Travel
Favorite Gardens in Minnesota
| February 22, 2024 | 4 Minute Read
Soak in spring’s beauty at these gardens across Minnesota.
Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, Chaska
For your radar: Three wow-inducing rounds of spring blooms among the 1,200 acres in this Chaska draw, which is the crown jewel of Minnesota’s garden-based attractions. In May, the bulk of their 40,000 tulips bloom in a rainbow of colors in the annual garden. Soon after, Three-Mile Drive explodes in white, pink and magenta crabapple blossoms (above). And in June, catch the 100-plus peony varieties’ brief and beautiful show.
Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden and Bird Sanctuary, Minneapolis
This is America’s oldest public native plant garden, a quiet and wild 15-acre oasis nestled within Theodore Wirth, Minneapolis’ largest park. In April and May, head to the woodlands to catch bloodroot, wild ginger, trillium, bluebell and trout lily blooms—just a handful of the 500-plus native plant species throughout the garden.
Enger Park, Duluth
Situated on a stony bluff overlooking Duluth, this park opens for the season around May 1. Its beautifully varied gardens include a white birch and poplar grove carpeted in 4,000 daffodil blooms in spring. Plus, there are two options for spectacular views of the city and Lake Superior: stair steps to a Japanese-style viewing pavilion or a five-story climb up Enger Tower (above).
Lakewood Cemetery, Minneapolis
In the late 1800s, this Minneapolis cemetery (above) served as a destination park of sorts, with extensive gardens for Sunday afternoon picnics, strolls and visits to loved ones’ graves. Today’s version is still an attraction with beautiful seasonal flowers, including plenty of tulips in spring. Learn more about the gardens, history and notable residents during a tour, either organized or self-guided.
Northland Arboretum, Brainerd
Much of this 413-acre destination between Brainerd and Baxter used to be a landfill. Now it’s a wild space with maintained gardens and lovely nature trails. Starting in mid-June, the big draw is the Showy Lady’s Slipper (above), our state flower. Catch them by the dozens along the Monet pond trail, named for its resemblance to the famous artist-designed garden with an iconic arched bridge in Giverny, France. Among their many botanical gardens with spring blooms: the butterfly garden near the visitor center that boasts native prairie blooms such as purple coneflower, black-eyed Susan and blazing star.