The Gardens on Spring Creek

What a beautiful place. It was our first time visiting Fort Collins today and we are so glad we stopped by. The garden is sprawling and immaculate and felt like a beautiful guided experience as the different landscapes of the various gardens seamed into one another. We learned so many beautiful plants that we had never seen before (visiting from Portland, OR/the PNW). Not only was it gorgeous but it was very educational. The butterfly room is a must, it was a beautiful incredible experience and we even got to see butterflies hatch from their chrysalises.

The way this place has grown over the years is truly incredible. In 2019, the Gardens did a MASSIVE expansion, taking the old, measley lot they had and stretching it out to cover many more acres. The Gardens now feature a live music stage, an outdoor cullinary classroom, a butterfly pavillion, childrens gardens, a daycamp classroom, and several new gardens that are gorgeous improvements on the old lot's design. I would now rank this on the "must see" list of Fort Collins, though some of the older areas still need touchup. Great place to visit, for $10.50 per adult.

A wonderful way to spend an afternoon. So nice to wonder through the beautiful grounds. They offer many seasonal events and classes. A great facility for concerts and a wonderful wedding venue too!

I’m trying to rate places I go for accessibility. Before I jump into that I will cover the positives. One: staff/volunteers were friendly and great. Two: the butterfly garden was lovely. It was our favorite part. Related to accessibility: there should be a curb cut in front of the main entrance so people can be dropped off as the parking lot is a bit far for people with mobility issues. This park is not walker friendly. My mom struggled with the uneven surfaces, the rock paths, the cobblestones and the cement figures put in the sidewalk. While they are built for looks, I’m sure, they are not good for people in wheelchairs or walkers as they impede motion. Also more benches placed along paths would be helpful for folks who struggle with mobility. I saw there was a wheelchair available but that isn’t always an option. I wouldn’t have been able to push my mom because I’m disabled and she can’t maneuver one on her own. Again we loved the butterfly garden but were disappointed at how hard it was to get around the rest of the gardens.

The Gardens on Spring Creek is such a peaceful, well-maintained gem in Fort Collins. Whether you’re a local or just visiting, it’s worth spending time wandering through the different garden areas—they do an amazing job showcasing native plants and sustainable landscaping. The layout makes it easy to explore at your own pace, and there’s always something new blooming depending on the season. I love how they’ve created little themed areas like the rock garden, the butterfly house, and the children’s garden. The butterfly house in particular is really special—it’s small, but beautiful and surprisingly calming. You can tell a lot of thought and care went into making this place both educational and enjoyable. They also host great community events and plant sales throughout the year, and it’s clear they’re passionate about connecting people to nature. It’s not a huge space, but they make the most of it and the whole place feels really intentional. If you’re looking for a quiet, affordable way to spend an hour or two outside, especially during spring and summer, I’d definitely recommend checking it out. It’s a great spot for a casual stroll, a little inspiration for your own garden, or just a moment of calm in the middle of the city.

For the size and location, this is a fantastic botanical gardens. Special shout out to the "edible food" and "prairie" displays. My botanical-degree sister was geeking out the whole time; I just enjoyed the flowers.

What a beautiful experience! Visited in early October and most of the gardens are still looking great, so many vibrant colors. Very clean, well kept, and serene. The butterfly room was pretty awesome too. Nice staff, wonderful local selections in the gift shop at reasonable prices. Would love to come back.

I've only come here for the Garden of Lights and it was incredibly beautiful. The displays were amazing and not the typical holiday lights we see. We paid $12 each for myself and my husband, my 2yo was free. I will definitely be back to see the garden as is in the spring.

The farm to fork cooking classes taught in cooperation with The Cooking Studio are so much fun! Cooking outside and harvesting right from the garden make it especially enjoyable. The class "Cooking with the Three Sisters" not only taught us about the relationship between corn, beans and squash, but also about the Native American garden with the community that honors traditions of the past and present. It was a great night with new friends and delicious recipes coached by Dana and her team.

This is a lovely place to visit in fort Collins. They have added a butterfly room. You only get 15-20 minutes in the room with a guide in there with you. There were so many beautiful butterflies and flowers. They have a large property with so many flowers and trees outside. A majority of the items are labeled so you can know what they are (even if you are not a flower person). It is an easy walk around the property. They have some plants that are available for sale. The staff was all very friendly. The building was clean and bright. Was a nice place to visit with my 70 year old friend. She thoroughly enjoyed it. in the past when my kids and girl scouts were younger, we arranged both homeschool field trips/classes here and classes/badge work for girl scouts.

This is a cute little botanical garden in Fort Collins. It has a lot to see, a butterfly pavilion, and in the back, a kids play area with water behind the main building. Perfect for kids that need to run around and get some energy out while admiring the nature. Highly recommend it but we went on a Tuesday and they didn't have the water features in the kids area turned on. I would like to know when exactly they're on

This hidden gem in Fort Collins, really takes you away from the hustle and bustle of your day to day and allows you to submerge in nature the minute you step foot. Gardens on Spring Creek is a beautiful garden that you are able to walk through year around. Looking for Christmas lights during the Holidays? They have a great walk through that's great for all ages. I come here to observe their butterfly garden from time to time. However; they also have private and public classes year round. We attended a Holiday Wreath Making class and we absolutely loved it! Our coordinator Ashley was a phenomenal teacher. The class was fun, comprehensive, affordable, and all around a good time. I love this facility and all that they offer for the community.

I had a few hours in Fort Collins and I'm so glad I went to the Gardens! The gardens are well maintained with signage. Also, the gift shop has reasonably priced items with local products.

For a little night time holiday spirit we visited the Garden of lights display with our family. We enjoyed the different lighting displays. It's not a lengthy visit so good for kids or teens without patience... we have a few. You can walk around at your pace and enjoy some holiday tunes! It was a nice display from cactus to flowers and a sea of lights and was honestly a surprise right in the heart of FoCo. Definitely worth take a moment here and there to smell the roses and detail of all the lights. The staff was super friendly and felt safe with respect to the health crisis. A nice peaceful walk and got me into the spirit of the holidays.

Third concert I've been to. No order to people putting yard chairs up willy nilly When will staff figure out people with tall chairs need to sit behind those with low back chairs. Learn from experts at outdoor venues do everyobe may be able to see stage Bush league

Beautiful! Butterfly pavilion is a must-see! Gardens were in almost full bloom at the end of April.

We attended the Christmas lights this evening. The staff that checked us in was not very friendly to start, it was over crowded and the "elf juggling" they advertised was 1 person that couldn't even juggle walking around. To top it off, There was a younger Santa walking around, probably in his 40s. He was making inappropriate comments to lots of kids that we overheard and we figured he was probably tipsy. As we were getting ready to leave trying to corral our toddlers , he came over and told our 3 and 5 year olds they were on the naughty list. And then laughed and walked away. Absolutely inappropriate to have staff like that working and acting like they're inebriated. Our kids are absolutely distraught thinking they aren't getting Christmas gifts. Having to explain to kids that not all the Santa's "helpers" are real at the ripe age of 3 and 5 is heart breaking. Finally have some normal things to attend after CoVid and then this crap happens.... Ridiculous.

We visited the Gardens on Spring Creek in the fall, and it is just beautiful. There is an indoor community room type of space where they do story time and crafts for kids at a very low cost. The staff that did our story time was so kind and really organized, weren't phased by the change of weather and had a plan for the kids. The gardens outdoors are just beautiful and can be visited with a suggested low-cost donation. I can't wait to go back in the summer with the kids, there are so many fun things to explore. Definitely will make a point to come back next time we are in the area.

We went specifically to see the Butterfly House at the Gardens. The time slots are very short, especially for young, curious eyes. The allotted time is 15 minutes, the rules were clearly stated and followed by my children and the others in our group. One of the children was holding a rolly polly about 2/3 of the way through our walk around the House and the volunteer got extremely upset, asked the child to put it down (which they did immediately) and told us our tour was over and we needed to leave the House. We spent $27 on admission (one adult and two very well-behaved children) for 12 minutes in the Butterfly House. I was appalled at how the volunteer responded with my children, who were curious and engaged, not harming any creatures at all. They followed the rules and we felt kicked out after 12 minutes and not able to see the last 1/3 of the House. First off, it felt small and short, with only a few varieties of butterflies. We were not shown the caterpillars, the variety of butterflies, or anything else that the website advertises. Second, the volunteer was so worried about the children's behavior, she was not informative or inviting, clearly not suited to work with children. I was extremely disappointed in how the volunteer reacted and cut our tour short, especially for the price of admission! Not worth the 12 minutes and the $27. Make the trip to Denver for the Butterfly Pavillion.

The Gardens on Spring Creek I kind of just happened to stumble across while taking a very long walk while waiting for my car to get fixed one day. I heard my brother mention gardens that you could go to for free prior to my long walk but thought it was something on the CSU campus. It was a great deal of fun to take a walk through while getting sun burnt to wait for my quirky car to get fixed for the umpteenth time that summer. Since then I have visited The Gardens several times. There are lots of different plants to take in and it is most helpful with the signs explaining what they are. The Gardens on Spring Creek is kind of a mix between an urban garden that you see in the big cities where families grow fresh produce and plant flowers which otherwise they would not have the opportunity to do at home and a botanical garden. The facility is more high tech and not simple enough to call a urban garden exclusively but it does not house those really off the wall exotic plants that you see in the big city botanical gardens and the facility is too small to give it that term. Kind of in the middle really, and that is cool! The Gardens on Spring Creek is operated by the City of Fort Collins government. There is no entrance fee to walk through the gardens but there is a suggested $2.00 donation. Whoops! Sorry, I did not know that in my earlier visits there. There are various workshops that are held here as well covering landscaping and gardening and various other topics. The main building houses a gift shop and a hot house where more of the finicky plants that even reject Colorado's warm summers are housed as well as seedlings. There is a gift shop in the main building as well. The gardens themselves are fun to walk through. All those signs to take in and read as to what kinds of plants you are looking at. There is a game involving water that kids and adults can play in the summer time involving damming little trickles of water and then letting them go and other cute things. There is also a very peaceful little stream housing ever hungry Koi, begging for food and wanting to show off. Typically one does not think that botanical gardens do much in the winter time and I realize that is not the case. In December they decorate the gardens in Christmas lights and encourage people to come in and stroll through the gardens during the chilly months as well. When I mean stroll, just you and your own two feet and no dog. They discourage people to ride their bikes through the gardens and to leave them at the entrance and to not bring in your pets. The Christmas light display is held every night 5-8pm up to December 26th. I do not specifically know their summer hours but you can go to the website, http://www.fcgov.com/horticulture/ to learn more about their upcoming events and hours. Fun place to visit!

I take my daughter here almost every Monday for Read and Seed. They are read a story and then do a little craft or project that coincides. The staff memebers are so friendly and great with the children. We always have fun. My daughter loves coming home to show her dad and brother what she made. The cost is $3 for the child and adults are free. Read and Seed is for ages 2-4 but they have programs for all age levels. I would definately recommend checking this out!

A very unique feature of Fort Collins. The programs are great, I wish the entire place was designed similarly to the children's garden which, in my opinion, has a lot of great outdoor art. The non-children area seems more like a farm than a botanic garden, most things in it are edible vegetables not flowers. Definitely worth seeing.

Oh what a fun place to stop & stretch your legs. Like others are saying the children's area is not to be missed. Wish I had the grandkids with us.