The Botanic Gardens offers free group visits and guided tours, for the campus and the public.

 

Book Your Visit

  Please email your request to wcbg@wellesley.edu with the following information:

  • Your name & contact info (email or phone)

  • Your organization's name (if applicable)

  • Number of visitors (approximate #)

  • Date/time(s)

  • What you're requesting: Guided tour or self-guided visit? Greenhouse or outdoor gardens?

  • Request details: Help us best serve your group! Describe any particular interests for your visit, accessibility/accommodations requests, ages/grades, languages, etc.

We recommend carpooling, drop-off or shared transit when possible. We have very limited parking on weekdays, due to ongoing construction at nearby Simpson Hall. Please let us know if you need accessible parking reserved nearby (up to 5 spots).   Thank you for your patience and understanding!

 

About Group Reservations 

We provide free, guided group tours as well as advance reservations for self-guided group visits, for groups of 8 or more.

We schedule reservations and tours Sundays through Fridays 9am - 5pm.  Tour reservations during our public open hours (Tuesdays/Thursdays 2-5p, Sundays 11a-4p) are possible for small groups only. We have a free drop-in guided tour on open Sundays 2-3pm which does not require advance reservation.

We request a minimum of two weeks notice to schedule a tour, group visit, or field trip. 
Tours are only scheduled when the availability of two docent guides (students, volunteers, or staff) is confirmed.

Reservations may be made for the Global Flora greenhouse and/or outdoor garden areas, depending on the season (see below). 
We provide tours and guided visits; we do not provide tailored school lesson plans or other tailored activities at this time.

 

Welcoming All Visitors

We encourage and welcome all public groups - schools, community groups, non-profits, and organizations of all sizes to book a visit with us.
We welcome all interests, disciplines, and groups at Wellesley College to connect with us - we support courses, research, events, and more.
Our trained docents are excited to provide accessible, fun, and educational tours for diverse groups of all interests, ages, and backgrounds.  We consider visitors' specific needs and accommodations, to support the best experience possible. 

All visits and tours are free. For groups who have the budget and wish to do so, we welcome donations to support our free programs.
 

About Tours

Your group visit will be guided by Wellesley College students, staff, or volunteer docents. Our wonderful docent team represents a wide range of interests, disciplines, class years, and backgrounds, and are trained to provide a guided experience of specific plants and garden features. Our docents may or may not be subject experts in plants, botany, or horticulture. We do our best to match our docents with tour requests based on interests and availability.
 

Greenhouse tours (Fall & Spring): A guided tour of the Global Flora greenhouse runs ~40 min-1 hour. You may request a shorter tour or introductory overview. We provide an accessible, interactive tour of greenhouse highlights for all ages/audiences, with a focus on unique plants and environments. Global Flora is wheelchair/stroller-accessible and has seating. Just outside the greenhouse, the Global Flora courtyard, Kitchen Garden, and the small Annex greenhouse are available to visit. Recommended in Fall, Spring, and early Summer.

Outdoor garden tours (Summer):  Guided outdoor garden tours usually last 40 min - 1½ hours, and can focus on different garden areas or routes depending on seasonal highlights. Some routes may include uneven paths, slopes, and stairs, not suitable for all mobility needs (strollers, walkers, wheelchairs, etc.). We will work with your group to develop a route that is suitable. Recommended in summer, early Fall, and late Spring. Outdoor tour requests can include: 

  • Edible Ecosystem Teaching Garden - This can be a shorter tour (20 min), highlighting edible local plants and experiments in this innovative small food forest garden. Summer, Fall, and late Spring are especially fruitful. Has a bench and stone seating.
  • Alexandra Botanic Gardens - includes Paramecium Pond, Maple Swamp, Molly's garden, meadows, ancient oaks and unique trees
  • Hunnewell Arboretum - naturalistic hills, woody and grassy areas including Azalea Hill, Arboretum Pool, Bird Refuge, with colorful spring blooms and autumn foliage.
  • Specialized Gardens - these Educational Gardens near the Visitor Center are readily accessible, featuring a pollinator garden, dwarf conifers, and Kitchen Garden

Self guided visits: We encourage self-guided exploration using maps and signage available in the greenhouse and gardens. Some self-guided materials are available here. For small groups or family/friends, we encourage visiting (without a reservation) during our Visitor Center Open Hours, where our trained docents are available to answer questions. Maps are always available outside the Visitor Center.

 

For the Wellesley College community

For Wellesley College faculty, staff, students:

We welcome class visits, orgs, department events, and other requests during or outside of open hours.

We prioritize teaching and research-related use of the Botanic Gardens. Please let us know your course name, # of students, and any information that will help us support your visit or use of the gardens.

Contact us at wcbg@wellesley.edu to discuss your request, or make a reservation directly in 25Live. Reservable Botanic Gardens spaces include: Global Flora conservatory, Global Flora courtyard, Creighton Visitor Center room, Edible Ecosystem, Outdoor Gardens, and Teaching and Research Greenhouses (Sci G101-G105). You may specify areas of Global Flora (e.g. the Mezzanine seating area). The seating areas in Global Flora and the Visitor Center can each support ~35 people, with a projector and speakers available. Thank you!

 

Contact Us:

Wellesley College Botanic Gardens
106 Central Street, Wellesley, MA 02481
781-283-3094
wcbg@wellesley.edu