The Best Botanical Garden in America Has Been Crowned

If spring hasn’t yet sprung in your own backyard, you might consider getting an early dose of gorgeous greenery and beautiful blooms at a botanical garden. And as luck would have it, some of the country’s most beautiful conservatories and gardens have just been highlighted in a recent top ten list from USA Today.

In the category of best botanical gardens, Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania topped USA Today’s 10 Best Readers’ Choice Awards, which were announced on March 19, 2025.

Located about a one-hour drive west of Philadelphia (or just half an hour from Wilmington, Delaware), Longwood Gardens boasts 1,100 acres of indoor and outdoor facilities housing a diverse collection of over 10,000 plant species. Among its attractions are a 19th-century glass-roofed conservatory and orchid house, European-style gardens including a rose garden and topiary garden, meadow and forest walking paths, water features including lakes, waterfalls and fountains, plus a restaurant, cafe and seasonal beer garden. Educational programs and events are held year-round, as well.

The site has been home to an arboretum since the 1790s when it was owned by the Peirce family, and soon came to serve as a local park and gathering space. The land was rescued from the threat of being cleared for lumber in 1906 by businessman and philanthropist Pierre S. du Pont, who would build upon and expand the gardens into the grand attraction we can visit today. Longwood Gardens, which previously won the category in 2016 and 2018 and was runner-up in 2021, was selected by a panel of experts and then voted on by USA Today readers.

And if you’re not near eastern Pennsylvania, but still itching for some gardening inspo closer to home this spring, the rest of the list spans the continental U.S. with gardens across eight states. They include Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, Cincinnati, Ohio (#2), Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, Coral Gables, Florida (#3), Tucson Botanical Gardens, Tucson, Arizona (#4), Lauritzen Gardens, Omaha, Nebraska, (#5), Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, Sarasota, Florida (#6), Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (#7), Sarah P. Duke Gardens, Durham, North Carolina (#8), Botanica, Wichita, Kansas (#9) and Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Boothbay Maine (#10).