Frommer's Review
For the feel of summer in the middle of winter, for the sight of lush, breathtakingly beautiful greenery and flowers all year round, stop in at the Botanic Garden, located at the foot of the Capitol, next door to the National Museum of the American Indian. The grand conservatory devotes half of its space to exhibits that focus on the importance of plants to people, and half to exhibits that focus on ecology and the evolutionary biology of plants. But those finer points may escape you as you wander through the various chambers, outdoors and indoors, upstairs and down, gazing in stupefaction at so much fauna and flora. The conservatory holds 4,000 living species (about 26,000 plants); a high-walled enclosure, called "The Jungle," of palms, ferns, and vines; an Orchid Room; a meditation garden; a primeval garden; and gardens created especially with children in mind. And there are sounds -- I swear I heard a frog or two. Just outside the conservatory is the newly debuted National Garden, which includes the First Ladies Water Garden, a formal rose garden, a butterfly garden, and a lawn terrace. Ask at the front desk about tours. The USBG sometimes offers entertainment and periodically publishes calendars of events.
Also visit the garden annex across the street, Bartholdi Park. The park is about the size of a city block, with a stunning cast-iron classical fountain created by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, designer of the Statue of Liberty. Charming flower gardens bloom amid tall ornamental grasses, benches are sheltered by vine-covered bowers, and a touch and fragrance garden contains such herbs as pineapple-scented sage.
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