Come Learn with Smithsonian Gardens

Our mission at Smithsonian Gardens is to enrich the Smithsonian experience by extending the museum experience into an outdoor living classroom. We hope that the gardens tours and events in our gardens as well as our activity packages will help youth to exercise both their mind and body in the gardens around the Smithsonian and ultimately in their own community.

Community Outreach: Garden Fest

Garden Fest is an annual family-friendly daylong event highlighting Smithsonian gardens and connecting people to plants through educational demonstrations and engaging hands-on activities.

Watch, Listen, and Learn

Audio and visual material that highlights some of the magnificient gardens, plants, and collections of Smithsonian Gardens!

Programs for the Visitor: Garden Tours

Weekly garden tours are available from May through September (weather permitting).

Orchids of Latin America

Do you want to stroll through a tropical rain forest on a cold winter's day? Visit this year's orchid exhibition where orchid botany, horticulture, and Latin American cultures meet.

Educational Materials and Activities

History in Bloom

Visitors gain a wider appreciation of how gardens preserve the culture of Victorian America, as well as the Smithsonian’s long history of collecting plants and educating visitors about natural history.

Orchids Around Us

Use the lessons in this package to learn about specific types of orchids, their appearance, habitats, uses, and cultural significance and history.

Archives Alive!: Learning from Landscapes Past, Cultivating Garden Memories for the Future

Uses the collection of historic and contemporary garden photographs from the Archives of American Gardens to explore the meaning of landscapes and gardens right outside their doorways.

Trees of the Smithsonian

The Smithsonian Gardens’ tree collection is the base for activities that can be done in your neighborhood, community park, local public garden, or arboretum.