorgeous. Stunning. Colorful. Wildflower season in Arizona is always marvel to experience each year. The Garden’s horticulture staff works hard to keep the grounds clean and lively for the prime flower season. Garden visitors are in for a treat when cactus flowers start putting on a show. At the entry garden, guests will be greeted with the blooms of the blind prickly pear cactus, the creamy-white flower of the towering candelabro cactus, the subtle blue yucca and lush green leaves of the ocotillo. And that’s just the beginning! Spend a day looking at wildflowers at the Garden. Tickets must be purchased in advance at dbg.org.
2. Chihuly in the Desert
For the third time, Dale Chihuly is back to the Sonoran Desert to showcase his stunning masterpieces at the Garden— this time with the help of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West. Chihuly in the Desert features 18 installations, including a curated indoor gallery, at the Garden and Taliesin West. This joint exhibition on view through June 19. It is the first time Chihuly’s artwork is displayed alongside Wright’s former winter home. Taliesin West offers 90-minute guided tours. The exhibition is self-guided at the Garden and on April 19 guests can experience Chihuly After Dark (included with general admission). Once a month, the Garden offers an immersive experience centered around the exhibition with fire dancing performers, cotton candy, churros, eye-catching patterns from Sand Fun Art and the delightful tunes from harpist Emma Quinn. Separate admission required for each venue.
3. Spring Training
Spring training is back! Although there won’t be any peanuts or baseballs, spend the day before a game relaxing at the Garden. Or make us part of your nighttime plans. There are several stadiums minutes away from the Garden, including Tempe Diablo, Scottsdale and Hohokam Stadium and Sloan Park. After taking dad to a Cubs spring training game, bring mom to the Garden to enjoy the wildflowers sights and Chihuly in the Desert.
4. Spring Butterfly Exhibit
Now is your chance to see thousands of butterflies from the Southwest up-close at the Spring Butterfly Exhibit. Bring the whole family to learn how these fluttery creatures care for and protect the desert environment. And don’t miss the ant colony display, which is new this year, at the butterfly pavilion. Open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Included with general admission.
5. Gertrude’s Restaurant or Patio Café
The Garden has two iconic dining options onsite. Gertrude’s Restaurant offers a fresh food experience at the Garden, focused on ingredients directly from the farm and pasture to the plate. And if you’re looking for something more casual, try the Patio Café on Ullman Terrace. Check out the menu here. Patio Café offers guests a relaxing and scenic environment.
