Alta Vista Gardens, Botanical garden in Vista, California.

Alta Vista Gardens is a botanical garden on city-owned land in Brengle Terrace Park in Vista, California, covering about 14 acres and tended by volunteers. It is divided into 19 zones, among them the Australian Garden, California Natives Garden, Ceremonial Garden, Garden Labyrinth, Pan-Asian Garden, Prehistoric Cycad Garden, Rare Fruit Garden, Desert Garden and Medicine Wheel. Paths link the themed areas, ponds and art works.

The Botanical Garden Foundation established this garden in 1999 on public land in Vista with local government approval. The project grew from an initiative to develop green space within the community.

Large metal sculptures, including dinosaur replicas by Ricardo Breceda and works by artists Melissa Ralston, Steve Bundy, and Lia Strell, stand throughout the space. These artworks become part of your visual experience as you walk through the different themed areas.

The garden features walking paths that connect the different zones and make exploration straightforward. Comfortable shoes and a leisurely pace help you see everything at a relaxed speed.

The gardens hold 19 zones, not 17, including a Prehistoric Cycad Garden and a Medicine Wheel. The Jungle Garden contains a subtropical food forest planted for butterflies and birds, and gardeners have added thousands of milkweeds, the host plant of the monarch butterfly.