Bartholdi Park, Botanical garden in Capitol Complex, Washington, D.C., United States

Bartholdi Park is a public garden at the corner of Independence Avenue and Washington Avenue, part of the United States Botanic Garden on the Capitol grounds. Its centerpiece is the 30-foot-tall Bartholdi Fountain, cast in iron and weighing 15 tons, with three 11-foot nymphs holding the upper basin, plus turtles, cherubs, frogs, fish and twelve electric lamps. The surrounding beds display American horticulture, including Echinacea paradoxa, Gelsemium sempervirens and Hydrangea quercifolia.

The park was created in 1932 as part of the United States Botanic Garden complex. Its central fountain had been purchased by the government decades earlier in 1877 and was eventually placed here.

The park takes its name from French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, who designed the fountain at its heart. Visitors today come to walk among the plants and enjoy the water feature as a quiet spot in the city.

The park is easy to navigate on foot with flat pathways throughout the grounds and clear views of all the rain gardens. Visit during drier weather if you want the most comfortable walking experience.

The park's centrepiece fountain was bought by the U.S. government for $6,000 in 1877, after standing at Fairmount Park during Philadelphia's 1876 Centennial Exposition. It was stored for six years before arriving here in 1932, and in 2008 it was taken away for restoration, returning in spring 2011.