This was my first time at Blithewold. It was a misty rainy day but we still had a great time. I…read morecame to see their gardens which had an abundance of daffodils now. It did not disappoint and they had the most diverse amount of different varieties of daffodils I had ever seen which was amazing. We walked the lovely grounds and were happy the outdoor sculptures were still here. Then we went into the house. They have a wonderful audio tour you get with your phone which we enjoyed. I loved how the majority of the furniture in the house is original. They have plenty of parking a cute gift shop. It was just a great day. I do want to come back to have tea here. So glad I finally visited.

8/2/25: While visiting Rhode Island, we decided to take a side trip to Blithewold in the town of…read moreBristol. Since it had been ages since last visiting, I only had a faint recollection of the estate having incredibly beautiful gardens. Blithewold Mansion, Gardens & Arboretum was established by Augustus and Bessie Van Wickle in the 1890s as their summer estate. Mr. Van Wickle made his fortune in the coal mining industry. The estate overlooks beautiful Narragansett Bay. Due to our schedule, our main focus was to just visit the special bamboo bird exhibit and gardens. We went to the admission desk. Luckily, since my friend was a Met member, we got in free. We casually mentioned, we were here to see the special bird exhibit. The staff was very friendly, but didn't make any mention of the bird exhibit. As we walked through the gardens, we saw so many beautiful flowers and lush trees. In one section, there's a large growth of stunning bamboo. As mentioned earlier, the estate had a special exhibit of six bamboo birds ranging from 15 to 30 feet in height. August 11th is the exhibit's last day. All the birds were absolutely striking in appearance. It's incredible, how these birds can be designed from bamboo. Taking one star off for the following: It was quite tiring walking the extensive grounds, due to the heat. In fact, it was difficult to make it close enough to see the sixth bird (Owl). Wish the visitor's section would've offered some type of mini tram to take you through the gardens. Even at an extra cost, it would've been worth it, due to the length of the gardens. However, Blithewold is definite must see when visiting Rhode Island.

Artist and gardener Robert Dash has created an edenic garden that seems to defy the distribution of…read morespace. The Madoo Conservancy presents a microcosm that flows along walking paths through different aspects of the 2-acre plot of land, all the while focusing on the plant life that Dash has cultivated since the garden's conception in 1967. Dash's garden presents a fundamental attitude -- plants are the dominating forms, structures are secondary. Madoo is a space ever changing, with seasons, new plantings, and repainting of outdoor furniture and structures to reflect the magnificent horticulture that thrives here. The garden is open every Wednesday and Saturday from the beginning of May until the end of September, from 1:00pm to 5:00pm. Admission is $10.00, which fee is used for the garden maintenance. Photographs are permitted; strollers, dogs, children under the age of 6 are not. Separate tours may be arranged for groups of 10 or more.

What a beautiful garden to visit. Every vacation I go on, I try and visit the local botanical…read moregarden. I was so glad I found out about the Madoo Conservancy as it was the perfect activity for our last day in the area. It was peaceful, lush and full of little surprises. We found little areas here and there along the path. I loved all the pops of color throughout the garden. I would love to return. If you are in the area, this is a must visit.

Had a good weather day to explore the Festival of Trees and it was a nice holiday experience to…read morecatch. While they do have a small parking area behind the house, the festival is packed and you will likely be parking on the street. The house is open this year to take a peak inside, items for sale along with sweet treats (cookies, hot cider and hot chocolate) to enjoy as you walk the gardens. Fire pits are also lit for a nice spot to warm up as you chat with friends in the garden area. Great was to celebrate some tree works of art within the gardens this holiday season!

I was in the area to drop something off at the dry cleaners and to not make it feel like a trip…read morewasted (I was coming from Pawtucket), I started to look up places to visit. I stumbled upon this hidden treasure on Yelp, and I was very impressed. It can be easy to miss the entrance (speaking from experience), so slow down as you approach the address. The parking lot is behind a house so it's a bit small and fits only about 5 cars but when we got there, it was just us. There is a table with information, a donation box, and a sign in sheet - entrance is free but donations are encouraged. From there, it's a very casual experience, where you can just roam around the garden at your own pace and direction. I was a bit overwhelmed at first because there so many ways to go and I did not want to miss anything, but I realized a lot of paths connect and in about an hour we got through it all. My favorite part was the arch, where you can host events at (i.e. weddings), but I also liked trying to find the gnomes they have all around and looking at the different flowers and bushes. On the right hand side, they also have some plants for sale. This garden also has a porter potty which I know some guests must appreciate. There is also a link to the history of the garden, and it was really interesting to read about it and imagine how this place came to be, one step at a time. I would highly encourage anyone who appreciates nature to check this place out!

A beautifully landscaped and aesthetically pleasing educational venue. Focusing on Rhode Island…read moreindigenous species of butterflies and moths...you will get swept away amidst the soft fluttering wings of the butterflies and the giant leave eating machines of the caterpillars. The Farmer's Daughter Garden Center is home to the pavilion and is beautiful in its own right.

Definitely tranquil in late September. Of course you have to take the Chappy ferry. It was very…read morequiet. Free parking. Five dollar entry. Short visit. 15 minutes or so. Well kept.

This garden was super cool and beautiful. There was some ponds with fish and turtles. Definitely…read morefun for little kids to look at the animals. There was some really pretty flowers and vegetation. One of the coolest parts was the bamboo shoots. You do have to take a ferry to get here since it is in Chappaquiddick. Walking around the whole garden took about fifteen to twenty minutes. There were picnic tables and some people were eating lunch and hanging out which was a nice idea. Fun to check out doesn't take too long.

Beautiful arboretum! Very relaxing to stroll through Polly Hill and view all the plant/tree…read morespecies.

I visited in late June when many plants, trees and shrubs were still in bloom. I heard that the…read moregiant magnolia trees were in bloom from a vender at the West Tisbury Farmers Market and so I decided to take a visit to see them for myself. They were absolutely beautiful and so were so many other specimens. We had an added bonus of seeing sculptures and paintings throughout the gardens. Entry was only $5 per adult which was a bargain. They also have a gift shop and plants for sale. This is a worthwhile place to visit on Marthas Vineyard. Check out their calendar as they have many programs for adults and children to enjoy from educational activities to Walking tours and painting classes.

It's always beautiful with all the different plants. Mother's day is very busy but we were still…read moreable to get in even though we hadn't booked in advance.

Pros: Beautiful and varied garden spaces that are well…read moremaintained. Cafe has a large outdoor patio with gorgeous view. Gift shop has all kinds of cool and unusual items. Great place to do some holiday shopping. Dog friendly. Cons: Restrooms are outdated, not the cleanest, and kind of gross. Ticket prices seem a bit too high for the actual size of the property. Cafe is understaffed. Ordering at lunchtime was quite slow.

Stopped by to check out Botanica (i guess this is the new name) while driving by on a Saturday…read moreafternoon and was told it was $5.00 entry--refunded with purchase. Asked why and was told $5.00 because "people take pictures". A retail establishment with a cover charge?!?!? Poor customer service, and goes against the gardening experience of sharing beauty and inspiration. I would give zero stars if i could.

Keep away, no other way to explain it..sort of cool in some…read moreway to visit but most flowers/plants look beat, homemade like they dug them up and potted them and are overpriced. They just opened under another name, locally know as a place to keep away from, owner has bad reputation and not a place to buy from

When you feel blue and really need a pick up activity, this is the place to go. You will nature…read morecompeling, calling you, offering you that feeling of harmony and love that you were missing. This botanical venue is the largest in all New Englad. We are touchy to have it. Me personally I purchased the a manual pass with gives you two extra tickets for guests to use when you feel like. I find this venue a place for peace and tranquility a place were you can scape from the world and be in touch with nature. Can't wait to visit once more.

I wanted to pay a visit to the goats they have outside the botanical gardens so we ended up going…read morein to check out the holiday displays. The botanical gardens are much more spacious than I remember there are 4 different greenhouses with a wide variety of tropical plants, trees, a kid's play space, and an herb and vegetable garden. They even have a mini koi pond with some huge koi. Everything was decorated for the holidays with multiple christmas trees, several different train sets and poinsettias everywhere. One of the train sets has a model city that is supposed to look like Providence. I love model trains so this was fun to see. I do wish they had made the settings a little bit more detailed and realistic. Overall a very cool place and a nice retreat from the coldness of winter. It's very warm and humid in there so it really does feel like you're somewhere tropical. They have some truly gigantic monsteras, jade trees and elephant ear plants. Definitely inspiring for my home plant collection! I had no idea how huge some of these plants could get under the right conditions. I do wish there were more labels on the plants - we found some interesting trees (a fruit tree that was maybe papaya) but there was no sign to indicate what it was. Check it out - a fun, family friendly spot to go on a winter weekend. And don't forget to visit the goats on the way in!