While passing through Springfield, Missouri on our three-month Route 66 road trip, we made time to visit the Springfield Botanical Gardens. Located within Nathanael Greene/Close Memorial Park, this beautiful collection of themed gardens is one of the best free things to do in Springfield, Missouri. Whether you’re interested in flowers, native plants, peaceful walking paths, or simply looking for a relaxing break from sightseeing, there’s something here for everyone.
We only had a short time to explore during our visit, but we were impressed by just how much there is to see. From the colorful collection gardens and native plantings to the butterfly house and historic farmstead, it’s the kind of place you could return to throughout the year and have a different experience each season. In this guide, I’ll share what you can expect at the Springfield Botanical Gardens, our favorite spots, and tips to help you plan your visit.
About the Springfield Botanic Garden
If you’re looking for free things to do in Springfield, Missouri, the Springfield Botanical Gardens should be at the top of your list. Located within the 113-acre Nathanael Greene/Close Memorial Park, the gardens are managed by the Springfield-Greene County Park Board and feature dozens of themed and collection gardens to explore. Highlights include the beautiful Mizumoto Japanese Stroll Garden, the Dr. Bill Roston Native Butterfly House, scenic Lake Drummond, and the historic Gray-Campbell Farmstead. Best of all, most of the Springfield Botanical Gardens are completely free to visit, making them one of the best budget-friendly attractions in Springfield, Missouri.
How to Visit the Springfield Botanic Garden
Address: 2400 S. Scenic Ave., Springfield, MO 65807
Website: https://www.parkboard.org/274/Springfield-Botanical-Gardens
Garden Hours: Sunrise-Sunset
Botanical Center Hours: Mon-Sat 8am-5pm, Sun 11am-5pm (during peak season)
Cost: Japanese Stroll Garden is $6/adults, $4/kids 3-11. Everything else is free
An Overview of the Springfield Botanic Garden & Our Personal Review
The Springfield Botanical Gardens offer much more than just flower beds. The gardens are spread throughout Nathanael Greene/Close Memorial Park, so you’ll find a mix of formal gardens, walking trails, historic buildings, and family-friendly attractions. The Springfield-Greene County Botanical Center serves as the hub of the gardens, with an information desk, gift shop, restrooms, a reference library, and community spaces that host classes, exhibits, and special events throughout the year.
One of the most popular attractions is the Mizumoto Japanese Stroll Garden, a beautiful 7.5-acre traditional Japanese garden that opened in 1986 through a partnership with Springfield’s sister city, Isesaki, Japan. Families will also enjoy the Dr. Bill Roston Native Butterfly House, the Play Trail with its large playground and themed play pods, and the Gray-Campbell Farmstead, which features an 1860s-style working farm, Springfield’s oldest log cabin, a one-room schoolhouse, and several other relocated historic buildings.
Beyond those major attractions, there are dozens of themed and collection gardens to explore. You can wander through gardens dedicated to roses, lilies, azaleas, hostas, and other plant collections, along with themed spaces like prairie gardens, rain gardens, an English garden, a Four Seasons Garden, and colorful seasonal displays. The park also includes scenic Lake Drummond, the Host Lions Club History Walk with more than 30 granite markers honoring influential Americans, and access to the 6-mile South Creek Greenway Trail.
We visited the Springfield Botanical Gardens during a stay at the nearby American Legion Harvest Hosts location and were able to walk over to the park. We started at the Botanical Center to use the restrooms, pick up a map, and browse the gift shop and exhibits before heading out to explore.
Our visit was in mid-May, so some gardens were full of color while others were still waiting for their peak bloom. Even so, we were impressed by the variety. There are so many different themed gardens, and while many of them are fairly small, each has its own character. Josh especially enjoyed seeing so many native plants incorporated throughout the gardens, while I loved exploring the collection gardens. One of our favorite spots was the peaceful Hosta Garden, which was wonderfully shady on a warm afternoon.
Unfortunately, we were short on time and didn’t make it to either the Gray-Campbell Farmstead or the Mizumoto Japanese Stroll Garden, which gives us a great excuse to come back. We easily could have spent another couple of hours exploring. I also love that nearly all of the Springfield Botanical Gardens are free to visit. It’s such an incredible community resource, and it’s easy to see why it’s one of the best free things to do in Springfield, Missouri. While there were plenty of people enjoying the park during our visit, most seemed to be out walking the paths, so the individual gardens still felt peaceful as we explored.
