Activity Overview
A year-round favorite located within Dallas’s Fair Park, this 7.5-acre green gem is a leader in organic gardening and has ten themed areas. The latest area to be refurbished is the Tribute Garden and fountain.
The other peaceful gardens focus on scent, shade, heirloom plants and even Shakespeare. This debuted as a conservatory during the 1936 Texas Centennial exhibition at Fair Park.
Texas Discovery Gardens is a botanical showplace for taking lovely family photos near the native and sourced plants grown using the latest in environmentally-friendly technology.
Things to See & Do
Colorful annual festivals held here aim to delight kids, such as Fangs, Creepy Crawl-o-ween, and Butterflies and Bugs. These events and more help fill out a jam-packed event calendar.
See and learn interesting facts about snakes and bugs from around the world.
Highlights include: guided walks, annual plant sale, tea parties, monthly story time, weekly crafts and Pilates exercise at sunrise and sunset.
Each day at noon, dozens of butterflies are released into the butterfly house that just emerged from cocoons.
Texas Discovery Garden/Butterfly House Insider Tips
- Every Tuesday, visit the gardens for free. (Fee always applies to visit the butterfly house.)
- Free admission available for members of any American Horticultural Society. Reciprocal admission offered to the Fort Worth Botanical Garden and the Dallas Arboretum.
- Parking is free except during the State Fair of Texas in the fall.
- Inside the Butterfly House it is a tropical atmosphere and thus hot and humid. Dress accordingly.
- Bring a picnic to enjoy in the gardens. Benches and tables are available.
- Weddings are frequently held here, which may tie up some areas
- Public transportation is available on DART – Dallas Area Rapid Transit – which has a stop at Fair Park.
- Conveniently located right next to the Children’s Aquarium.
