Was it worth the drive to Burlington? I guess. The RBG was alright but you have to go during the right time. We went when the cherry blossoms were beginning to bloom but it was a tad bit early for the other floral arrangements to bloom in their outdoor gardens so it still felt winter-like. We started at one location early in the morning with the Arboretum. That's where you pay $25 to drive your vehicle in. Parking is ample early in the morning but when we left an hour or two later, there was a conga line of vehicles waiting to get in. So, yes you have to be there at least at around 8 AM if you don't want to wait in line or find parking. Parking is free at the main RBG region with their inside greenhouse region plus their outside garden. What I didn't like was that you had to drive out afterwards to go to the Rock Garden where you had to show your tickets again for entrance. Parking was still free though. So, overall, a lot of driving from one location to another (at least three) and a lot of walking. If you want to bring slow-walking seniors, good luck. It's beautiful scenery but a lot of walking involved. read more

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The great pumpkin trail was an amazing little adventure. They did it up so beautifully. I am so glad I got to experience and plan on making this a yearly tradition. read more

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We went to RBG with timed tickets on a Friday night. The outside part was SO nice! It was much larger than I thought it would be with so much to see. I do wish I would have worn boots as some sections were muddy. There were a few stands that sold snacks and hot chocolate. We did also go to the inside part. It was very small but the train was nice. I would love to see RBG in warmer months! read more

Royal Botanical Gardens - Botanical Gardens Near Me - Burlington, Ontario

We went for lunch at the tea house and had to pay almost $20 to "enter" the gardens. We enjoyed our lunch, but there wasn't even a display for us to see in the gardens. Having tea, which is pricey already, should be free admission. Would you pay admission to enter a restaurant?? We won't return. read more

Wonderful gardens visited in 2025. First visited in Summer 2018, and I promised myself a return trip in Spring. The Rock Garden has really matured since I first saw it, although it is still a challenge for older legs. Kids loved the Fishway; really educational to understand how they monitor and manage the fish populations between the marsh and the lake. But beware the closest parking at Princess Point. The notice requiring payment is hidden at the back and if you miss it the penalty is $100. Unfortunately, the Arboretum has become so popular they have a $25 fee for parking and even then you have to reserve in advance on weekends. We arrived at 4:15pm on a wet weekday hoping to stay dry in the Nature Interpretive Center. While the lights were still on, the doors were locked. Shortly, after our arrival, someone switched off the lights and left the building, and on inquiry, told us they were closed. Since the information online and in our brochures said that the Arboretum was open until 8 PM, we were somewhat crushed. Only a few of our party were willing to take the Lilac Walk, which still delights with its fragrant varieties. The Lilac Dell was not tempting, as so much of the grassy slope was sodden and looked slippery. I had good memories of my previous visit to the Dell, so I recommend it for strolling on a dry day. The Laking Garden is used for testing out varieties of iris and peonies. Time your visit for late spring through summer to enjoy the heady perfume of their flowers. The Mediterranean garden is all under glass, and is very colorful. There are many spots that are well worth using for a backdrop to family photos. I recommend the shop in the main building as it has a huge variety of interesting, thoughtful and educational items, good for souvenirs and gifts. read more

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The flowers were almost done. I believe they bloom in May-June. It was a nice day out. We also went to the rock garden which is quite interesting. read more

Royal Botanical Gardens - Botanical Gardens Near Me - Burlington, Ontario

Visited during March Break with family including 2 two year old toddlers and we had a great time. The plants in here are beautiful (especially the indoor garden area) and the air smelled so clean/fresh. We stopped in to watch the live animal show, which was great but more geared to older kids as our toddlers lost interest part way through. The gift shop was great - offering tons of toys and books for kids plus a giftware selection with household goods and snacks. We also had lunch at the cafe (see separate review for more deets) and enjoyed our meal there. Would like to return again in later Spring/early summer to see the outdoor areas of the property. read more

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I didn't know this beautiful place is just an hour away from the GTA! I came here for my friend's wedding and I absolutely LOVE the atmosphere of being immersed in nature. The flowers, trees, stream, small pond, bridge, mini waterfall, etc. are just sooooo scenic! My husband and I took the opportunity to get many cute snapshots. The wedding banquet was the standard 3-course meal: salad, entree, and dessert. The food came out warm and tasted delicious, especially the brownie... O..M...G... I took one bite and I was eyeing my husband's brownie because I wanted to devour it ALL! I have never had such a perfect brownie that is gooey and not overly sweet. It was the best way to end the night! I would've given this place a 5-star rating, but I held back one star because I heard from my friend that planning the wedding with the staff at the Royal Botanical Gardens was an absolute headache. She found out the week of her wedding that the chairs she wanted were going to be an extra cost EACH. Because my friend wanted those chairs, she paid the extra money. But it is frustrating, if the staff showed you a picture of how the set up would look like, shouldn't they tell you that the chairs would cost extra? Altogether, if you do decide to get married here, it is absolutely magical. Just make sure you get EVERYTHING that you want on your wedding day in writing so that nothing changes on you last minute. Aside from that, the Royal Botanical Garden is open to the public for free. I look forward to returning in the future to just enjoy nature. :) read more

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I came here November 2nd, there was nothing there... My son and I came here and he didn't like it at all!!! We don't approve that this is a good place for children. The grass was a very nice green, it felt like warm fall. My son enjoyed sitting down. The geese were raiding the whole place with poo.. read more

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I visited the Royal Botanicals Gardens on a Friday; I loved this place. There is multiple trials. It was so fresh and beautiful maintained. It wasn't busy and a great place to visit. I would highly recommend it to anyone and everyone, especially as an alternative to a conservation park read more

This garden is mediocre. If you drive through all the traffic from TO expecting something fabulous you will be disappointed. The gardens are humdrum with not a lot of thought put into to displaying them in an interesting manner. Looks like maintenance is also sub par. Lots of signs missing explaining what the flower is. The Rock gardens are better with some lovely spots. Would be nice if they suggested an order to walking through the upper and lower gardens. Again nice but not "royal" calibre. Food from the Garden Bistro was "meh". Service was slow read more

I visited on a saturday with my companion. There are multiple places to visit so if you are relying on the shuttle, you must visit early. I found the landscaping for most sights very nice, but the variety was limited. I think the free botanical garden in Toronto has more variety. The parks were nicely landscaped, even one had water coloured blue. Not sure what that's about, maybe something to prevent build up. One of the park option had a charge for parking - no wonder the parking was so empty. There was no attendant...but just the risk of getting a parking ticket is not great. Fun place to visit if you don't have greenery nearby. The herbal gardens were cool with the ancient remedies. read more

Don't missed the blooming season now with beautiful lilacs and magnolias at RBG's Arboretum. Until June 13th, you'll need to purchase in advance the time-ticketed vehicle parking $30 per vehicle. I recommend you try to book the parking time around 11am if you are planning a weekend visit as it wasn't too crowded at this time but by the time we were leaving at around 12:30pm it was really busy. read more

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Unfortunately, my cousin and I came towards the end of the season for cherry blossoms so there weren't as many or as pretty. If you plan on visiting all the sanctuaries and gardens I'd advise you to come for more than 1 day. If you plan on coming a few times to hit up every garden it may be cheaper to purchase a membership. We only visited the Aboretum and Rock Garden this time. It was a lovely spring day and wandering around in the warm sunshine while taking photos of flowers was quite pleasant. read more

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Just maybe you need to come when the weather is good? Late Spring to Early Fall when plants and flowers really blooming. We dropped by early December. There was some Christmas decoration at the outdoor area but aside from that, nothing much. The indoor greenhouse area is really small. When the weather is good, at least you can walk some of the trails. If you do pay full price to visit, you will set yourself up for disappointment. I will try to come back again in May or June. Maybe my experience is totally different. read more

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Being from SoCal, I think we are spoiled with fabulous gardens. Since I'm a professional gardener, every time we travel, I insist on visiting arboretums or botanic gardens. This one was nice and different but a little weird. I was told that if we wanted to visit the Rock gardens, we'd have to drive. We didn't get there. Seems like the gardens were built around roads. Or the roads grew around the gardens. I wasn't interested in the glasshouses since they were full of plants from the west. We had to find the tunnel that went under the road to get to the rest of the gardens. It was nice to see eastern native wildflowers. The rose gardens were nice. I enjoyed the test gardens and the art in the gardens. I was bummed that the gift shop had no Royal Botanic Garden branded merch. I would have bought a t-shirt and a magnet. I was happy that there was a pressed penny machine. Yay! read more

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The only issue I have is that the morning hours are a little late. As a photographer and artist the morning offers a quality of light that is not there at 10am. An 8:30 opening would be ideal particularly in the late spring, summer and early fall. read more

Royal Botanical Gardens - Botanical Gardens Near Me - Burlington, Ontario

Had a wonderful time visiting all 3 gardens. Very beautiful and want to return to see each garden more in depth. We had a stroller with us and found the gardens not very accessible. Next visit we would baby wear. That was disappointing. The waters in the gardens are also died blue? We found it to look artificial and detract from the natural beauty of the space. Plan ahead before visiting. We arrived around 4PM. Closes at 8. But most, if not all the cafes & shops were closing or closed already. Aside from those negatives. This space is really fun to explore and walk around!! read more

came here for a wedding last year. I felt like a kid in a candy store, or perhaps a kid that see's lots of shiny things, and doesn't know what to do first. this garden is absolutely amazing inside and outside with lots to see, and lots to venture around and see, you almost need more then a day to truly experience the whole experience. so far as the venue for the wedding goes, it was very beautiful, we were situated inside the Camilla & Peter Dalglish Atrium, which has a couple of living walls, and a whole bunch of other flowers and plants in and around the area, which as weird as this sounds, made the room feel more fresh/alive/something the staff were super friendly, and the catering was awesome. one of the best places ive been to for a wedding reception. read more

Visited after visiting The Rock Garden. I felt that the lower field was much more beautiful than the upper field area. More so, though I did very much enjoy the horticulture in the herb, fountain area, I felt the other sections were less appealing. If you buy a day ticket, remember that your stamp applies to all Royal Botanical Garden locations as does your parking ticket. Highly recommend you visit this location at least once. Also recommend a stop by at The Rock Garden location in Hamilton if given the chance (much more preferred, personally!). read more

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The place is pretty but arranging an event there is difficult, timing is tight and any additional time is not cheap. Read the contracts carefully. read more

Attended an exhibit called "Spiders: Alive!" here with my wife, and it was put together after dark, from 7 to 10pm. The event was very well planned. The display areas for the different eight-legged friends were nicely set up and loaded with info. A cool "live feeding" show was also done, with descriptions of the furry friends and all of that. The place was well set up for an adult crowd this night too, offering alcoholic beverages and food on the premises at specific locations. The gardens themselves are beautiful and I've seen them through photos, but I look forward to attending this place in the spring and summer to see it in daylight in all its majesty. This show was cool read more

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If you have not taken the time to explore one of Canada's amazing collective of gardens and pathways, make some time this season to stroll and discover an extraordinary selection of plants and unique displays in nature!! Every visit is an experience ! Never have I been disappointed visiting the gardens. read more

I loved coming here when there weren't many people overcrowding the area, so it seemed more private and romantic that way. Not every section was open or accessible the time I came, but overall my experience here was worth it and enchanting! I would love to come back here again and see it in its entirety. A definite must see for those who love nature, gardens, learning about the different classifications of leaves, trees, plants and flowers! read more

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Great place for a scenic, serene stroll and to take pictures. They are open and have extended summer seasonal hours where admission is reduced after 5pm. Rock garden was my favourite. The gardens are scattered among a couple plots where you would need to drive a quick short distance to visit each plot but it's all relatively closeby. read more

I have no idea how this spectacular garden can get less than a five star rating from some people, I don't know what they were expecting but we had an incredible time, the staff were all lawn Terrace and just incredibly above and beyond the call of duty and so happy to help us, I saw a huge variety of both well beloved plants and some very rare that I never even seen before including contorted white pine. read more

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Was a bridesmaid in a wedding at the Royal Botanical Gardens in August 2012. Our service by all the staff here overall was absolutely terrible. At the rehearsal the night before, one of the wedding coordinators came into the rehearsal area yelling loudly over everyone to the bride/groom asking if they had paid their $75 rehearsal free. I was appalled. This should have been done discreetly. When we complained about it afterwards, we were not apologized to but actually asked to confirm that we had paid it. On the actual wedding day, we arrived twenty minutes before the ceremony with the bride waiting in her dad's car to be escorted in by the wedding co-ordinator to the bride's backroom. The wedding co-ordinator didn't show up until five minutes before the ceremony (with the bride waiting in a hot car outside). She must've complained over ten times that it wasn't her fault but that she had to manage 6 weddings today and there were only 3 co-ordinators that day. I really don't feel that is an excuse. People are paying good money for their wedding to be hosted here, so hire more co-ordinators. The dining staff were rude and uncaring. When asking for drink refills, we were greeted with the attitude that it wasn't really their job (even though it was). Later that night, the staff forgot to cut the cake and had to be asked to do so. Overall, expect to be treated like you're in a "wedding factory". The backdrop is beautiful but that's about it. read more

An amazingly beautiful place! One major issue that we will be taking up with the management separately, which is why not a 5/5

Great escape from the city. Gardens are very large and well maintained. I wish they'd welcome non-driving guests a bit more. The gardens are very easy to get to from Toronto by using the Aldershot GO train station + bike. But if you do, you are still subsidizing drivers because parking is included in the admission price. If people need a parking spot, they should have to pay for it. Also, Old Guelph Road really needs a sidewalk or multi-use trail. I don't understand why there isn't one. read more

I had tickets for a concert being held at 5:30, so we decided to visit the gardens. The rose garden was underwhelming, and all of the plants on the property were dry, not an irrigation system to be found. The poor turtles in the interior display were not able to move. We went to park in the lot for the rock garden, and an old rude geezer that worked there told me I had to pay $15.00 to park there, even though my admission included parking for all of the lots. Not worth the money. The garden in Halifax is better, and free! read more

My favourite place to go in the summer. My family and I can easily spend 2 hours here exploring, taking pictures and enjoying the scenery. There isn't great food so I recommend eating before. I will continue to come here every year! read more

Have to say when it comes to weddings the RBG does it all right! Fantastic views, service, food and bartender! Sep 3 2016 best party ever! The weather was perfect but it really would not have mattered, everything was under big white tents. Heard all night long how much people were enjoying themselves! Several family and friends are making plans to return. Outstanding bartender went out of his way to keep on top of what you were drinking located apple juice for a non-drinker delivered it right to the table. Kept tabs on favourites and had it ready if he didn't have time to meet you at your table. Service was impeccable, everything ran on time. Only criticism place is huge, and could have used a few more signs to keep the public out, and to direct guests to the service. We had a few visiting families really want to join us! read more

This was my fist visit to the Burlington Royal Botanical Garden (RBG). It's a great place to spend a whole day with your family and friends. We were there around 3 PM and it took us 5 hours to drive around and visit most of the gardens in a quick pace. RBG has its own shuttle bus, so you can also go around in a shuttle. The cost is covered within the access fee. We covered Mediterranean Garden, Hendrie Park, Rock Garden, Laking Gardens, Arboretum and part of the Natural Lands (Grandstone Creek, Grandstone Marsh Trail, Cootes Paradise and surrounding area). If you have limited time in hand I suggest you visit at least 1.The Rock Garden and 2.The Hendrie Park - in order of my preference. Both places are very pretty, have plenty to see and have cafes for a quick bite. Mediterranean Garden is inside the RBG visiting centre from where you will buy the entrance ticket. So you can also quickly cover this place, it's not that big. Hendrie Park is just opposite to the road from the visiting centre and there is a tunnel to go there from inside the visiting centre. There is a café inside the visiting centre too. It took us 10 minutes to drive to the Rock Garden from the visiting centre. If you like water birds and bird photography, Grandstone Mash Trail and surrounding areas are great for this purpose, specially in the late afternoon to until the sunset. We missed part of the wet lands because of time shortage and partly because some places were temporarily closed for preservation purpose. The overall service was great. My only suggestion to RBG would be they have more people to answer questions a new visitor may have. In the visiting centre, we could not find anyone to answer our questions. We were pretty much on our own with little help from the ladies who were selling tickets. We did not want to disturb them by asking too many questions as they were busy serving other customers. Also if you are driving make sure that you get the free (covered in the entrance fee) day pass to park your car in different gardens. We did not know about it until we went back inside again and ask them about parking our car. The person who was selling ticket should ask visitors if they were driving and provide a pass automatically otherwise how a visitor would know that a free day pass is available. Also all the cafes got closed at 3 PM and we could not find a place to eat. We were there in early September and the gardens were open until 8 PM. So it would be better if they can keep the cafes open until 5 PM. Anyway, if you find yourself in a situation where all the cafes are closed, there are lots of fast food chains within 2 to 3 kilometres of the visiting centre if you are driving. read more

Have returned a few more times since taking out a membership. They have lots of neat shows - last week's featured lilies and the perfume of so many was exquisite as were the arrangements. The oldest part, the rock garden, is exquisitely landscaped. Was filled with annuals for summer colour but can't wait to visit in spring when the bulbs are out. read more

This is a review for the wedding services. I waited a month to write this review because at the time I was furious. We were working with the RBG to have out wedding in September. We decided to go somewhere else for a few reasons, the first reason, their exclusive catering provider was literally the rudest people I have ever done business with. When talking to the wedding planner they told me that they would work around the budget and were flexible and great people. The truth couldn't be further, my fiance and I have a budget and it was clear that they weren't going to let us get anything for less then 50 dollars per person. That includes a taco bar. Yes they actually told us they would charge us 48 dollars per person for 1.5 tacos per person. It wasn't even unlimited fahettas and tacos. When I confronted him because it was labelled way cheaper on the menu he said it required more work because of a wedding because they had to set up the tables and chairs and all cutlery ect... which then ment he was either double charging me or lying to me. The contract to rent the venue clearly states that the tables and chairs would be set up. Then when I asked him if he realized his *special deal* that he made up for us to remain in our budget sounded absolutely ridiculous his response was only that it's a business and it's how it works. At this point my fear was that the catering service would ruin our wedding. So I decided to fine tooth comb all the reviews and one review was perfect. She said that it felt like a wedding factory. I truly believe they forgot that this is suppose to be our day, some how they've made it more important for the business to get what they want then for you to feel special on your special day. Thankfully it was the week we were going to sign the contract so we could get out of it really easy, but if you are thinking of having a wedding here here's some things I would think about before getting your hopes up like we did. First is expect the price of the food to go up 10-15 dollars when they know it's a wedding, second is realize they run multiple weddings on the same day so you aren't the only ones there and honestly you won't be the most important thing to this business. The venue is absolutely gorgeous, and the photos will be amazing. From my experience and other people we've talked to who had their wedding there the service is terrible but the food taste amazing. So it depends what you want on your important day. read more

Went: Saturday, September 5, 2015, 4:30 p.m. RBG got 4.0 over a lot of reviews on tripadvisor and 3.5 on Google plus, though most of those were people angry over something to do with deer. I came here after previously visiting the nearly free Niagara Botanical Gardens ($5 parking). This is the Royal one of Ontario and they are charging $12.50 per person, so it must be nicer, right? No ... not at all. Now, there are some Gardens within cities that might be mainly educational, and it would not be fair to compare that with Niagara which was probably designed to look very picturesque and romantic. Visually, RBG was very unimpressive besides the somewhat interesting sculptures and the area near the tea house with the two shallow pools. Everything else looked quite drab and lifeless. One of the people who worked there told us about a Koi pond and the Mediterranean Gardens as something worthwhile to see. This was the saddest Koi pond I've seen. The pond was small, as were the fish, and there was little that was decorative. There is a wide variety of plants and there was some interesting set ups to present the plants, but it was very underwhelming. I do not know why people would want to get married here to be honest. The Laking area was very meh. I believe the Rock Garden was closed. We did not get a chance to check out the Arboretum, but I don't think the best Arboretum in the world could salvage our generally disappointing experience. Bottom Line: Do not come here unless you've heard it got significantly better. Save your time and money and head to Niagara Botanical Gardens or visit a local free garden in your area, which is likely to be better than this. read more

Royal Botanical Gardens - Botanical Gardens Near Me - Burlington, Ontario

Despite the heat, the venue was beautiful and provided accommodations for our guests. We've heard nothing but praise for how magical the whole day was, and we couldn't have imagined it anywhere else. However, there were a number of difficulties we experienced during the wedding progress, leading up to the day itself, and even some hiccups during the wedding in progress. Namely, there was massive miscommunication between the head coordinator Robin and us, the brides, in terms of expectations for what would happen on the day of. I was told multiple times by multiple people that I would not find out any information about set up until quite literally the day before the wedding. For such a popular and established wedding venue, it is incomprehensible for me as a client to understand how schedules are not available well ahead of time. In initial correspondence with Robin, we were assured that we would not be responsible for setting up the reception area, but rather we would be able to "drop off bins" and the catering staff would set up the decorations for us. It was not until Friday, the literal day before the wedding, that we found out what time we could come in and set the decorations up ourselves because it was our responsibility, no theirs. For a wedding venue, this kind of last minute change in expectations and instructions is completely unprofessional, and frankly, unacceptable by any standards. I was diligent in checking in months and weeks ahead of the event to plan these sorts of details, only to be deferred until the last minute and leaving us scrambling to set up our own reception when I should have been dedicating the morning exclusively to preparing for the wedding ceremony itself. Setting up decorations in itself is not an ordeal - having been misled for over a year in terms of planning is unacceptable. During the reception, before the bridal entrance, we were pulled aside and informed that the bar staff were charging our guests for soft drinks. First of all, nowhere in our contract, nor in any correspondence in finalizing the drinks menu, was it mentioned that soft drinks would be available during the reception. In the weeks prior to the event, I wasn't given my full range of options upfront, and the costs were never addressed unless I specifically and repeatedly asked for them. As a bride who has never planned (and never will again) a wedding before, it was difficult finding out the costs and options upfront for things, especially for things that are not clearly outlined in the Wedding Package, like alternative menu and beverage options. Overall, the wedding day and the venue was lovely. We have no regrets with choosing the RBG as our wedding site. We have to praise Emily for being incredibly helpful during the rehearsal, answering all of the questions we'd been building for months, and guiding us through the process. We would also like to praise the caterers for the exceptional food. Our guests loved the buffet, both in terms of options and of quality, so we're very happy with the dining experience we had during our wedding. The RBG was a beautiful venue, but it is important for us to voice our concerns and frustrations over how poorly Robin communicated with us to set out realistic expectations for setting up decorations, as well as answering promptly all of our questions to full satisfaction so that we could anticipate and plan any and all costs relating to food and drinks before the wedding day; not during. read more

A waste of money. Very disorganized and uninformed staff that are unsure where trails start, how to get there or the shuttle schedules. Very disappointing. read more

GREAT VENUE WITH ACCOMMODATING FOOD SERVICE! Had a family of 38 function today in the Café Annex, Joel and his catering team Celeste and Cameron did a wonderful job. They were very friendly, helpful, flexible and very efficient. I could have asked for anything and they would have tried to accommodate. Joel worked within my budget, and the food was delicious and beautifully served. They came many times to ensure everything was perfect, and it was. The train exhibit was still functioning, with rave reviews from all my family; as well as the Mediterranean Garden, which was a joy to visit. Anyone looking for a place for a function, this is it. read more