Cornell Botanic Gardens

Formerly known as the Cornell Plantations and consisting of 25 acres, Cornell Botanic Gardens is one of the most popular attractions around Ithaca and has something for everyone, which is why my partner, his family, and I came for a visit on this beautiful Saturday. Located in the center of the Cornell University campus, but also including the adjoining F.R. Newman Arboretum and over 3,500 acres of natural areas, there were hiking trails, nature walks, gardens, ponds, woodlands, meadows, glens, waterfalls, fens, bogs, and, of course, “gorges.” The well-kept gardens were easy to access, easy to walk around, and were extremely quiet. It’s very kid- and pet-friendly. The historic core revolves around the herb and perennial garden. Admission is FREE, but one does need to pay a parking fee to enter the park on weekdays. It runs you $1.50 per hour, so it's exceptionally reasonable, but it's free on weekends. We enjoyed our drive through the campus to get to the botanic garden, which we can recommend.

The botanic gardens are just beautiful! It was free to enter, we just paid a minimal fee to park using a QR code. We went to the herb garden near the center and the flowers were gorgeous. Lots of pollinators there too. Then we drove to the sculpture garden, pond, and overlook. The wildflower section didn't have much this time of year but it was a pretty forrest walk. Loved it!

Absolutely loved it! What a great place to have in the city. With the arboretum, it's huge and you can walk in the nice climate of the trees even in warm weather for hours. This was the highlight of our trip in NY.

It was nice. Unfortunately we were there after a rain storm and the blooms were off the trees. The grounds are well kept and clean. The paths are nice and wind around so you can see the gardens from many different vantage points.

Cornell Botanic Gardens is not your typical manicured botanical garden—it's more like an extension of the natural forest surrounding Cornell University. The highlight here is the walking trails, which feel like you're exploring a peaceful woodland rather than a traditional flower-focused garden. Nestled in the heart of the university, the trails are well-kept, relaxing, and perfect for families, students, or anyone looking for a scenic walk. If you’re expecting endless rows of exotic flowers, you may be surprised—but if you enjoy nature, quiet trails, and a serene atmosphere

Beautiful and well maintained gardens and arboretum. Maps available. Trails are well marked. The arboretum is drivable with many places to pull off.

Beautiful and free. An excellent choice to spend a few hours relaxing. Meticulously kept. Parking is cheap (I believe free for 1st hour, $1.50 per hour after)

The gardens are rich in horticulture and history, scenic walks and relaxing views well worth the visit—in fact, we drove from Wayne County to spend time here.

Wow what lovely gardens! They are beautifully maintained and quite stunning. I especially enjoyed the herb and flower garden near the main building. All the plants were labeled and many had really interesting facts written underneath. The veggie garden was underwhelming but it looks like many things were just beginning to grow. The welcome center has lots of tables and chairs if you need a rest. The gift shop is cute too. To top it off they are free and parking is free on the weekend.

We visited on Mother's Day, which is usually cold and damp, but there was no damper on this visit! The gardens are beautifully laid out and I snapped several photos and made notation of plant names so I could buy the plants for my own gardens. I took much inspiration from their shade garden! I think it took about two hours to stroll the grounds and linger at spots that interested us most. They had the tallest tulips I have ever seen. They looked like goblets! As an aside, the visitor center is clean with nice rest rooms. Always helpful to know!

The Cornell Botanic Gardens in Ithaca, NY, is an absolute paradise for nature lovers. As soon as you step foot inside, you're transported to a serene and enchanting world. With over 4,000 acres of breathtaking landscapes, diverse plant collections, and tranquil trails, this botanical garden is a true gem. The gardens at Cornell are meticulously maintained, showcasing an impressive variety of plant species that are both aesthetically pleasing and educational. Whether you're strolling through the colorful flower gardens or exploring the serene arboretum, each step brings a sense of tranquility and wonder. What truly sets the Cornell Botanic Gardens apart is its commitment to education and conservation. They provide an opportunity for visitors to learn about the importance of biodiversity and sustainable practices through their informative exhibits and programs. The staff and volunteers are enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and always willing to answer questions or offer guidance. The beauty and serenity of the Cornell Botanic Gardens make it an ideal place to relax, rejuvenate, and connect with nature. Whether you're a nature enthusiast, a botany lover, or simply seeking a peaceful retreat, a visit to the Cornell Botanic Gardens is an absolute must.

We'll worth a visit. The gardens themselves are not overly large but they use the space to its best advantage. There are additional paths in the woods to also explore. Absolutely beautiful displays in various gardens of everything from herbs to flowers to trees, some that you've heard of but just as many that you haven't. You can make a donation for its upkeep - there is no charge to explore the grounds.

loved this place, the garden tour was earth taking, I learned & enjoyed so much. Peter Davies, a retired Cornell U professor of plant science is an excellent and personable guide. it's a world-glass garden with so much intentional beauty, thank you

The Cornell Botanic Gardens is a lovely place to visit--and from my perspective these photos are absolutely gorgeous!! (Thank you!) An easy way to get there (Cornell Botanic Gardens) from downtown Ithaca is to drive up route 13-North, exit the ramp to Triphammer Rd, (where the malls are), take a right onto Triphammer, left onto Hanshaw Rd. (Community Corners), and take a right onto Pleasant Grove Rd. By the stop sign you'll see a bridge on the right--turn right and go over the bridge and take the first left up Judd Falls Rd. Part way up you'll see Plantations Rd. Turn right onto Plantations Rd. and then turn right into the Cornell Botanic Gardens entrance. (The Wildflower Garden is close by and the larger Plantations area is, also, not far away. You should be able to get directions to those from the Garden's shop or the map on a mobile phone). Enjoy your visit!

Came here during fall 2020 and this was a perfect outdoor, social distanced, free attraction. If you are a geocacher there are a bunch of cool caches throughout the park so it is a great place to take a beautiful walk and get in some caching. I'm not much of a botanist so I just enjoy finding a nice place to walk, but there are a variety of different areas that seemed to provide something for everyone. There were also a variety of signs and things giving info about the different areas. The pictures of some of the summer flowers were gorgeous, although by the time we visited because of the season some of the areas were starting to die, but they did have some fall plants to fill it in. If you are visiting the Ithaca area and need a fun place to walk around, this is the stop for you!

This is truly a lovely place. I love garden and this garden is beautifully designed with different varieties of flowers. I saw many people doing portraits here. Parking lot is near by and Cornell dairy bar is also few minutes away.

This is a free attraction if you're visiting the university. You do have to pay for parking however. I say you can spend an hour here or so. They have tons of herbs. I was hoping to see more colorful flowers but that wasn't the case. Also if you drive here, there's no sign to this place so make sure you google it or map it so you know how to find this place.

As a Landscape Designer and Horticulturist Botanic Gardens are like my mother ship. We were visiting the Finger Lakes region on vacation with another couple. Generally if there is Botanic Garden nearby when my husband and I vacation we make it part of the trip, so to be with another couple who may have just been humoring me to come with us made me nervous they would be bored as i ooh'd and ahh'd. Turns out that wasnt the case! The herb garden was the hook. What a wonderful garden! One of our group commented it was like Willy Wonkas factory with all scented herbs! It was wonderful how the herb garden was organized by use (cooking, medicinal etc) We honestly spent most of our time there. On the con side, I felt there wasn't a lot to the rest of the gardens, OR maybe it was their way finding signs were lacking.

This was one of the first places we visited after moving to Ithaca. I love nature and this place really inspired me. I highly recommend it.

We stopped by early this morning to explore the garden. We were really impressed with how well the garden was maintained as well as how many different plants they had. We spent nearly 2 hours exploring the garden and we absolutely enjoyed ourselves.

I couldn't decide which came first Cornell University or the beautiful botanical garden it's set in. Whatever, its a wonderful way to spend a sunny afternoon and how inspirational for the students. There are many nooks and crannies to explore and so many butterflies for a mid October day. Delightful

Excellent place to unwind in long walks among the wooded, peaceful, quiet and restful area. Excellent for reflections.

Absolutely loved discovering the gardens. Pleasantly surprised to find curation (on a smaller scale) that rivaled the Chateaus of France! Beautifully maintained and a wonderful way to spend an afternoon. A big thank you to the Master Gardner/prof.? that gave me a Hydrangea flower!

A famous location for weddings. Very easy to get lost though. Great for studying in a peaceful, quite, natural environment.

Love this place. We are visiting from Columbus Ohio. Spent two days here, walking the gardens and admiring the trees. Nice walking paths, great photo ops. Trees and plants are marked so very educational. There is a unique gift store as well.

Yay!! I love the Cornell plantations! When the weather is nice, it's a perfect way to spend the day, looking at all the pretty greenery while getting some exercise.

Nice little tour at 10 am gives an overview of the herb garden and orchards nearest HQ. If you want to explore the rest of the sprawling grounds you'll need to go it alone (and maybe even drive, if you're lazy like us). The view from the Newman Overlook is really nice.

It deserves a 4+, except for the runners and mountain bikers on the paths, who can frighten and endanger your dog, or a small child. The administration needs to address this safety issue.

I love the Plantations! I realize that there are many parks out there, but this happens to be one that was less than a mile from the house where I spent the first eighteen years of my life. In the winter the hills were fantastic for sledding when Ithaca still got enough snow on a regular basis to go sledding. In the summer it was my mainstay for running and bike riding. The loop around bebe lake is still one of my favorites. The stretch of forest home drive that runs parallel is also a very scenic drive with the sort of gree tree canopy in the summer and fall folliage at its best come october.

This is a MUST! Stumbled upon it on my short trip up here and have literally gone back every day. The trick is to head over to the arboretum section, grab a map, and then head on the more remote trails that wind upriver and through amazing meadows. I mean, the manicured gardens are fabulous as well, but the trails are some of the best I've seen!

What a beautiful arboretum/botanical gardens/nature preserve !!! We checked out the amazing view at the 'Newman Overlook', located at one of the highest points in the arboretum and on the campus. We also walked to the 'Grossman and Houston Ponds' that support all kinds of water pants and wildlife. This place has so many spots to take great pictures, make sure to get a free map. I would recommend this

There are so many areas of natural beauty in Ithaca, but I really enjoyed strolling through the gardens at The Plantations. I found it very inspiring and wanted to go home and start digging in my own garden. The kids really enjoyed there time there as well.

A nice place to walk around almost any time of the year. The hills here are gentle so there's nothing difficult about this walk, so just come here to enjoy some nature. It would be best to visit in that brief window of fall foliage, but spring and summer are pretty nice too.

Beautiful and underutilized. Very peaceful and majestic. Best time to come is twilight/sunset on the little patios with benches that the have on the hills.