My five year old was a flower aficionado. She was always the first to tell me when a new flower had made an appearance in one of our gardens. We would go for a walk nearly daily to check out the flowers around our neighborhood. We still have favorite places (we named one “the butterfly house”), and we love when we find a new garden. Our wish list carries an ever growing list of flowers we’ve found and love and want for our own garden. It makes sense then that we would love to visit parks with especially beautiful gardens when we plan our destinations. The following list is our growing collection of Public Flower Gardens where we can explore.
Twin Cities Public Gardens
Arneson Acres Park
4711 W 70th St, Edina, MN 55424
Open: Daily; 6am-10pm.
Admission: FREE
This 13-acre park holds 28 gardens, including a woodland garden, a lily garden, a daylily garden, formal gardens, Hosta gardens, perennial gardens, and the Memory Garden.
The Bakken Museum
3537 Zenith Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55416
Open: Daily; 6am-10pm.
Admission: Included with museum admission: $10-$14/p.
The Bakken maintains several beautiful gardens, including the Florence Bakken Medicinal Garden, the Healthy Heart Organic Garden, a rooftop garden and the Dakota Native Plants Garden. $
Como Park & Conservatory
1225 Estabrook Dr, St Paul, MN 55103
Open: 365 days a year; 10am-4pm winter; 10am-6pm summer.
Admission: FREE
Indoors or out, Como Conservatory and the surrounding gardens are beautiful 365 days a year and offers seasonal flower shows in the spring, summer, fall and Christmas. In the summer time, the Charlotte Patridge Ordway Japanese Garden is a beautiful palce to relax and contemplate while the kids explore the outdoors. Insider Tip: We like to visit in the winter to soak up the sun and get a little dose of green.
Dowling Community Garden
Dowling Elementary School, E 39th St, Minneapolis, MN 55406
Admission: FREE
Thought to be one of the last Victory Gardens still in use today (as in the Victory Gardens from WWII), this is a working garden that hosts 200 dynamic and diverse gardeners. The community is run by a volunteer committee. It is fabulous to visit this garden as long as visitors have good manners.
Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden & Bird Sanctuary
1 Theodore Wirth Parkway, Minneapolis, MN 55422
Open: Mid-April to Mid October, most days 10 am-6 pm, (Thursdays 8 am-8 pm; Closed Mondays)
Admission: FREE
Bonus: Theodore Wirth Park is one of our top 10 picks for a Perfect Picnic in Minneapolis,
Enjoy 15 acres of beautiful flowerbeds of native plants and wildflowers. Also, explore the woodland gardens for your favorite gnomes and fairies. Stop by the visitor shelter to learn more from the friendly staff and volunteers. Find upcoming events here.
Franconia Sculpture Garden
29836 Saint Croix Trail, Shafer, MN 55074
Open: 365 Days a Year, 8am-8pm.
Admission: FREE (Sometimes there is a vehicle fee during events)
Best known for its art, Franconia added pollinator sanctuaries in 2020. Franconia hosts special events throughout the summer and has family-friendly features like the playground sculpture pictured below.
Japanese Garden at Normandale Community College
West Lot, 9700 France Ave S, Bloomington, MN 55431
Open: Sunday-Friday 6:30 am-7:30 pm, Closed Saturdays
Admission: FREE.
This work of horticultural art is a fun global experience for the whole family. The garden does ask that children under 12 years old be accompanied by an adult.
Lyndale Park Gardens
1300 West 42nd Street, Minneapolis, MN 55409
Open: Everyday, 7:30 am-10 pm
Admission: FREE
A 1.5 acre rose garden on the northeast edge of Lake Harriet. With over 60,000 roses to sniff and see, Hefflinger water fountain to enjoy. There is also an Annual-Perennial Garden that blooms from May to mid-summer, and the trip to the Peace Garden via the Japanese Bridge, you can’t go wrong.
Minnesota Landscape Arboretum
3675 Arboretum Dr, Chaska, MN 55318
Open: Daily; 8am-8pm.
2026 Admission: $20/16+ with reservations ($25 at the gate); Free for ages 15 and under.
Save of Admission: If you live near the Arboretum and plan to visit often, a membership will pay for itself in a few visits.
Considered one of the best botanical gardens in the country, families will find gardens of every type at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. Family-friendly features include a special children’s garden, ponds, walking paths, a sculpture garden and so much more at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum.
Read More: Exploring the Arb with Kids.
Noerenberg Gardens
2865 Northshore Drive, Wayzata, MN 55391
Open: May-October, 8 am-Sunset
Admission: FREE
Regarded as one of the most beautiful formal gardens in Minnesota, you will find this garden on the shores of Lake Minnetonka. Stroll along the paths, enjoy the pagoda overlooking the lake, rest on benches along the paths, while taking in the variety of plants throughout the garden.
Sumner Field Park Cut Flower Garden
901 Aldrich Ave. North, Minneapolis, MN 55411
Open: 6am-Midnight
Admission: FREE
Find the the Cut Flower Garden om raised beds near the restroom building and community garden. Stop by as early as May to admire the flowers, but July through September offers the best blooms. MPRB suggests bringing scissors and a jar when the blooms are optimal.
Textile Center – Garden to Dye For
3000 University Avenue Southeast, Minneapolis, MN 55414
Open: Daily 24/7
Admission: FREE
The public is invited to stop by the enjoy the garden on the west side of the Textile Center. Each of the flowers and plants in the garden can be used to make textile dyes.
For more Garden Fun
If you want to pick flowers, Lisa at Twin Cities Frugal Mom has reviewed the brand new Emery Acres Flower Farm.
