An amazing place to bring the little ones. So much amazement around every corner and the Butterfly house was an instant favorite. The kids already want to visit again. read more

Very fun experience. We especially loved the butterfly exhibit and hearing the talk at the butterfly release at noon. The only thing that wasn't so great was that it was really hot and the beginning of September, so a lot of the plants were wilted, but other than that it was really cool. We went on our pogo passes and then went to the Children's Aquarium. read more

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Two for one admission I got from Groupon. This place is pretty cool and I am not even a kid. Butterflies everywhere and they are so close to you. So neat to see them flying around and not afraid of you. I would definitely come back with my daughter next time! read more

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I love this place. It's such a fun place to visit. It's pretty affordable, and it has great stuff for kids and for adults. Basically, it is the much sought-after Fun for the Whole Family! By far the best thing about the Discovery Gardens is the butterfly house. Two stories of green house filled with lush plants, humid jungle air, and BUTTERFLIES! So many butterflies! If you stand still enough they will land on you. As you make your way down the spiraling ramp you can read facts about butterflies and use the guide you're given at the start of the tour to identify that butterflies that you're seeing. When you reach the bottom you can see where the butterflies emerge from their chrysalis, and ask an expert any questions you have. It's a beautiful experience, and a great learning opportunity. Then there are the gardens themselves, which are lovely. Like a smaller version of the Dallas Arboretum. Lots of fountains, green space, picnic tables, flowers. More than once I've seen a wedding being set up here (this would be a gorgeous place to get married). Patrons are welcome to bring a picnic and play frisbee on the grass. It's an idyllic spot. Inside the main building, there is a pretty great gift shop as well as an impressive collection of insects and reptiles! We spent a long time looking at poisonous dart frogs, tarantulas, walking sticks, turtles...the list goes on. Prices are more than fair. $8 for adults, $6 for seniors, $4 for kids. If you're a member of the Arboretum, you can access the gardens for free (but not the butterfly house). Also, the gardens are free for everyone on Tuesdays. read more

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We went here on a gorgeous day in April and really enjoyed it. The highlight for the wife was the butterfly garden, while for me it was the snakes. This place is a lot smaller than the arboretum but not nearly as crowded. I liked it a lot and thought it was a high value activity. It is a great option for kids. I am really happy that we went. read more

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This is a great educational outdoor experience in the middle of a very urban setting. The butterfly house is amazing. It is hot in there, so be sure to dress accordingly. Mini pirate really enjoyed watching all the butterflies and the bees in the hive. The grounds are very pretty and fun to explore. There is also a snake house. It is educational, but if you don't like snakes, you may want to skip it. My complaint about the TDG is the children's entrance fee sign and listing on the website. It says kids ages 3-11 are $4, but my two years (plus two months) was charged $5 to enter. Not that $5 is a lot of money, but the way the information read, I thought he would be free and I did not take my purse inside (I had a free pass). When I was told his fee was $5, I had to scramble together some loose change and bills I happened to have in his diaper bag. It was kinda embarrassing, and took some balancing as I was trying to wrangle an excited mini pirate. This is a wonderful place to take your children, just do not leave your wallet in the car. read more

Our family loves going to the Gardens and seeing all the amazing butterflies in the conservatory. We have members for years and it is the best deal in Dallas. The staff have always been wonderful and gracious. The historic building & gardens is a beautiful place for a wedding. The kiddos enjoying walking around fair park and going to the aquarium and playing around the lagoon watching the fish and turtles. read more

Texas Discovery Gardens - We love the Texas Discovery Gardens! - Botanical Gardens Near Me - Dallas, Texas

This place was really neat. They're open year round. The staff are very knowledgeable and friendly. Ask about their year pass pack. The gift shop is cool. I came for a friend's party and the kids loved it. The butterfly garden is incredible! They had a lot of interesting critters too. They have many special events throughout the year. read more

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Pro: cute little butterfly exhibition. Con: Garden not that pretty. Maybe it was the wrong time of year (April) but many flowers were faded. The flowerbeds were not well kept. Could be a nice place if someone would care about it. Smaller than expected. Go there, have a good time but don't expect too much. read more

While experiencing some amazing butterflies from Malaysia I saw some fascinating creatures that I never knew existed.

We went to the spring plant sale. T the master gardener volunteers were wonderful and could give us opinions on how many of the perennials did in their gardens. Heartily recommended. read more

I went here to tour Texas Discovery Gardens for a potential wedding venue. This place is gorgeous! I would recommend booking this site for a spring wedding as the lawn areas and whole outside venues would absolutely amazing for a wedding backdrop -- hoping that no one has allergies :-) Tammy is wonderful to work with and is very quick with her responses and communication! Although I went with a different venue, this one was definitely a contender! read more

Went here this past weekend for the first time and go soooo many great pictures. It was a Sunday and the snake room was closed but that's okay, we enjoyed everything else read more

Not a bad place for kids at all. Very informative and they have a lot of information about butterflies. I'm sure your kids will have a blast and will learn a lot. The reason to take a star off is because this really is not thrilling for adults. They advertise a butterfly release at noon which sounds like it would be epic and they are going to release 100 butterflies... They release about 20. Lol !!! So not as epic or dramatic as they make it out to be. Nonetheless it is an inexpensive way to spend 2 hours at the most. Kids will enjoy the adventure for sure. read more

I went here for a wedding reception a couple of weekends ago. We were able to walk around the butterfly garden as we waited for the bride and groom to arrive. That was fun, although there weren't as many butterflies as I thought there would be, but we did get to see some huge butterflies and ones with bright blue backs. The reception area is mostly made of windows so you can see into the garden, although I didn't really pay attention the outside (I was too busy getting my free drink on). There is a stage inside for a band, and plenty of room to dance. I'm pretty sure the food served was brought by my friends in the wedding party, so I'm not sure if they offer catering or not. This was just a really nice space to welcome our newly married friends. read more

I got married here on August 15, 2015 and Sugar City Sweets catered. My husband and I couldn't be happier with the way it turned out. Our guests got to tour the butterfly house after the ceremony and they loved it. I highly recommend having your wedding or birthday party there! read more

What a true gem inside Fair Park! Came here on a Friday morning with my baby and a couple of other moms and their babies. There were only 4 other people there. It was so peaceful. Parking is free, right inside Gate 6. Admission to the gardens is $8 for an adult and kids under 3 are free. The butterfly house (the highlight of this place) is kept warm and humid, so this might not be the most fun activity when it gets really hot in the summer, but I imagine it would be really nice in the winter. The butterfly garden is basically an enormous greenhouse with paths that wind down through it where butterflies just fly freely around and feed on the beautiful, abundant flowers inside. At certain times of day, one of the butterfly experts brings out a net full of freshly hatched butterflies, and you can watch them emerge into the butterfly house. The expert answers any questions you may have about butterflies. It is really a neat experience, especially if you have kids. The gardens outside are gorgeous. The outside was completely deserted except for my friends and me. There are benches and picnic tables and plenty of grass if you want to have a picnic (and at $8 for admission, this is a heck of a lot cheaper than having a picnic at the arboretum). There is plenty of shade. It was on the warm side today but still lovely out on the lawn. This is a great attraction if you have young kids (or visitors with young kids) and are on a budget. Might also make a romantic day date spot if your date is into nature. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because there's not a whole lot to this place; you have to make your own experience by spending relaxation time outside. Worth a visit! read more

Updated Review: After showing up at 4:15 and being denied entry (they close at 5pm), I left a Yelp review commensurate with the experience. To their credit, TDG reached out to me and made things right and their goal is to not have a similar situation happen to other visitors. Haven't been back up yet but looking forward to it - thank you TDG for the help and response, it means a lot! Original Review: Closes at 5... except when it doesn't. Showed up at 4:15, denied entry. Go early apparently because their hours posted are not correct. read more

Had a wonderful time today with my mother at the gardens today! We both share a love for all things nature, and have been talking about visiting this place for months. Arrived at 10:30am and spent some time walking the outdoor gardens, and then toured the butterfly house. There are some unusual plants in the gardens that I have never seen before, and the butterfly house had lots of beautiful tropical plants. Also attended the butterfly release at noon, and listened in on some interesting facts about butterflies that I did not even know. Reading old yelp reviews about mosquitoes and other petty complaints, and really hope that nobody is discouraged by them because this was definitely a great place to visit, and I look forward to going again. Check out some of the pictures I added to see the stunning butterflies! read more

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This place would be wonderful to visit in the middle of the winter when you really wish you could warm up. The butterfly garden is kept nice and warm, humid even, for the little critters. Butterflies everywhere and even some quail wandering around. You can even see butterflies in cacoons during different stages. read more

This place is beautiful and you can get in discounted if you have a season pass to the arboretum. It's a glass house with hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of butterflies. It's one of the most unique things you can do in Dallas. Get there before noon so you can see them release the new butterflies. The only reason this place doesn't get 5 stars is because it's kind of small. You will only spend 45 mins in there, max. Take your sigot and kids. read more

Nice place to go mellow out, see the butterflies and hang out...tons of different butterflies, some snakes out in the snake-barn and beautiful gardens as well. read more

Texas Discovery Gardens - Botanical Gardens Near Me - Dallas, Texas

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We had our wedding here on 10/23/15. I had no idea what I wanted in a wedding, except that I wanted a beautiful garden ceremony. I looked at several garden venues, but none were that impressive and all were pricey. After a tour from Tammy with Sugar City and I knew Texas Discovery Gardens was the place! The grounds are huge, gorgeous greenery and flowers, and the butterfly house is a unique touch to a wedding! And the best part-you will be floored at how affordable it is! Sugar City works with TDG and set up the venue, provided flowers, decor, and wedding cake. The Cake - I highly encourage you to look on Facebook for the next Sugar City open house. You MUST try the cake. We chose champagne and creme brulee, but you honestly can't go wrong. I already knew it was going to taste great, but I was so surprised when I saw it! It was absolutely stunning and our guests raved about how great it tasted! Flowers - I showed Carron some pictures from Pinterest, but was again surprised when her creations far surpassed what I had in mind! Seriously like something out of a magazine! Decor - The colors and style of the tablecloths/napkins/centerpieces tied in flawlessly with the flowers and cake. Unfortunately, there was a monsoon on our wedding day, but the Sugar City team did an amazing job of setting up inside for the ceremony. They also quickly flipped the room for the reception while the guests toured the butterfly house! It turned out perfect! We took our post-wedding couple pictures in the butterfly house. I still got the garden/nature seeing despite the rain! The day was crazy and I didn't get to speak to Sonja much, but she also did a great job in making sure everything ran smoothly. I can't thank all enough for a perfect day! They truly exceeded expectations. You cannot go wrong with Sugar City & Texas Discovery Gardens! read more

Attended a wedding here last weekend! It was a beautiful outdoor wedding, and we had amazingly beautiful weather. I'm sure the wedding party got some beautiful pictures nearby as well. There's an auditorium area that was rented out for the reception. There was plenty of space for tables, a large dance area, and a stage in front for a live band! As a previous reviewer mentioned, the walls are mostly windows which allowed us to view the beautiful scenery outside. The wedding was catered, but I don't know who the caterers were. I was kind of disappointed that I didn't get to actually see the butterflies here, I didn't know if the area was open for viewing in the evening! The building itself it beautiful though, and I'd love to come by again and see what it is like on a regular day. :) read more

Beautiful facility located at the Cotton Bowl arena. A little small but offers a nice retreat from the eat. Interesting for the kids. Could use more attractions but it is located in a ghetto with quite a few homeless around the parking area and general area. Sunday is a good day to visit. Just make sure you get in, get out and don't even bother looking for restaurants in this part of town. read more

What a great little find. I can't believe we've been to Fair Park several times before and had no idea this little gem was there. There are neat little "exhibits" in the front entry area - mostly terrariums with spiders, snakes, insects, and a few other critters - but the real attraction is the butterfly garden. It's set up really nicely. I told my son, "We're in the jungle!" And he agreed and thought it was really cool. There were cool exotic plants and flowers everywhere. There were butterflies everywhere. We arrived just in time for the noon butterfly release, which was a bit of a let-down. It's a pretty small little release, but that's not really what it's about. The gentleman who releases them gives a long talk as he does. The TALK is what it's all about. Nothing wrong with that - I like learning about bugs and nature - but you might want to get your expectation right. A 3-year old, for instance, will get bored. Anyway, we explored and enjoyed a little, left and got lunch, then came back (which was included with original admission price). Totally worth the price of admission. If you have kids that like nature and critters, you're set. If you're an adult who likes the same (like me), it's really nice. Final note: the front entry area is nice and cool and air conditioned, but the butterfly house is humid, like a jungle is supposed to be. I'm not talking like 90 degrees Amazon, dripping sweat, but it is warmer and muggy. Still, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Great outing. read more

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Came for Earth Day. It was okay. I thought place would be swarming with butterflies. The inside is kinda small, but they have interesting things to look at. It was cool. read more

Everything was dead. (As of today in fall) The only thing that was enjoyable was the friendly employees and the butterfly exhibit.

I officiated a wedding at this beautiful and affordable venue in Dallas if you haven't been, the butterfly garden is amazing read more

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We had our wedding here 3/10/13...I could not of dreamed of a better venue or staff. Everyone was so helpful. I went with their recommendation of Sugar City Sweets & man can Carron bake!! Also, Tammy is such an asset to TDG & Sugar City!! Beautiful venue & even better people. It was a perfect day. read more

Small. No real eye catching exhibits. The butterfly exhibit had a few disinterested butterflys, but nothing to write home about. Went to a butterfly exhibit in Port Douglas Australia that knocked my socks off. This wasn't even close. OH, and it's filled with mosquitos. No, butterflies don't eat mosquitos. They bring the butterflys in from an outside breeder (we asked) so why not use mosquito dunks (non-toxic) to keep the blood suckers at bay? The outdoor garden was w/out any real eye candy. Save your money. The other botanical garden in Dallas seems well reviewed, but I didn't go. Maybe worth checking out? This one, skip it. read more

This place could have been cool except there were about 5 butterflies and my kids wanted to leave. It was just plain boring.

Came here for a wedding back in July, and it was such a pretty venue. Especially at night! Such lovely pictures came from this venue. I probably will be back to visit the actual exhibit. Plenty of parking, and not hard to get to. read more

It's a little smaller than I anticipated, but it's still a fun place and good rates. Staff is friendly and courteous and the grounds are well taken care of. Highly recommend (but 5 stars has to go to the Dallas Arboretum instead). read more

"I cannot even begin to describe the amazing service at Texas discovery Gardens with Carron of Sugar City Sweets! My dream wedding was created in my budget and it was incredible. We got over the top customer service, so much attention and detail with our wedding and I was so pleased with everything. Carson listened to my ideas, my goals and my dreams for the feel of the wedding and then she went above and beyond to make it happen. I wasn't given a cookie cutter package with preset flowers and cake, I was given an amazing customized experience that removed the need for a huge list of vendors and we couldn't have loved it more. This was truly a one stop shop type of experience. I would definitely recommend them for weddings and I know I will most likely work with them for more events in the future too! I think this is the best kept wedding venue in Dallas! read more

This is a nice place! There's a lot of walking to do. Pretty scents from plants and it's just nice to get out here in Texas for a nice date or family time or girls sit and talk night. Very nice to relax and have tea. read more

Fabulous! Best butterfly house I Have ever been to. We were there for the butterfly release. Went at 10:am, walked the grounds(beautiful), ate our picnic lunch in the covered picnic area and went back in to see the butteflies again. Our second trip in on the same day was perfect after lunch because we were the only ones there! Dont miss it ! read more

We are members. This city needs more, larger, public parks like TDG. We enjoy the indoor butterfly garden year round, and the outdoor formal gardens. Listen up Dallas City Hall and the new Fair Park Special Improvement District/Group: give TDG more land to quadruple the gardens! This place should have full public funding, be open to the public all the time, and should be a key piece of any Fair Park improvements. If you are bringing kids, the boulevard under the spanish oak trees in front of the TDG entrance is perfect for push scooters and footraces. Afterwards, play some tag on the "Loch Ness" concrete sculpture in the pond. read more

Beautiful environment, the women at the first desk are so sweet and helpful, my new favorite place to go to relax and clear my mind

Attended a wedding here. The setting was spectacular. What a beautiful place. We even got to go in the Butterfly house. What a treat.