Matthaei Botanical Gardens, Ann Arbor: Photos, Reviews & Location

Offering sprawling gardens, woods & prairies, plus a visitors center, gift shop & conservatory.

At a glance

#1 of 36 Tourist attractions in Ann Arbor

LocalGuideWorld score: 4.80

6.5 km from the center of Ann Arbor

Rating breakdown

5 ★85%
4 ★13%
3 ★2%
2 ★1%
1 ★0%

1800 N Dixboro Rd, Ann Arbor, MI 48105

mbgna.umich.edu

(734) 647-7600

Photos of Matthaei Botanical Gardens (112)

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Matthaei Botanical Gardens, Ann Arbor – photo 1

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Matthaei Botanical Gardens, Ann Arbor – photo 12

Quick facts

What is the rating of Matthaei Botanical Gardens?: Matthaei Botanical Gardens is rated 4.8 out of 5 based on 5,557 reviews.
How does Matthaei Botanical Gardens rank in Ann Arbor?: Matthaei Botanical Gardens is #1 of 36 Tourist attractions in Ann Arbor by LocalGuideWorld score (rating weighted by number of reviews).
Where is Matthaei Botanical Gardens located?: 1800 N Dixboro Rd, Ann Arbor, MI 48105 — 6.5 km from the center of Ann Arbor.
How can I contact Matthaei Botanical Gardens?: Phone: (734) 647-7600 · Website: mbgna.umich.edu

Reviews (11)

Mary Holliday 2023 Nov 12

Matthei was fantastic, beautiful weather, easy to follow trails, lots of variety, a labyrinth to follow, etc. And the indoor hot-house garden with orchids, cactus, and many other plants is well worth the trip by itself.

Amy 2023 Nov 05

Great place to go year round. The outdoor area is a great place to stroll around in the summer. The bonsai tree collection is amazing to see and I love that this place is free. Just pay small parking fee. Bring all my out of town guests here.

Marisa Gostony 2023 Oct 16

If you are in Ann Arbor and have time, come here! You won't regret it. First we walked along the nature trail and saw cardinals, blue jays, finches, squirrels and chipmunks, and deer. Just magical! Then we entered the gardens, which are equally as stunning. This property is immaculate and clearly well cared for. Such a great experience!

Rod White 2023 Oct 03

Really beautiful very accessible to nearly anyone. Lot of access for handicap with seats everywhere. Very polite staff. The Conservatory is super cool and and has a gift shop with cold beverages. Bonsai trees exhibit is nifty. Six dollars for all day parking pass. Definitely a ton of entertainment and wild life to spend all day. Numerous gorgeous places to picnic. 15/10 stars, Hail to the Victors!

Deb G. (BlissfulDeb) 2023 Sep 29

Beautiful indoor gardens with plants from 3 or 4 different climates around the world. Outdoors gorgeous grounds to roam around & learn about the gardens, or just sit on a bench & breathe. Trails are great, so fun hiking there. Kids love it here. They have a natural huge play areas in the Children’s Gardens. Lots of learning things for them while building log cabin, playing in sand, even dirt box & kitchenware to make all kinds of fun things. There’s so much. Little mazes in the hedges! Very cool. Take it from me, I’m a nanny & I pack lunch take 7 & 3 year old kids there a lot. They Love the place. Ages 1-99 will have a wonderful time here. Plenty of shade when it’s hot too. Oh, beautiful gift shop to bring a bit of your experience there home.💖💖💖💖💖

Monique Koteles 2023 Sep 19

Beautiful place with unique plants and flowers. You pay for parking but that's it. Definitely should go!

Tim Szczesny 2023 Aug 10

Great place! We loved several of the gardens and the walking trails. It's amazing that it is free to view, because that's rare these days. We spent two hours here. Be aware that there is a charge for parking in front of the conservatory, but it's only $2.20 per hour right now and simple to pay at a kiosk.

The plants in the conservatory, cactus room and bonsai plant sections are awesome. A sign for a labyrinth caught our attention in the walking trails. I'm posting a photo here. If you get lost inside, just yell loudly and someone will come to help you find your way out. 😉

A Garske 2023 Aug 09

Everything about this place is gorgeous, majestic, and relaxing. I think we walked around for two full hours and continually saw something new. You can tell all the plants, gardens, everything is taken care of by people who love their jobs. Did I also mention it's free? We spent about $75 on a few stuffed animals for my 5yo, which seems like a lot but you know the money is going right back into the garden. Plus, one was a possum, which is my favorite animal. The other was a skunk lol that was my daughter's choice. The woodpecker actually made noise and she really reallllllly got good use out of that noisy creature 😆

Theodore Hynes 2023 Jul 26

I was told that I HAD to be here one day and I finally made it! Simply, it's like a mix of Cranbrook gardens for the grounds and Scripps Conservatory for the greenhouse area... But each of the 3 have their own unique style and balance. This botanical garden is definitely more playful and invokes a sense of adventure which I appreciate! Make sure you go and see the collection of Bonzai trees!!! Thank you so much!!

Ps
While it is technically free, feel free to donate! :)

Shivani Saxena 2023 Jul 19

Matthaei Botanical Gardens in the campus of Michigan University bursts upon you, as a pleasant sprinking of nature's bounty. I visited this place in July and flowers were in full bloom.
The Bonsai section caught my particular fancy. I just loved the tiny, yet mature, well groomed trees. The miniature pines are specially cute and lovely.
Do visit this delightful place. It is a treat for the research scholar, as well as a nature lover.

shreyas kulkarni 2023 Jul 17

A nice place to visit if you’re interested in plants. They’ve a good collection of plants from different regions- desert to tropical. They also have a bonsai garden which is my favorite. The garden is nice for photo shoots as well as relaxing. There is no entry fee but there is a parking fee.