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October 2024 by Mikayla Morris
This place is a little gem in San Luis Obispo, right across the street from Cuesta College on HWY 1. If you have children I would definitely recommend the children’s garden there. Sometimes they have free events, like the Free Family Day on Sundays once a month. They also have yoga, jewelry making, and photography classes…and so much more! Check out the website slobg.org. SLO isn’t a huge city and their botanical garden is quite modest, don’t go expecting a freaking butterfly preserve or a super bloom. It’s in beginning stages of becoming a big beautiful botanical garden like one would see in a larger city.
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June 2024 by Erin H
Premature to call this a botanical garden. Their "display garden" is the section that I would typically think of as a botanical garden (showing different plants with their common and scientific names), but is very small, probably not much more plants or info than you could find at any local nursery. The children's playground is very cute. But the bulk of the space is better described as an undeveloped nature preserve; there is a trail you can hike to get views of the surrounding hills, but it was poorly maintained and overgrown with prickly brush. The staff were very friendly and enthusiastic, and once the development is complete I imagine this will be a very nice botanical garden, but at the moment the name and entrance fee seem hard to justify.
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February 2024 by Megan Hosking
Pretty disappointing. It was $10 per adult for a highly underdeveloped “botanical garden”. The only areas that were developed was the children’s area, the fire resistant area (a small area with succulents), and the Chilean Wine Palm Grove (just some palm trees dispersed in the dry grassy hills). I personally think this garden should have been free with an optional donation requested until it is fully developed. Added a picture of the map with 90% of the areas showing as a future development or under construction. The lady helping us was very nice though and the gift shop was cute.
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January 2024 by Zsanae K.
Fun stop on the way home from Cambria. There's a steep hike with nice views. The garden is big and there's so much to discover.
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December 2023 by Phillip L.
This year we experienced Nature Nights (Christmas Lights) Display at the San Luis Obispo Botanical Gardens. Never having been to these gardens prior to this occasion I didn't have any idea what to expect. Last year I did get to experience the Cambria Pines Lodge/Cambria Christmas Market and thought this year...we would stay a bit more local. Due to last year's experience, the expectations were high and ultimately those expectations really weren't met. It was by no means a "bad" experience but in comparison...I would say the Nature Nights just can't compete. I believe the Botanical Gardens to be much more expansive than the areas that were lit by the lights on this particular night and was a little disappointed that the experience wasn't more time consuming, although the light displays we did experience were very nice. I will mention we were looking forward to grabbing a bite to eat while visiting but unfortunately, the Snack Bar left something to be desired. The offerings were basically Candy Bars and some Drinks. One of the highlights of the evening was viewing the pretty spectacular glass flower art piece on display. It was also for sale, with a price tag of roughly 6K. Although I don't believe we will visit this venue again, I wouldn't necessarily discourage anyone from visiting. Any opportunity to share a collective experience such as this with either family or friends is a good thing.
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November 2023 by Ming Dynasty
It's a calm quiet area to sit, relax and meditate!
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November 2023 by rb g
Nice botanical garden with a "discovery trail" that may not be possible for all. Fear not, lots of neat stuff without climbing the hill.
Lots of expansion planned, stand by.
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November 2023 by Richard Zamora
Great variety of local and exotic plants. Plus special evening light show
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November 2023 by Ken Hunt
A growing garden of Mediterranean plants.
Nice hiking trails.
Well done.
Good luck.
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November 2023 by Juju Thecitykitty
Beautiful light displays, just BE SURE to take credit or debit card, as they don't take ca$h for beer or wine..Very fun and family friendly!!!
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October 2023 by Cindy F.
The garden may be on the smaller size but the classes are events are note-worthy. It feels good to support an organization that aligns with my eco-values.
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September 2023 by Sheila Paquet
Completely different from Midwestern botanical gardens that I'm used to, but that's the point. The young woman at the registration desk was incredibly informative and seemed to love her job. We spent less than an hour here (we were not appropriately attired to take the longer trail), but it was a great introduction to the local climate and native plants.
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September 2023 by CC D.
The staff was polite and the facilities clean. I normally try to adhere to a "if you don't have anything nice to say..." policy, but I wish we'd skipped this in general and the discovery trail in particular. The 3.7 average rating now I find a bit high. I don't want to detract from others experiences, but of the gardens I've been to this is the only one i wouldn't go back. I do hope they get a grant of some kind to invest, because it's clear that they care about education. Till then there are plenty of other beaches and hikes in the area.
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July 2023 by Kelly M.
Compared to most botanical gardens I have visited, this one is rather sparse. However, it is cute, quaint, and dog-friendly! It also features a separate children's garden with areas for them to play and do activities. It's definitely worth a look, especially if you have kids and/or dogs!
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May 2023 by beth ann k
The actual gardens are just okay. We did the 1.5 mile hike, and that was nice. I think that if one were limited on time, this would be a place to skip.
