The Botanic Gardens offers free group visits and guided tours, for the campus and the public.
Group visits
We encourage all public groups to visit Global Flora and the WCBG Visitor Center during public open hours, Sundays 10am-3pm, Tuesdays 12-4pm, and Thursdays 12-4pm (closed during holidays and campus breaks; see closure dates). Maps, restrooms, and water fountains are available in the Visitor Center. The outdoor gardens are always free and open to all. Maps are also available 24/7, outside the visitor center and online.
For groups of 8 or more, we recommend giving us advanced notice of your visit. Admission and group visits are always free. If you’d like to help us sustain our free programs, donations can be made at the Visitor Center or online.
The Global Flora greenhouse has signage and exhibits for a self-guided experience, and is wheelchair-accessible. Student greeters in the Visitor Center are available to support your visit during public open hours.
Guided tours
We offer weekly, free, drop-in guided Global Flora tours on Sundays 11am-11:45am (except during holiday closures)! All visitors and groups are welcome to join. For groups of 8 or more, we request advance notice so we can be sure to accommodate everyone.
Weekly Sunday tours are led by Wellesley College student guides, and are an educational opportunity for students as well as visitors. Student guides have a wide range of interests, majors, and class years, and will share unique plant stories and highlights. Exhibits and tours may feature artistic, historical, cultural, scientific, sensory, and other creative connections between people and plants.
We are currently not scheduling any other guided tours for public groups, with the exception of school groups, due to limited staffing. Please visit during our open hours for a self-guided visit.
For school groups, please contact us with your request (see “Book your group visit” below), and we will schedule your visit pending the availability of at least two docent guides (students, volunteers, or staff). Guided tours may be requested for the Global Flora greenhouse and/or outdoor garden areas, depending on the season (see below); a self-guided visit is also possible. We do not provide tailored school lesson plans or other tailored activities at this time. We do not schedule tours/visits in January, May, and August due to campus breaks and major events.
Your school group visit may be guided by Wellesley College students, staff, or volunteer docents. Our wonderful docent team represents a wide range of interests and disciplines, 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.
Note: Campus requests (for classes, tours, events) can be scheduled by contacting us, or booking garden spaces directly in 25Live (see below for list). We prioritize accommodating course reservations, and support research use, programs, and other reservations. If you send students to Global Flora for assignments, please note that campus swipe access hours are Tuesdays - Fridays 10am-4pm; if extended hours are needed, please contact us.
Book your group 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: Self-guided visit or guided tour? Global Flora 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!
Types of Tours
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
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!
Wellesley College Botanic Gardens
Wellesley, MA 02481