Birmingham Botanical Gardens, Botanical garden in Birmingham, Alabama.
Birmingham Botanical Gardens is a botanical garden in Alabama situated at the base of Red Mountain. The site features multiple themed garden areas with different plant collections, specialized glasshouses, and outdoor sculptures throughout the grounds.
The gardens were founded in 1963 on vacant city land near the Birmingham Zoo as part of the city's effort to develop green space. The project transformed an unused area into a destination for plant and nature lovers.
The gardens are run with the Friends of Birmingham Botanical Gardens, founded in 1964 to raise funds and run outreach and education programmes. The library holds a seed exchange: visitors donate a packet of fresh non-GMO seed or $10, then take a packet home to plant native flora.
The gardens are open daily and offer free admission with complimentary parking available. Well-maintained paths run throughout the property, making it easy to explore the different themed sections at your own pace.
The garden center holds a library of over 14,000 books, audiobooks and DVDs, described as the largest public horticulture library in the U.S. Its Archives and Rare Book Room, created with the Friends of Birmingham Botanical Gardens and the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, keeps manuscripts, photographs, catalogs and plant fossils. A seed exchange lets visitors take a packet home after donating fresh non-GMO seeds or $10.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 92,953 contributors worldwide.
