Please join the club on our April 27th field trip to the US Botanic Gardens in Washington D.C. The U.S. Botanic Garden is a living plant museum. Admission is free. No tickets required. The Conservatory features plants from across the United States and around the world ranging from desert plants to tropical forests to orchids.

Photos must be taken with hand-held cameras. For advance permission to use a tripod, please contact Visitor Services Coordinator Victoria Gesell at victoria.gesell@aoc.gov.  Permit reservations must be requested at least one week in advance, you may inquire at the visitor desk in the Conservatory when you arrive. Please note that same-day permit requests are not guaranteed.

The Conservatory is open 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily. The Conservatory is located at 100 Maryland Ave. SW, Washington, DC 20001.

The gated outdoor gardens (“National Garden”) are open 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily. They are adjacent to the Conservatory, with entrances from Independence Avenue, from Maryland Avenue (at 3rd Street) and from the Conservatory Terrace. These outdoor gardens have extended evening hours from April 1 – September 15 each year, staying open until 7:00 p.m. The gated outdoor gardens (“National Garden”) are currently closed for updates.

Bartholdi Fountain and Gardens are open from dawn to dusk, daily, including weekends and holidays. They are located across Independence Avenue from the Conservatory, with access from any of the three bordering streets: Independence Avenue, Washington Avenue, or First Street SW. 

Metered street parking spaces are available within a few blocks of the U.S. Botanic Garden. The Garden does not have its own parking lot or parking spaces.

The easiest way to reach the Garden by Metrorail is by taking either the Orange, Blue, or Silver line to the Federal Center SW station. Exit the station, walk north (left) along Third Street SW for two blocks, cross Independence Avenue, and continue one more block to Maryland Avenue. Look toward the Capitol and you will see the glass dome of the Conservatory. The Conservatory entrance is on Maryland Avenue.