ABQ BioPark - Botanic Garden

My camera was capturing beauty the whole time. The one part I enjoyed the most was my husband, and I felt like little kids playing in a very large garden. Slide down the slide. Have fun. I recommend coming to the Garden first thing in the morning since it does it pretty hot by noon in the summer. Enjoy yourself and experience. Memories forever.

Beautiful. Great place to walk around or go for a Picnic. Lots of places for little ones to run around. It's a must-see for any NM resident. Plus, we get discounts. If you have EBT tickets are only 3$.

This place was surprisingly cool. It did have a lot of beautiful plants but also had other things as well. Thomas loved the insect building. There was also a very unique children's garden. Gold fish and other little surprises everywhere.

Great fun! The kids had a great time! I would recommend visiting early and going through the gardens first! Get your water bottle and good walking shoes! The staff were friendly and full of good information.

I took my class on a field trip recently and my students loved their new heritage farm area. They enjoyed seeing the animals, their mud area, climbing the boulder to the top where there is a big pretend nest for kids to check out. The garden was absolutely beautiful and we enjoyed the Japanese garden area as well. Highly recommend taking your students and your family! I took my kiddos back after the field trip and my boys loved it too!

I absolutely love this botanical garden every time I get to visit it when I'm in Albuquerque. I think this has to be one of the more understated and little known jewels of the Duke City! I highly recommend setting for a few minutes in the Moorish garden and spending some time with the farm animals at the heritage farm!

Absolutely gorgeous! Fun to walk through. Some of their sculptures are in need of repairs, as it looks like people have damaged them, but other than that, this is a beautiful place to spend your day. The flowers were incredible!

The botanic gardens were large and lovely. The Moorish garden was exotic, there was an amazing miniature train, fish pond, a farm and many other different types of plantings. Definitely worth several visits to see it all.

While visiting NM, I got a chance to visit the Albuquerque biopark botanical garden and aquarium. The botanical garden was very spacious and beautiful! Each section had its own theme. All the flowers were in bloom. The sight and smell definitely transport you to a different place! The admission ticket also allowed entrance into the aquarium which was right next to the botanical garden. This is a fun educational family activity.

What a cool botanical park. I'm still a little biased to my local botanical garden back home because there are more walking friendly paths. If you are visiting just now you can't go everywhere with a stroller or wagon. The visit overall was very hot, but enjoyable due to the shade paths and kid friendly areas for my nephew. An excellent option for young kids that can walk and run. I will be back with my nephew for sure in a future visit to Albuquerque, NM. The big dragon greeting to the big ants oh my.

Spring has come to the gardens and there is lots to see. The staff has the grounds looking good except for the expansion.

The botanical garden is absolutely beautiful. Some nifty conservatories and special areas like the rose garden, curandera garden, and Japanese garden. I love going at different times of years and seeing everything in the various seasons.

Really spacious and lots to see. Spent 2 miles walking around. Lots of areas- Japanese, Mediterranean, High Desert. A butterfly area and a big area. Had a great time! Discounts for residents and seniors! Lots of parking and comes with free admission to the aquarium too! Pro.tip is to buy your admission to the garden first so you don't wait on line to buy a ticket for the aquarium

The River of Lights Christmas exhibition is really amazing. It really starts up the Christmas mood for me. We went on a Wednesday at 5 and did not have a problem getting parking but I can imagine it is tough later in the evening--we noticed parking at the Biopark was closed off when we left. It was nice to see some of the changes from previous years. A great part of Albuquerque.

The botanical garden was very beautiful. Lots to see plenty of shade, and you can take your time to see everything. It's up to you how long you want to stay. There's a lot of construction at the moment to make it better and more fun for family and kids. It doesn't say how long before it's done but still worth going.

While looking online for things going on in Albuquerque while we were there, I saw the Albuquerque BioPark botanical garden was having a fall harvest event. I love botanical gardens and fall events. I had to go. The park is misleading. It is much bigger than you think it would be. We walked around, thought we had done it all and then realized we missed a whole section. We are from Pittsburgh so we're used to botanical gardens with tons of flowers all over. This one was cool because it had so many cool plants appropriate to the SW. We saw all kinds of cacti, a beautiful lake with ducks, a beautiful mosaic, roses (which I didn't know grew well in the SW) and some beautiful plants from the Mediterranean in one of the buildings. The nicest surprise was the Japanese Garden in the back. Loved all the sculptures, buildings and fall plants. So cool! The fall festival was nice. There were musicians playing all different kinds of music all over. There were also a few different booths with local artisans selling all different kinds of beautiful items. I bought some nice souvenirs for myself and family for the holidays. Definitely go check them out. They also have a zoo. We didnt have enough time to see it.

The Mediterranean section was very cool (temp). I almost thought I felt a mist. It was a nice break from being outside in the heat. The variety of plants was numerous and beautiful. The area showing desert plants was wonderful.  I didn't know there are different types of barrel cactus. Education! There's a fun section with small trains running on different tracks through small towns and commerce. It's fun to watch and a big draw for children. There is a lovely green park-like area in the center of the gardens. On my visit, students were there, very loud. There was a group of young children playing football too. The gardens would be a good place if you could find a time when there wouldn't be school groups or camp groups. The sounds of screaming and laughing are all over the park. It's impossible to find a peaceful place to enjoy nature.

This year the fall fest was very packed with so many tourists from all over that come and visit the balloon fiesta. Plenty of local shops selling inside the botanical garden for the fall fest. They had alcohol and drinks and many items to purchase. You aquarium pass allows you to enter the botanical garden. Plenty of restrooms throughout the facility to use. Overall clean throughout and security and police was at site to keep the festival safe.

The ABQ BioPark Botanic Gardens is awesome! For just ~$14 for out of state residents, you can get access to the botanic gardens and the aquarium together. They are right next to each other with the same entrance so very easy to hit both in 1 stop. The botanic garden however is by far the better of the two though, and maybe even one of the best botanic gardens I've been to. The lands are kept gorgeously clean, well trimmed, and there are just so many different themed gardens throughout the park that make you feel like you are being transported all over the world. They have a Japanese garden, a Koi pond with so many fish, a greenhouse with cacti, and even a beautiful area for a wedding if you want it to happen here. This place is so serene, it was incredibly empty when I went, and a whole lot of fun. You could easily spend hours here walking around and taking in the calmness. Highly recommend if you have some extra time in the area and don't know what to do with it

This was our third time here, and each time we learn and see something new. The last two times were in December (2015 & 2018). In 2015 we did quick tours around both the Aquarium and Garden. In 2018 we came to see the light display in the Gardens. Both were great trips. It was also much cooler! This trip we decided to go through the Gardens first so we could appreciate the air conditioning of the Aquarium last. It was SO hot! We saw so much, but loved the butterfly area and bugs most of all. In the Aquarium, we loved the large window areas with sharks, rays, and big fish, as well as the river otters. We look forward to our next visit with our family!

We are big fans of botanical gardens, and decided to make Albuquerque's gardens one of the stops on our return from a recent road trip. We are glad we did. We arrived around 2:30 pm only to find out that the gardens closed at 5. We also found out that our admission fee to the gardens included a visit to the adjacent aquarium. We definitely missed a lot; to properly see the gardens and aquarium would take much more than 3 hours. My favorite part of the garden was the large pond with beautiful wood (and other varieties of) ducks. We enjoyed the butterfly house, and bug areas. There is a children's garden area that looked very nice, but we didn't have time to explore. In the aquarium, don't miss the reef area, manta rays, moon jellyfish and seahorses. We plan to return, both to revisit our favorite spots and to see what we missed!

What a lovely spot in the city! And reasonably priced for all the stuff you get for the $15 admission. Clear trails to walk around and see the foliage and ducks and toy train. Places to sit and a big quad to enjoy a picnic or let the kids run. The insect house was my favorite. Be sure to watch the ants scurry along the vines above your head and check out the beetles. Very cool! The aquarium was small but filled with lots of fish and sharks and stingrays and all sorts of cute and so ugly they are cute fish. It's a great way to spend an afternoon. Plus there's A/C in many places!

While in New Mexico we checked out the biopark and it was a great day. Tickets were super reasonable and we really enjoyed ourselves. The aquarium was pretty neat, it's not super huge but what they do have is nice. This is a great place to take kids and spend an afternoon outside in nature.

I am in love with this botanic garden in BioPark! First of all, the area is literal perfection. A zoo, aquarium, garden, food and park all in one! If you're visiting the zoo first and then the botanic gardens you can actually take a small train over that is fun for all. I enjoyed the peacefulness and beauty of the whole place. There are plenty of areas that offer different flora and fauna in beautiful ways. This is the perfect place for family pictures or photo sessions just be aware that a permit is required for professional photography. Overall, if you're in the area BioPark and the botanical gardens are a must.

Besides the really beautiful botanical gardens, the staff were friendly. They were renovating some small areas at the time but access to most of the garden was open.

The Botanic Garden was okay, even on a cold December day that we visted. It was a good deal for us as the admission ticket to the Botanic Garden also got us into the aquarium. They have a nice Japanese garden with a big lake and lots of bonsai plants around the lake. The rest of the garden was kind of dead or dormant, which is probably the reason they have the "River of Lights" during the Christmas holiday. We stayed there so late that they accidentally turned on some of the decorative lights. We were able to get a preview of their evening show. We enjoyed our brief 2 hour visit here. I'd love to come back here during the spring when the plants are blooming.

We attended their summer series for the first time and boy did we have a great time! A few tips- 1. Get there early if you want to get good seating since it's first come first serve. 2. Bring comfortable lawn chairs. We brought the ones that fold and roll up for easy carrying. Ours has an attached table with cup holders which is a game changer for events like this. 3. You can order from their cafe, yet we brought our own picnic. I have a picnic backpack which is also convenient, but you can bring a cooler if you prefer. I love that they keep the gardens open for you to enjoy during the concert. If you haven't attended in the past I highly recommend it. The musicians were talented and the ambience was so relaxing.

Truly, we have such a great bio park. The botanical gardens has grown into a sprawling oasis over the last decade and anyone who has not picniced on the festival greens hasn't been using our city to its fullest. Some of the highlights of this facility include a children's imagination garden (a maze, giant ants, go inside a pumpkin and a dragon's castle), the butterfly exhibit, a huge rose garden, a Japanese garden (with koi and a waterfall) and the buggarium (watch ants go marching above your head). COVID: currently there is a one-way stroll through the entire gardens and an online ticket must be booked ahead of time. You receive an arrival window and proceed through the gardens along the path. Anything remotely "indoors" is closed, including the children's castle which isn't really a building but I get it. Is it just me or is proceeding in the same direction through places something we should keep when all this goes away?

Dubai. A park is one of Albuquerque's best visits. It's well-maintained and organized, and it's a truly pleasant walk among various structured gardens. The staff are very friendly and helpful. Adjacent to the bio park is a lovely sharks reef café that I highly recommend. In the winter time, the river of lights at the BioPark is considered one of the best light shows in America. I suggest that you visit the park and become a member.

from what I could see it looked really pretty I saw some something about some bonsai trees.

Incredible botanic garden. Well laid out and walkable/wheelchair accessible. The sections for desert and Mediterranean plants are exceptional. So many varieties of plants in gorgeous areas. Just stunning. We will definitely visit again.

Such an amazing spot! Beautifully landscaped, and so much to see and explore. A great spot for kiddos with lots to do! My toddlers favorite spot is looking at the trains. He could stay for hours! The castle is so fun too with a slide and lots of spots to adventure. Their membership is such an amazing price as well, and I love how safe and well maintained it is. Highly recommend, especially for taking kids to!

This is the place to go to if you're wanting to avoid crowds & just enjoy the day outdoors with your family. Right now is the best time to go in my opinion. Everything is in bloom & the weather is not too hot or cold. I have not been to the botanical garden in about 10 years & it's so much nicer now! There is so much shade from the trees & a beautiful center lawn to relax on. I was surprised the bugarium was open. The naked mole rats are so adorable running & tumbling around. The Japanese garden was my absolute favorite. It felt so peaceful. I would love to come early one morning to come here & meditate. Make sure to make your reservation online. There were not many people when I went which was great. I felt very safe taking my kids. Everyone was wearing masks & kept their distance. I can't wait to grab a cup of dippin dots & walk around & enjoy all the beautiful sights again!

Wonderful grounds great for kids and adults as well. So things were under construction. my grandson would had been over joyed if the miniature train was in operation he would have watched for hours, So that head heart breaking. We did enjoy all the trails. The butterfly and bug exhibits were a wonderful addition to this and not extra charge was a wonderful surprise as well

This place was so cool!! Absolutely beautiful. Came here and walked around the gardens and aquarium. Staff are very friendly and kind. There were multiple people painting which was cool to see. I definitely would recommend and I'll be coming back!

Accessible. Affordable. Surprisingly large with various areas begging to be explored. We spent almost 2 hours here, and I still feel like things were left unexplored. The youngest (4 months), to the oldest (almost 73 years old), and everyone in between seemed to enjoy themselves. We especially enjoyed the children's area, the Spanish Moorish Garden, and the Japanese Garden. Hghly recommend.

I LOVE THE BOTANICAL GARDEN! They maintain their flowers so good that they're always blooming

Came here on a Monday morning around 9:30AM. Parking lot for Botanic Garden is different than the zoo parking lot which is where google maps routes to when I put in "ABQ BioPark". Botanic Garden isn't super big but has blooming tulips, saw some people working on the tulip beds. There's also an insect area and cacti / plant area indoors, pretty cool. I really enjoyed the Japanese Garden, which has a koi pond with koi in it and a small waterfall, really peaceful. There's a farm section as well in the botanic garden, as well as a mini raliroad, which I quite liked. Not too many people on a weekday, about $15.

The Botanic Garden is pretty. Lots of plants specific to New Mexico. I really liked all the succulents/cactus I saw. The park is big and split into different exhibits. We didn't want to walk so much so focused our time in the garden portions and didn't go to the farm area. The Aquarium is one of the smallest I've ever been to. I would say only go to the Aquarium if you have time to spare. Admission is $14.50 going to both the Botanic Garden and Aquarium.

Beautiful botanic park - worth a visit, probably each time you visit Albuquerque especially if you're here at different times of the year since you will likely be seeing different flowers/plants bloom each time! Very relaxing to walk around, decent size. Would recommend planning it for at the very least 2 hours, maybe 3, depending on how fast you walk, how many times you want to sit and observe your surroundings, etc. A decent chunk of the park walkways are shaded thanks to the trees, too, which makes it more pleasant though still its probably better to visit earlier in the day or later in the afternoon when the sun isn't scorching hot. Unfortunately the Mediterranean and dessert buildings and butterfly exhibit are closed due to the pandemic - however there's still a ton to see. Overall an absolutely gorgeous and truly rich botanic park in terms of size and the number of different exhibits/plants it has. The one downside is not all plants are marked with a tag so you can't always find out what species each of them are. Though given the number of plants there don't think putting a tag on each would be possible anyway!

What a beautiful place to walk around, congregate and spend time in nature! We visited ABQ BioPark Botanic Garden and it was a treasure. There's a lot to see, so put on those comfy shoes. We visited on a Sunday and spent about three hours walking around the botanical garden and grounds. The entire ABQ BioPark features many parks, including the zoo and aquarium. All of it has an entrance fee, including the botanical garden, yet is worth it. The botanical garden features a lot of diverse plants, and there's plenty of space for it. The garden seemed to wrap around the center pond, with lots of room for walking and sitting, and there's a cafe and restrooms nearby the pond. There were a few greenhouses for the sun plants, which was my favorite part. There were several different kinds of sun plants, including ones I've never seen before. It's especially cool to see plants that are native to the southwest region in the U.S., something I wouldn't find back home. I also liked the traditional Japanese garden here, which felt very serene and peaceful, as is the purpose. There is a lot to see here, and the park does a good job of splitting off the different regional plants and areas. There's even a heritage farm, with animals and produce growing in that garden area. Be sure to grab a map because it's easy to find yourself in a different section just steps away from the last one you were in. But the garden is super easy to get around, so you won't get lost and will find your way back. I will say that we visited on a super hot day and the mosquitoes were real. Wear your bug repellent spray because they were everywhere here! But this botanical garden is worth a visit in Albuquerque.

The ABQ BioPark Botanical Gardens and Aquarium is a wonderland in the middle of the city! The heritage farm alone consists of 10 acres where food is grown and harvested. They even make their own wine, apple cider, and more! You can purchase the cider to take home after the harvest festival if any is left over. It's my husband's favorite! The Japanese Garden is easily my favorite place in the entire city! The waterfall is breathtaking and there are so many hidden trails to explore! The new rose garden is also a must. This is a great place to get your family pictures taken as well. Just get the permit pass for your photographer and you're free to get the best photos ever!

I looove the BioPark, especially around the holidays. Every year, I look forward to River of Lights, and in all my years of going since I was a little kid, it continues to be a magical experience every time. Even with Covid, they've really made it a safe, fun experience, and they switch up the lights a little each year too. During the warmer months, I love being able to go soak up the sun and sights to relax. It's a perfect little nature oasis from the rest of Albuquerque.

The Bugarium was really cool, but due to COVID the coolest parts of the gardens (the kid zone) were closed. We liked looking at the flowers. The bugs were super cool to look at and learn about, but wished there was more to do. I think the naked mole rats were my favorite part. They were oddly cute and cool to watch through the plastic tunnels.

Security is definitely an issue. The gardens are beautiful, the staff is friendly but management is scarce, and no security on site means propaganda slingers can harass people in the parking lot undeterred. I called to let them know some scary guys were yelling at me that I "hate Christ" if I didn't want their books in my face. They said to call the police. Okay, calling the police in Albuquerque does nothing- I made a report with them but all they needed was someone in a uniform to tell them to leave. I absolutely will NEVER be going back until they have decent security!

Hot day, sunny day what a better place to spend it than a nice walk in a shaded garden. Our aquarium entry ticket gave us entry into the botanical gardens. So why not? There are over 1.5 miles of walking paths. Covering various types of gardens: indigenous NM flora, roses, desert areas, Spanish/Moorish, Sasebo Japanese, xeric - something I've become accustomed to living in Albuquerque, the Mediterranean & children's fantasy. Plus a heritage farm, ponds, running water features and garden-sized trains. There is quite a focus on pollinators, there is a garden and both butterfly & insect pavilions. Sadly, the leaf cutter exhibit lost its queen a few months ago and the worker ants finally died off. The view of leaf cutters parading overhead are temporarily gone. A new colony is being developed and should be in full force by the end of the year. Having been rated in the top 10 nationwide the botanical garden is a great place to visit and learn. We'll be back to spend more time in the exhibits we bypassed this trip.

Always trying to hit any Botanical Garden in the cities I'm in I really enjoyed plants and trees and that kind of stuff and this one is actually pretty cool except for the stupid cotton trees blown their crap everywhere I guess it could be worse I'm there in August that would be miserable they also have a aquarium couple things right around there you can spend the whole day in one spot no driving around nice

I visited the botanic garden for the first time this past Thursday to take some pictures of flowers and plants. I was super impressed by the setup and what types of flowers and plants our BioPark garden had to offer. I had to take a step back from my camera to enjoy and take everything in. It was a pretty quick trip for me but I will definitely be visiting again to just roam around and be free to just take everything in. There were definitely some pretty areas and spots for like senior shots, prom photos, even a little spot I found in one of the gardens in the front that would be a nice spot for a small wedding. Professional/business photos will require a permit and can be bought when you buy your ticket. Can't wait to visit again and bring my boyfriend this time around!

Absolutely loved it - such a lovely way to spend a Sunday! There are so many different floral displays and gardens that you easily get lost wandering from one area to the next. There are oversized bug statues, a giant pumpkin for kids to play in, interactive activities and so much more for people of all ages. The train garden is cute/silly with all of the different lines and train cars. My favorite area was the butterfly exhibit, where you can walk among so many different species of butterflies (I saw a blue dragonfly as well, which was pretty cool). There's also an area with leaf cutter ants that actually crawl up a tree and walk across a branch overhead (creeped me out, but my husband loved it). There was so much to see, or not (if you wanted to sit in the open courtyard or by the large pond and soak up some sun). I'd highly recommend it!

Love this botanical garden. Great for photo shoots, nice open space for studying, reading and relaxing. I recommend planning to spend a few hours here. Their indoor exhibits were still closed and the butterfly exhibit closed an hour earlier than the rest of the garden.

Very well-maintained botanical garden that features a butterfly house and a bug house. Make sure you bring a water bottle and some snacks with you as any refreshments will cost a ton ($7 for a Gatorade) as will any food ($25 soft pretzel). There were a couple people in our group who ADORED the garden. If you are a garden enthusiast, definitely go.

I don't even know where to start! The Bugarium? Butterfly Pavilion? Magic Castle/maze/play area? The flora? The duck pond? This is such a great spot for a lover's walk, lunch by the pond, or some good ol' fashioned marveling. Here's the breakdown: *Bugarium: Holy hairy creatures Batman, we touched a tarantula!!!! *shudder* There are so many creatures to see here, scorpions, centipedes, ants, spiders...there is a virtual reality game to play, puppets and books, and a hands on booth where educators let you explore first hand the creature of the day. We particularly enjoyed the night jungle section! *Butterfly Pavilion: There are so many lovely butterflies to take in, flying, feeding, landing right on you. It's pure magic. cocoons behind glass for observation, if you look closely, you can see them shaking and even saw a butterfly emerging once. *Magic Castle/maze/play area - so cool. There are mushrooms to sit on, gigantic ants to ride, winding paths with bamboo and foliage (I'm such a sucker for a winding path), a giant pumpkin to hang out in, a slide, and stay close to each other, it's easy to get lost in the maze!!! So much fun. The pond. wow. ducks. views. serenity. sit, eat lunch, write poetry, bring your sketch book, contemplate the meaning of life.... The flora: There are two huge greenhouses, one with mediterranean flora (awesome murals inside up the staircase!), one with desert flora, a japanese garden (love the reflection bowl!) with a beautiful well maintained path, sculptures and even a farm with animals out yonder. This is worth every single penny of the admission price. Don't forget to get a souvenir coin before leaving :)

Beautiful. This place is so is full of sights and paths full of fantastic photo opportunity while surrounded by the beauty of the floors and art decor. This place is huge and takes a day to explore. I loved the Japanese garden the most but its all just amazing. A definite must see for all residents and tourists of all ages

Fun for all ages. Could spend hours there relaxing. My favorite is the cactus house, super soothing.

I'll admit that I'm a bit of a botanic garden snob. Is that a thing? It is today. I was spoiled by the botanic garden in Phoenix as a child and loved walking through no matter what season - there were distinct areas with information and details about the plants, etc. The ABQ Biopark Botanic Garden is a pleasant park with some interesting gardens but the teaching and learning opportunity is lost. I want to know what the plants are - what are their names, what are they related to, where are they from - rather than just seeing them in hypothetically-related clusters. I walk through the gardens and enjoy the serenity but it leaves me with emptiness of "Tell me more!" On another note, I've heard great things about the River of Lights, so I'll make a point to check that out in the future.

During the time of COVID-19 there are very few places that I'm comfortable going. This is one of them. A quiet, serene oasis away from the stress and noise of everything else, this is a fantastic place to decompress and relax..

Simply astounding!!! This is a very well established source of greenery among other parts of nature. I forgot how much the ticket is for just the botanical garden, but i know that if you purchase the combo ticket for both the aquarium and botanic garden, the price is only 20$ for adults where as the aquarium by itself is about 13$ for adults. As much as i hate to deal with bugs and all kinda of insects in my house, this place has created an environment to truly appreciate their natural habitat. And of course, there is the endless arrangement of flowers and nature to spend a whole day worth of good walking. All while enjoying an amazing scenery while getting your steps in. Just when we thought we were done with the exhibit, there was more! Its a wonderful, relaxing place for adults to experience and even young kids can have an educational experience coming through here. Highly recommend visiting if ever in Albuquerque!