McBryde & Allerton Garden, National Tropical Botanical Garden

The tour here was awesome! Everyone from the bus driver to the tour guides were very educated and happy to talk about anything we were looking at. I really enjoyed learning the history of the place and seeing the statues and antiques that had been brought in from all over the world. I would definitely recommend going on this tour! We both had a great time

Great tour with Diane, she was very knowledgeable and made the tour very enjoyable. Loved seeing the gardens and learning the history and elaborate detail that has gone into the landscaping and plants found throughout the garden, what a treasure. Would highly recommend! Also don’t forget your bug spray!

Great tour. Definitely worth going the guided route as the guide provides much additional info. If you go, ask for the tour with Bob as the guide as he was incredible. Very knowledgeable and answered all the questions we had. Very flexible as to what was covered. Would go again with him as the guide.

These gardens are wonderful and there are a variety of tours you can take. This year we did the sunset tour of the Allerton Gardens where you get to tour the grounds of the estate located down by the beach. You also get a box dinner to enjoy down at the house before you’re whisked up to the top to (hopefully) see the sunset. We went on an overcast day so no sunset, but lovely time anyways.

A wonderful experience visiting the Allerton gardens and learning about the rich history and continued conservation efforts they are making. Our tour guide, John, was amazing and gave us so many opportunities to experience the garden and its plants with each of our senses. Highly recommend wearing mosquito or big repellant when near water features.

Did the combo tour. Nice mix of bus tour and walking. Excellent guide. Lots of interesting stuff, even if you don't typically like garden tours. And an easy walk to visit spouting horn.

Breathtaking and gorgeous! Couldn't get enough of it. Lots of musquitos, make sure you get a good insect repelant as recommended by the tour

The gardens are beautiful though not as much as the gardens in the Big Island. The instructor was very knowledgeable. But at $70 per ticket, I can't imagine this is worth the money for a family. Also at this price, I would think they would warn us about the mosquitos that ate us alive in the first part of the trip (by the waterfall) and provide us with mosquito spray. In conclusion - beautiful gardens, especially the Allerton ones (McBryde was just a bunch of fruit trees), but honestly not worth the price unless money is not an issue.

We did the double tour of McBryde and Allerton. The McBryde portion was all in the shuttle bus and I had a bad seat for viewing angles, so it wasn't very good for me. I would rather have done the self guided tour of McBryde. The Allerton side though was on foot and I found much more enjoyable. It reminded me of a Hawaiian version of the Gardens of Versailles. The architects had great vision when designing the grounds, plants, buildings, and statues.

What a treat to have gotten to visit the McBryde Garden. We didn't realize there was timing involved, we'd just seen the opportunity to visit the National Botanical Gardens and jumped at the chance. Got lucky in that there was one more tour that day, though it was scheduled for 90 mins later. (Just a heads up for folks who want to visit!) So happy we stuck it out and waited - the self-guided tour was so cool to do. Peaceful, gorgeous - so much to see & explore. Our driver/guide Ron was a hoot. Sweet, funny & super knowledgeable. Definitely made the visit extra fun. Only including ONE pic so as not to spoil the experience for anyone! :)

I don't know much about gardens or plants and trees, but I do know I like to be out walking around and through them. We were lead on a tour by Diane, a garden docent, and she was Wonderful! She provided a history of the garden (would be a great movie!), plus information about the trees, plants and flowers and how it was designed. It is a beautiful garden and I love the water features. Diane also pointed out the location where part of Pirates of the Caribbean and Jurassic Park were shot. She even had a facsimile of a dinosaur egg. Way cool! Next time I go back I will be sure to check out the McBryde garden just down the street. 5 STARS!

Absolutely stunning! A couple of things to know: 1) you need closed-toe shoes, 2) plan ahead to catch the scheduled bus up to the main garden and back (otherwise you'll only see the small entrance grounds, which are beautiful but limited). Even the little we saw before heading to the airport was beautiful I'd definitely go back to experience the full thing!

10/26/24 A must visit when in Kaua'i--especially if you're s nature, plant/tree lover plant. Located on the South shore of the Garden Isle, the National Tropical Botanical Gardens (NTBG) prides itself in the conservation of endangered & threatened flora. Its support is mainly garnered from donations of individuals, plus grants from both private & public foundations. This place is one of my many Happy places in Kaua'i. Tickets may be purchased here at the shop or online for the Allerton & McBryde tours. Hubby & I have gone to visit & taken the guided tours. A bus/tram takes you from this point to about a 30 minute ride to those gardens. It's a must do at least once-check out the area where the scene from Jurassic Park when the eggs were found--(as Dr. Ian Malcolm, has quoted, "Life will find a way"), that tree is HUGE! Every time I visit, I find something new or something familiar that gives me peace & solace. I walk around under the canopy of bamboo, hear the creaking & swaying of the overgrown weeds/grass (yes, bamboo belong yo the grass family! Amazing facts!). It reminds me of home. The staff here are very kind & welcoming, also forthcoming with information about the gardens. It is certainly well maintained & many of the plants/trees are labeled. The restrooms are also clean (good toilet paper & paper towel, to some, it's important). If you're susceptible to insect bites, I highly recommend you bring some to put on before you go into the area - if not, you might as well ring the dinner bell for these flying insects. Parking is plentiful & free. There are tables & chairs at the rear,snacks/beverages/popsicles for sale where merchandise (clothing, jewelry, postcards, etc) are also being sold. Points of interest for me, huge mango, breadfruit & star apple trees are at the property along with a couple of star fruits (carambola)--- I always check if these have fruits. Highly recommend this wonderful natural paradise! PS, out of the 12 carefully added photos with useful information that I thought I posted, only 3 actually made it. Yes, YELP has this issue that is highly inconvenient. Now i have to repost them until these are appropriately "attached"

Let's get the barrier out of the way first: not knowing what we were about to experience, the $65 price felt steep to us for a garden tour, and we didn't seriously consider the tour on our last trip to Kauai. Steered by the stellar reviews, the fact that we were staying about 10 minutes away, and the weekly Aloha Market (Thurs 10a-2p, not bad but felt light compared to the other farmer's market / art night offerings), we went for it and were richly rewarded by the 2.5 hour Best of Both Worlds tour. The beauty of the gardens is indescribable, and the lengthy tour is an opportunity to both learn and truly experience the gardens. It's leisurely and serene. The small slice of nature we are exposed to is infinitely diverse. Our guide, John, was well-credentialed, cheerful, and not afraid to lay on the Jungle Cruise groaners. The tour starts with a 30-minute drive down the hill and into the McBryde Garden. We pass tree after tree, plant after plant with a story of how it found its place in the Kauai ecosystem. Over 90% of what we now see on the island was brought in (not native) by the first Polynesian explorers up to the ranchers/settlers who arrived centuries later. I asked what the island would look like if it had remained unsettled, and was told it would be much rockier, mostly ohia trees. Not everything that was brought in was great for the island; the grasses to feed livestock are Kauai's weeds for the ages (and as we learned from the Lahaina fire, dangerous). Because Kauai is so fertile, it seems everything grows hugely. We got to try a couple bites of straight-from-the-plant kukui nut (neutral taste), breadfruit (yummy), and a coffee-relative called noni that you are warned will taste horrible, and does. John spoke a lot about the health and healing qualities in the various plants. I gathered that the McBryde Garden is more research-oriented, while the Allerton Garden was designed by the owners as grand entertainment and living spaces. That eye for design is much more apparent as you walk through Allerton's outdoor "rooms." The photos of these spaces, and even the videos, don't do them justice: the elevations, how the rooms envelop you, the way the paths bend around to other discoveries. I always joke that someday I'd like a place so big that when someone calls for me, they'll be told that I'm out "walking the grounds" and unavailable. Allerton Garden gave me a chance to live that dream for a beautiful afternoon.

The Gardens here are just spectacular! The enormity of the property and the trees were an incredible sight. The variety of flora here is almost overwhelming. This place has the feel of Jurassic Park, only to discover many scenes were indeed filmed here. We were on a tour bus which was good for us because our driver was very informative and aware of a lot of the history here. One thing to watch for are these really tiny biting gnats as you walk through the lower levels by the water. Maybe apply a small amount of repellent on your legs. These things are so small that I thought it looked like a flake of pepper. Rain is very prevalent and intermittent, wrap your camera or phone in a ziplock baggie or something better to keep your equipment dry if you want to photograph some scenery. As for the grand scale of things here, anything I can say would just not do it justice, come and see it for yourself.

I recently was on vacation and participated in a 2 1/2 hour tour of both gardens. Aside from the gardens being absolutely breathtaking, the tour guide Ron was one of the best guides I've had on any tour I've ever attended. He was super upbeat, humorous, attentive and knowledgeable. He found various ways to make the tour interactive and appeal to all of the senses. I can't recommend this experience enough!

We took The Best of Both Worlds tour of both gardens and had a wonderful time. We loved our tour guide John -- he was the friendliest man and extremely knowledgeable about all things plants and wildlife. Few tips to be prepared: they require closed toe shoes. There's about an hour ish of walking, the rest of the tour was via bus. Lots of dirt and mud -- don't wear shoes that you're not comfortable getting dirty. We wore bug spray but they sell bug spray wipes at the gift shop. You are asked to arrive 30 minutes prior to your tour time and they start introductions with your guide about 10 minutes prior. We boarded the bus promptly at our tour time. There are bathrooms available at the start and halfway through the tour. There are also water bottle refill stations in both places.

We just did the garden tour and its a quick bus ride to the gardens and our driver was pretty informative. We had 2 hours to explore and it was great. Learned lots on this self guided tour

The guide was wonderful, and shared some unique knowledge about the gardens but also about what it's like growing up on the island. Loved hearing her stories and personal knowledge. We had a baby and a toddler with us, and it was tricky at times with the bus ride in and out. Definitely make sure to bring snacks and toys for the little ones if they need entertaining. Great photo opportunities along the way and memories we'll never forget. It's truly stunning and a spectacular tour to take. Highly recommend bug spray and don't miss any spots. I put some on, and still got bit a few times.

These gardens were utterly lavish and amazing. My husband and I loved the guided tour and our guide, John, was incredibly knowledgeable about all the landscape, flowers, trees, history, and happenings on the properties. I tried the noni fruit - strangely tasted like Swiss cheese and the oranges were fabulous. The whole experience was magical and like being in another (more beautiful) world. If you enjoy the trees and flowers of Kauai, this is a must. John took our picture by the Moreton Bay Fig as well as the waterfall and we are cherishing those memories. Just a piece of paradise.

We didn't know what to expect but it was amazing. Make sure you arrive early. We got a call checking on us. Our bus driver, Ron, was awesome. A funny, knowledgeable guide. In our group, there were two other families. The place is so big that most of the time we didn't see others. It was like we had the whole place to ourselves. The gardens are beautiful and I'm glad there's an organization that's keeping it going. We had our terms who can complain about anything and everything and they had no complaints about hour 2+ hours there.

This place is truly something amazing. We didn't know what we stepped into. We took the both world tour guide and our tour guide Ron made this experience worthwhile. He was so entertaining, knowledgeable and so good with all the kids. We got to taste of the fruits, learn the history and the mission statement of the garden, escape into the beautiful world of the gardens, the hidden and grand waterfall and the majestic magical trees were all so breath-taking. Made our experience in Kauai even more memorable. Thank you for a phenomenal experience.

Stunning facility; not your typical manicured mainland botanical garden, rather an expansive oasis. Take a tour bus ride from the cute gift shop up to the garden; very knowledgeable (and funny) driver/guide offering insight on the drive up and back; roughly 2 hours of self guided walking through different pretty well tagged gardens (take the guide/brochure). You'll need every minute. I prefer self guided tours and not being stuck at someone else's pace. Too many nooks and crannies to describe. Well worth the stop. Also stop at the blowhole practically across the street from the gift shop.

I made reservations for Allerton on October 4, 2024 for April 26, 2025. On April 8th I received a phone call from the venue canceling my reservation because a private event is being held. My wife and I are now unable to tour the Gardens! Hope a private event does not cancel your plans in "Paradise"! Horrific!!!!

If you love plants and history, this is a wonderful tour to go on. I really enjoyed learning about all the native and non native plants on Kauai. The colors and the volume of plants and acres were impressive. Part of the guided tour took us to a wonderful waterfall by bus and then we had a lovely time walking through the Allerton Garden and learning about the various movies that were filmed over the years in the garden. Overall a fun experience and filled with wonderful narratives from our guide.

John, our guide, was excellent! Knowledgeable and had the love of the landscape. Excellent!

Great place if you love native plants and nature! My parents and I did the Best of Both Worlds tour, and it was great! The tour does warn you ahead of time that insect repellant might be necessary since those pesky bugs can be out, and some wipes can be bought at the gift store (which my family and I did). We were brought down to the gardens via a shuttle bus, and for the tour, we were able to walk the gardens! The gardens were larger than I expected and all of the plants were well maintained! It was so calm and serene in the gardens and the temperature was pretty cool due to the shades from the trees. Overall, great place to visit if you love gardens and native plants!

This was one of my favorite chill activities from my recent Kauai trip. Everything from the friendly bus driver who shared a ton of local knowledge of the garden, to the beautiful grounds, friendly tour guide and local fruit you can try while on the tour, it was worth both the cost and time. Each stop along the garden was filled with lots of history given by the tour guide, beautiful sculptures, ponds and adorable chickens. I especially enjoyed trying the local fruit trees, the tree from Jurassic Park with the eggs and of course the adorable duck Henrietta that followed the group around. Bottom line: Amazingly beautiful and large grounds to walk, rich with the history of how the garden came to be, and friendly tour guides.

loved everything about this beautiful garden. The tour guide was exceptional and learned so much about the history of the garden and the plant species.

What a beautiful space for a morning tour. The property was developed 100 yeas ago as a valley/stream oasis for friends, with each section of the garden set up as a "room" to enjoy and relax. Sculptures, water features (to channel the old water flows from the previous sugar cane farming which previously created a marsh), and a well-curated variety of plants and trees. They have very active programs to preserve threatened species. The walk is pleasant and fairly flat, but there are a couple of slippery spots, so do bring comfortable walking shoes and hold hand rails when available. The guides were informative and friendly. This is a great complimentary property to Lemahuli gardens up past Princeville, which has stunning views from a hillside. Both are absolutely worth seeing!

Wonderful, and surprisingly diverse tour. Ron, our guide, was well informed and had us laughing for much of the tour. Best of all, he knew his stuff. Well worth doing...at least once.

I never went on the big $60 Garden tour here, but my wife has attended the Garden tour several times, usually on a Sunday, when I'm watching football, which shows you my priorities. Got a chance to take pictures of the surrounding plants while walking through the Gardens near the gift shop. Don't ask me what flowers they are, as I don't know jack about flowers, only that they are colorful. Attended the Aloha Market Thursdays 10-2 in the Gardens near the gift shop. They just restarted it a few weeks ago, after discontinuing it due to the pandemic. Not only do they sell produce, but there are a lot of arts and crafts for sale, along with refreshments like poke and sushi. At 1230pm they had a 40 minute hula show, with wife and I having front seats on the lawn. Was taking a chance, as the man in the front row in the audience is often chosen to demonstrate how to learn to hula dance! 5 videos attached viewable in my business photos.

Very beautiful garden. Lots of nice tropical plants. The bus tour is amazing. The staff is very knowledgeable.

Wow! AMAZING!! We took the sunset dinner tour and it was crazy good on every level. First of all, Ron T., our guide was hilarious and so knowledgeable. Talk about a guy who is happy and loves his job! He couldn't have been better. He knows SO much! We learned so much about plants that were indigenous to Hawaii, and those that were brought here both by canoes, and by other means. It really makes you realize how fragile this gorgeous ecosystem really is. Even the dinner was unbelievable. Served in the Allerton home, we were free to explore the beach and grassy area and grounds afterwards. We were served seared ahi with salad, taro and juice. It was delicious! Two things to remember: closed toe shoes or hiking, sandals, and insect repellent. I'm too mean so bugs don't bite me, but my husband was eaten alive! (He's a nice guy.) We loved this so much we decided to become members. They do incredible work!!

I was great to see the Allerton Gardens. We live about 25 miles from the estate in Illinois.

Really enjoyed the dual garden guided tour. The gardens are beautiful and our guide John was a great host answering questions and sharing interesting info and even cutting up and sharing tastes of fruit and nuts from the gardens.

Much has been written about the beauty of Allerton Garden and it's all true. The Moreton Bay fig trees alone are worth the price of admission, as they look prehistoric (likely why they're featured in the original Jurassic Park). So, why am I giving Allerton Garden less than 5 stars? Unfortunately, our tour guide nearly ruined the entire experience. He demonstrated a great deal of knowledge about the various plants and trees in Allerton Garden. He was sure to point out how most of the greenery we saw isn't native to Kauai and how a lot of it is even invasive. He called Kauai the "island of extinction". Bittersweet, but so far so good. But once we came across an area where some grass had been torn up, he started accusing wild pigs of destroying the island. Whatever damage these wild pigs are doing to non-native plants, it's nothing compared to what people have done to Kauai. Pigs didn't introduce native species to Kauai. They didn't introduce the cattle. They didn't even introduce themselves to Kauai. It wasn't just one casual remark he made. From that point on, he kept talking about how he likes going out into the garden to shoot the pigs. He even tried showing everyone in the group photos of some poor pig he recently killed. As he was trying to show his photos, he kept saying "That's all sausage now. That's all sausage." My wife and I refused to look at the photos. So then he tells us that he hadn't "cleanly" killed the pig, making it clear he wasn't exactly a great shot, and so the poor animal suffered before dying. The tour guide continued making these comments even the tour group saw a mother pig and two babies. As people on the tour were taking photos of these cute piglets, the tour guide is joking about getting his rifle. On top of all that, he let everyone in the tour know that he used to "hustle" plants on the Big Island, meaning he stole and propagated whatever native plants were left. And now he's a garden tour guide. Allerton Garden needs to do a better job of screening their guides and consider that most guests might not want the beauty spoiled by graphic photos of some poor animal the guide, by his own admission, killed brutally.

Impressive work they are doing to preserve native Hawaiian plants. We did the sunset dinner tour and our guide was the best!! You can really tell he enjoys his work. Very knowledgeable, funny and entertaining!!

Great tour guide and beautiful plants. The tour guide was funny but very informative.

The first day we did the self-guided walking tour of the McBryde Garden, which starts with a mini guided tour as one shuttles down to the garden. Our docent JoAnn was friendly, funny, and super knowledgeable. The two and a half hours simply flew by. I loved all the information placards along the paths, very educational and interesting. A lovely way to spend the morning. Thursdays they have a small farmers/crafts market, and there was Hulu dancers mid day. Very, very pleasant. The next day we did the sunset tour of the Allerton Garden which includes bento boxes, which were super delicious. Our guide Ron was super funny, informative and knowledgeable. The gardens are delightful and beautifully maintained. A true high light of our visit to Kauai. Unlike Rayna B.'s experience, our guide was quite forthright about Robert and John being a gay couple, and as a queer person myself I appreciated the historical context and story of their dedication to each other. And do remember to bring bug repellent, or pick some up at the gift store!

Really nice garden to visit. The grounds are pretty large and you get to see the grounds and the garden. You see where part of Jurassic Park was filmed. Overall it's a relaxing tour to take and a chance to see beautiful flora in Kauai. If you book ahead of time, make sure you are on time as the bus does not wait for you. I would recommend bug spray but it's up to you.

A nice little spot, but make sure you don't wear flip flops otherwise they will make you leave. We had to go to Longs Drugs to get some water shoes. It's a beautiful locations and they have two different gardens. We did the McBryde Garden via the self guided tour. It was huge and took us about an hour or so to see everything. Staff was really friendly and again it has beautiful views. Kauai is a beautiful island and this garden gives you a better idea why.

What a beautiful way to spend our afternoon with a Sunset Tour. I felt like I was immediately transported into another world with my tour group. The grounds were beautiful and our tour guide, Ron, was an expert on the vegetation -- and so hilarious! I told my partner multiple times that if Ron is my tour guide, I'll do every avail tour -- and that's coming from someone who isn't into botany or plants in general (I once killed a cactus). What a genuine and passionate guy! One thing to note: DO NOT BE LATE. This is like the airport, the flight (or shuttle) will not wait for you. The shuttle road is one way and they have a strict schedule to prevent the shuttles from having to reverse to let another car pass. So make sure you keep track of traffic (especially since Kauai can get backed up)

I loved all the plants, sculptures, water features, and Henrietta the duck. As a queer person I was disgusted and disappointed by the continues erasure of Robert and John Gregg Allerton lives as gay couple. The prudish pussyfooting of our guide around the topic was distasteful, "Hmm, yes, one had to adopt another so they could travel legally. Hmm they had costume parties. Say their names. They were gay and had to leave Illinois to find safety and dignity. Stop the erasure of queer history.

The tour was great! Our tour guide was excellent, he had a great personality and was very knowledgeable about all plants and trees.

Research and conservation in McBryde... world changing, life saving, famine ending research and then the most breathtaking, stunning and achingly gorgeous manicured gardens and views and vistas I have ever seen in Allerton. I am certain that this must be what heaven looks like. Every time I visit I feel like I'm stepping into a postcard... and the tour guides are so fun and knowledgeable. Again, every time I visit I learn something new! So far my favorite tour has been Allerton by Fire which included a tour of Allerton and then dinner and a fire and a hula show at Allerton House... so intimate and so beautiful. They treated us like royalty! The spirit of Aloha is alive and well here.

Have been avoiding writing this review since I was so looking forward to visiting these gardens and was really disappointed. I generally love visiting botanical gardens and was excited to come here, unfortunately did not come close to meeting my expectations. To see the gardens you need to take a tour which I was excited about . Unfortunately the tour involved much more standing around and talking about historic people/events, than walking around the grounds and learning about plants! The overall area of the property is massive but because we spent so much time standing around and so little time walking, I feel like I saw hardly any of the gardens. Multiple people in the group commented to one another throughout the 2.5 hour tour just how long it was and how slowly it was moving. Really disappointing considering how much more they could have showed us, and how expensive the entry was. I'm giving one star since there were some cool plants and trees, and photo ops! But I definitely do not recommend coming here.

My son and I took the sunset private tour and dinner. Ron was our tour guide. This guy should get a raise!! This was our last night on the island and he made it so incredibly memorable! He is pure Aloha spirit and super knowledgeable! He was also so funny and honestly worth every penny!! Thank you Ron for making Roman's and my time with you very special! May God continue to bless you! Mahalo

So beautiful with such an amazing mission...(to enrich life by perpetuating tropical plants, ecosystems, and cultural heritage!-)...that I started working here as a tour guide just over a year ago!-)

The tour guide was very knowledgeable. 70% to 75% of the tour in the gardens focused on the movies shot on the property. If you are into plants & how rich people spend their money I guess this tour is for you!

Pretty but not spectacular... Our experience began as we were applying sunscreen and walking around the paths adjacent to the Visitors Center aka Gift Shop, we received a call ten minutes prior to our scheduled 10:30 departure that we were late and need to report to the Gift Shop immediately, the lady on the phone, the same person who "greeted" us was very short in tone, and condescending, both in brief phone conversation and in person. We boarded the bus, which was air conditioned - :-) - and waited 5 minutes for the driver(were numerous occasions of hurry-up & wait). There were several older(late 70s early 80s) folks on board, some of which had walkers. There were no employees at the bus when we boarded and presumably a similar scenario when they boarded; Without direction or assistance it was logical to leave their walkers outside the bus. When the driver arrived, he asked everybody "what's with all these outside the bus?, I've never been expected to be the porter. So I'm a porter today. I'm not used to being the porter but seems you expect me to do that today. Ok, I'll be the porter, never had to do this before.., " He really carried on about it, whining like a spoiled child. Ironically, a sign over the windshield read "Gratuities gladly accepted for Excellent service" After he got over his tantrum, he was pleasant enough and shared his love of the gardens and encouraged donations and membership contributions. The drive up the canyon was very pretty, as are all views from just about anywhere on Kauai. The bus drops you off at the top of a small valley, with paved, gravel, and grassy trails leading down through a handful of groves with various themes and plants/trees. Most of the trail system was open, although many places were closed or impassable(bridges gone) and these omissions were not noted on the map. There were many plants, and trees gathered along the paths that can be covered at a leisurely pace over the course of an hour, we were afforded 2 hours from Drop of to pick up. This was the most relaxed "tour" (self guided) of our vacation to Kauai and we enjoyed the time spent together capturing images of nature's beauty. The majority of the flora can be seen in the (free) paths around the Gift Shop, but the beauty of the valley is a unique venue to the encompass them all. I would recommend exploring the paths around the Gift Shop before deciding if the desire for more could be warranted by the self-guided tour. Also, if you can handle an intermediate hike , drive to the end of the road to the gate and park on the ocean side, and hike down to the beach, going upstream is not permitted but the mouth of the stream and valley meeting the ocean looked impressive from the road

For anyone interested in plants, a guided tour of the Allerton garden is a must. The Allerton garden is owned by a trust from the late namesake benefactors and administered by the Botanical garden folks. The only way to visit, due to the trust by-laws, in on a guided educational tour. How it works/what to expect: -check in 30 min prior to your tour (we did the noon tour) -expect it to last 2-2-1/2 hours -the garden itself is just down the road from the botanical garden and they will take you on a little mini bus-only 20 people per tour-with a guide -our guide, Soren, a former journalist, drove us the short distance to the actual garden property explaining the history along the way -once at the garden your guide takes you on a very leisurely walk around 40 of the 83 acres explaining plants, sculptures and water features. -total walking, very easy, about 1 mile so suitable for any interested adult (would not be a good choice for kids) -95% of the time we were in the shade and had no issues with bugs. Really interesting to hear all the history and learn about so many plants and trees. Soren did a great job. If you've got a couple hours or it's a cool day, do this.

I arrived for a tour that was booked days in advance, and the man at the desk responded saying "that's strange I don't see your name on here." I told him I for sure booked the tour, and then without any apology or anything else, he responded that they had overbooked the tour and our tour had been canceled. He asked "you didn't see the email?" Sure enough, I checked my email and a few hours earlier I had received a generic cancellation email. Another member of the staff then apologetically told me that they refunded my money as if that would make it all better. I heard such great things about this place and I'm really disappointed not to be able to see the beautiful gardens. The interaction with the staff was extremely unprofessional. I guess they are popular enough they don't need to have good customer relations.

what a great experience, not what we were expecting, but better. Randy, our tour guide was very knowledgeable and friendly, he even had a few jokes. We are definitely glad we went on this tour.

Beautiful garden. The tour was great and our tour guide was pretty amazing! Sunset dinner was pretty good given it's a tour and not a restaurant. Definitely suggest you visit. The views are amazing!

Absolutely gorgeous! A must-do when you are on Kauai. The only way to enter is on a guided tour, which should be reserved in advance because space is limited and will sell out. We did the Allerton-McBryde combo tour. Our guide was very knowledgeable and has personal experience with these plants as a lifelong Hawaiian. We liked it so much, we went back for the Allerton by Fire experience, which we also highly recommend. This place is a gem.

A great self-led garden tour at McBryde Garden. You must have closed toed shoes to tour this garden. Insect repellent is recommended as well. Although I am handicapped, I believe I saw most of the garden. A bus takes you from the visitor center out to the garden. There you can follow the signs or your map. I did as much as I could as the day was quite hot for May. Fantasy Island was filmed here on the beach.