Conservatory of Flowers

📍 💰 $ 🎯 Garden

The Verdict

"Victorian wood-and-glass greenhouse that opened in April 1879, the oldest wood-and-glass conservatory in North America still open to the public. James Lick bought the kit materials in 1876 from Lord & Burnham in New York. Five galleries of tropical and aquatic plants; 16,800 window panes. 100 JFK Drive in Golden Gate Park; $12 adults, free first Tuesdays."

What you need to know

A Victorian Greenhouse in Golden Gate Park

The Conservatory of Flowers opened in 1879 and is one of the oldest public wood-and-glass conservatories in the United States. The white Victorian greenhouse sits at the eastern end of Golden Gate Park on John F. Kennedy Drive. Inside, five galleries house tropical plants from lowland rainforests, highland cloud forests, aquatic environments, and more. The building survived the 1906 earthquake and a 1995 storm that closed it for eight years.

What’s There

The Lowland Tropics gallery is the largest, with palms, orchids, and a small waterfall. The temperature jumps roughly 15 degrees on entry. The Aquatic Plants gallery has lily pads large enough to support a child’s weight plus carnivorous pitcher plants. The Potted Plants gallery rotates special exhibitions through the year.

The building itself is a photographic subject from every angle, especially on foggy mornings when the warm interior contrasts with the gray outside.

Plan for about 45 minutes inside. Five galleries plus a central dome. The surrounding gardens and lawn are a picnic spot.

Visiting

Address: 100 John F. Kennedy Drive, Golden Gate Park

Hours: Tuesday-Sunday, 10:00 AM-4:30 PM. Closed Mondays.

Cost: $12 adults, $9 seniors/students, $3 kids 5-11, free under 5. Free on the first Tuesday of the month.

What to know: No food or drink inside. Photography is allowed. The gift shop has a plant selection.

Getting There

Transit: Muni 5-Fulton or 21-Hayes to the park entrance at Fell and Stanyan, then a short walk. The 33-Ashbury/18th stops nearby.

Parking: Free parking along JFK Drive and in the Music Concourse garage (underground, paid).

Walking: Near the eastern end of Golden Gate Park. Steps from the Dahlia Garden and a short walk to the de Young Museum and California Academy of Sciences.