Denver Botanic Gardens

About

Denver Botanic Gardens covers 24 acres near Cheesman Park, about two miles from downtown Denver. The living collections draw plants from around the world, arranged across the York Street grounds in both formal beds and naturalistic plantings. A second site, Chatfield Farms, sits southwest of the city in Littleton and operates as a working farm and native-plant landscape.

A visit usually means walking the outdoor garden paths, stopping at the Science Pyramid for exhibits on plants, water and pollinators, and browsing art galleries on the second floor of the Freyer-Newman Center. Families with young kids can add Mordecai Children's Garden, a play space open March through September. Guided tours run throughout the year, and the plantings change with the seasons, so a spring visit looks different from a fall one. Most people spend two to four hours on site.

As of 2026, York Street is open 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday through Saturday, with a shorter Friday schedule of 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Adult admission is $18.25, seniors and military pay $14.50, children ages 3 to 15 are $12, and members and children under 2 get in free; a $2 exhibit fee is built into the adult and senior prices. The gardens also hold free days tied to the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District program.

Limited free parking is in the on-site parking complex, with overflow street parking around Cheesman Park when posted. The location sits close to other Denver attractions in the Cheesman Park and Congress Park neighborhoods, so a garden visit pairs easily with a stop at a nearby cafe or the park itself.

Accessibility

Denver Botanic Gardens is largely wheelchair accessible, though the gardens themselves say some areas need staff assistance and one historic building is not accessible at all.

Accessible parking is available on a first-come, first-served basis in the on-site parking complex at York Street, with additional street parking around Cheesman Park. Paved pathways run throughout the grounds, and a printed map shows which routes are wheelchair and stroller accessible; ask for one at the entrance or check in with Visitor Services about the best route for a mobility device. Visitor reports describe steps and uneven ground in a few spots, so it is worth asking before heading into a less-traveled section. The Waring House, a historic structure, is not accessible to wheelchairs or other mobility devices.

Restrooms, a nursing room and a changing room are on site, including an adult changing table in the Bonfils-Stanton Visitor Center. Free manual wheelchairs and strollers are available at the entrance on a first-come, first-served basis, but the gardens do not offer motorized wheelchairs or scooters, so bring your own if you need one.

For hearing access, the Sturm Family Auditorium has a T-coil hearing loop, and ASL interpretation and CART captioning can be arranged for registration-based programs with two weeks' notice by emailing the gardens. Select exhibitions include audio descriptions and Braille transcripts. Registered service animals are welcome in all buildings and gardens, with a relief area on the grassy strip along York Street near the visitor center; pets and emotional support animals are not permitted.

Call 720-865-3500 or email [email protected] ahead of a visit to confirm a route or request an accommodation, especially anything needing two weeks' notice like ASL or captioning.

Checked by Accessible America, August 2026. Report a change

More accessible places in Colorado

• History Colorado Center (Denver)
• Denver Museum of Nature & Science (Denver)
• Denver Art Museum (Denver)
• Denver city attractions (Denver)
• Cheyenne Mountain Zoo (Colorado Springs)
• Great Sand Dunes National Park (Great Sand Dunes NP)

Photo credits

• A wide paved path curves through flowering gardens toward the historic Waring House.: XxTechnicianxX, CC0 (source)
• The Denver Botanic Gardens entrance has automatic doors and a flat paved plaza with benches.: Sarbjit Bahga, CC BY-SA 4.0 (source)
• Lush plants fill the glass domed Tropical Conservatory with a paved path for visitors to walk through.: XxTechnicianxX, CC0 (source)