Did you know you can visit English, Italian, and Japanese gardens all in one small Midwestern American city? In Janesville, Wisconsin, the award-winning Rotary Botanical Gardens is a 20-acre botanical display of 4,000 plant varieties. With 24 beautifully landscaped and themed gardens, this Janesville botanical garden is a family-friendly attraction for aspiring green thumbs of all ages.
To say Rotary Botanical Gardens is also a photographer’s paradise doesn’t do it justice. In my morning spent there in September 2017, I was in awe at every turn. Each garden was popping in colorful blooms. There was so much to capture! Though I came home with dozens of photos to edit, I’ve selected 23 of my favorites to share with you. As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words.
Disclosure: I’d like to thank the Janesville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau for hosting my visit to Rotary Botanical Gardens. This post also contains some affiliate links and ads. When you click on one of these links, I may earn a commission. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. As always, all opinions are my own.
Rotary Botanical Gardens In Janesville, Wisconsin
English Cottage, Italian and French Formal Gardens
As you enter Rotary Botanical Gardens, you’ll likely start at the charming English Cottage gardens. You might just feel as if you are in the Cotswolds. Then you can follow the path to the formal Italian and French gardens, where I had flashbacks to visiting the gardens at European castles.
Japanese Garden
Feeling like you need to find your zen? This serene garden features lily pad-filled ponds, green bamboo stalks, and pathways to the Japanese Bridge. It’s a peaceful oasis to sketch, read, or just sit and ponder.
Nancy Yahr Memorial Children’s Garden
With big, bright blooms in shades of red, pink, and purple, this garden has a playful vibe. Take a seat in one of the blue Adirondack chairs and enjoy the colorful flowers, whimsical sculptures, and lush weeping willow!
Things To Know Before You Visit Rotary Botanical Gardens
Location: 1455 Palmer Drive, Janesville, WI 53545
- April – Mid-May: 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. Daily
- Mid-May – Mid-September: 9 a.m. – 8 p.m. Daily
- Mid-September – October: 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. Daily
- November – March*: 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Monday – Saturday, Closed Sunday
- Please note that the gardens close at 3 p.m. on Holiday Light Show dates in December, may close due to inclement weather, and are not open to the public on the following holidays: Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas, New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s Day.
Admission:
- Adults (16-64): $7
- Seniors (65+): $6
- Youth (6-15): $5
- Military (With ID): $5
- Children (5 and younger): Free
Parking: Free on-site parking lot
Accessibility: Mostly accessible, but some parts of the Japanese Garden are challenging for wheelchair users and pushing strollers due to steps and bridges. Please ask the staff for an accessibility map or view it online here.
Phone: 608-752-3885
Website: rotarybotanicalgardens.org
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Why Visit The Janesville Botanical Garden?
Accessibility For All
First of all, I would recommend visiting Rotary Botanical Gardens to Janesville visitors and locals of all ages and activity levels due to the accessibility of most gardens via walking paths.
Close Proximity To Midwest Destinations
Near enough for a day trip or as part of a weekend getaway in Janesville, Rotary Botanical Gardens is located about:
Romantic Setting
Are you a couple on a romantic getaway from the city? Or, are you a local twosome looking for a unique date activity? Well, Rotary Botanical Gardens offers plenty of walkways for strolling hand-in-hand. Also, the gardens would be gorgeous backdrops for outdoor weddings and engagement photos.
Bountiful Botanical Landscape
With 4,000 plant varieties in 24 unique gardens, the Rotary Botanical Gardens offers plenty of stunning viewpoints and beautiful blooms to see. Visiting botanical gardens is one of my favorite travel activities, and this is one of the most colorful, bloom-filled, and well-landscaped gardens I’ve seen.
Photo Ops Galore
And, of course, anyone seeking the perfect instagrammable shot must visit! With 20 acres to explore, the photo opportunities are endless. I hope my insta-worthy photos inspire your own trip to Rotary Botanical Gardens in Janesville, Wisconsin.
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This is definitely my kinda place.! I swear, I could photograph beautiful flowers all day long! This botanical garden looks like a wonderful place for me to get my fill of them.
Just WOW on all the pics, it looks so beautiful in this botanical garden. The colors are so vibrant. I always have a weakness for Japanese gardens.
Love the Japanese garden and the children’s garden too. And so many photo ops! A photographer could be in heaven here!
What a beautiful garden! I usually visit gardens when I travel and I can see why you’ve made a post about its Instagram-worthy spots. Wisconsin is a state I’d like to explore more and will keep this in mind for the future.