5 reasons to visit the Vallarta Botanical Gardens
The Vallarta Botanical Gardens is now in its 19th year and has a terrific lineup of events planned for the year, offering something each month to entice those who really appreciate nature, plants, and flowers. They even have an annual Chocolate and Vanilla Festival which will well worth attending.
Here are my Top 5 reasons to visit the Vallarta Botanical Gardens:
- The lily pond at the Vallarta Botanical Gardens blooms year-round with colourful lilies surrounding a towering water-friendly tree in the centre of the pond!
- There are great on-site facilities, including a restaurant where you can enjoy an interesting selection of culinary specialties and a gift shop where you can purchase handcrafts, locally-made organic chocolate, and books about plants and chocolate. (Yes, volume I of Chocolatour have been sold there, and you will soon find copies of volume II of Chocolatour: A Quest for the World’s Best Chocolate Adventures there.)
- The VBG are rated among the Top 10 Gardens to Visit in North America, with no less than 50 different varieties of Mexican orchids to enjoy as well as a terrific collection of plants and trees that thrive in the Tropical Dry Semi-Deciduous Forest found in this part of Mexico.
- The VBG offers a free downloadable monthly magazine that will blow you away with colourful photography and introduce you to a new bird and orchid each month to enhance your on-site visit.
- Visiting the VBG takes you out of the busy city of Puerto Vallarta and into a quiet oasis where you can be at peace with nature and help a good cause. (The VBG are funded via your entrance fees, donations, and memberships.)
You’ll find many comfortable places to contemplate the beauty of the Vallarta Botanical Gardens.
If you missed my previous post on the VBG, please check it out for some additional photos. Have you visited the Vallarta Botanical Gardens? If so, what impressed you most about it? Have you visited any of the other gardens listed in the Top 10? (The full list is on page 10 of the November newsletter.)
Thank you for sharing this with us. I love going to botanical gardens, each one has unique plants, and the insect life attracted to them is interesting too.
It is indeed, William. I didn’t include the great pic I have of a gecko on a leaf, but yes, I love seeing the different forms of life that come with the garden. Thx for stopping by.
Looks like a nice place to visit.
Love the cozy chair to sit in and enjoy the garden. Love even more that your book is on hand, Doreen. That’s fantastic. I have friends who love to travel to Mexico, so this has been tweeted, tumblr’d and Facebook!
Yay, Rose! Thx so much for sharing my post. Little by little, the world of Chocolatour is reaching readers around the world. Glad to have you onboard.
Oh that little couch looks so comfy, I could easily pass out for a few days right there! HA
What a beautiful flower!
I love, love, love the cosy chair situated right beside the breathtaking view. I could do with being there right now with a good book.
oh wow! The gardens are beautiful. Looks very relaxing. Thanks for sharing x
Doreen — How beautiful the gardens are. Was that the view from your room and your divan to lie on and enjoy the scenery. I’ve been to Longwood Gardens, which are also spectacular. Not for a long time, though, and I’d love to return.
Hi Jeannette: No, the lounge chair is just in a nook in the Visitor Centre at the gardens, where you can sit and contemplate, or have a look at one of the many books they have on site for sale. Beautiful site. Haven’t been to Longwood Gardens. In what city are they?
Doreen — Longwood Gardens is in Kennett Square, PA. about equidistant between Philadelphia and Wilmington, DE. Definitely worth seeing in the spring, when I visited. Here is their website http://longwoodgardens.org/
Thx so much, Jeannette. I’ve not been to PA, but I hope to change that real soon! The spring does indeed sound like a good time. Cheers & happy holidays.
Fifty variety of orchids is reason enough for me to go. My fascination with orchids has been growing over the years, though I love the water lilies too.
I know what you mean, Jeri. I had no idea there are so many varieties of orchids, but I love them all!
Lovely. I still need to get to Vancouver’s Botanical Gardens which I hear are a dream! Not sure if there are organic chocolates there though!
Hi Gemma. It’s the Butchart Gardens in Victoria (Vancouver’s sister city) that have the world renown gardens. I’ve not been to our heard about any Botanical Gardens in Vancouver although I have seen some lovely gardens in Stanley Park (unless that’s what you mean.)
VanDusen Botanical Gardens? Supposed to be very nice.
The New York Botanical Gardens recently had an exhibit based on Frida Kahlo in which they tried to recreate the gardens around Frida’s Casa Azul. Looks like they might have borrowed a thing or two from Vallarta.
Thx for the tip about the NY Botanical Gardens, Ken. New York is on my list of places to visit for Chocolatour in 2016, so if I’m there in nice weather, I will check out the botanical gardens.
Doreen, I love gardens of any kind. Since I’m not much of a traveler I really just visit those gardens close to home but i always find so much peace in those places.
I’m rather envious of you for having visited this lovely garden and the Butchart one – the second one being one I’ve read about and admired how it came to be.
It would be lovely for you to be able to launch your second book at the Vallarta Botanical Garden – wow. Hope that happens.
Thanks so much for your comment, Lenie. Yes, gardens possess a special ability to touch us, no matter where they are located.
The interesting thing about visiting gardens in different places is that they reflect the flora, fauna, and character of the specific area in which they are located. And the special thing about the Vallarta Gardens is that they have cacao trees! It would indeed be the perfect place to launch the second volume of Chocolatour. I hope I can work that out!
Thanks for introducing me to this naturally beautiful garden. Look forward to more.
All good reasons. I love to visit Botanical Gardens when I travel. I have been to 2 gardens on the list – Butchart Gardens and Desert Botanical Gardens (both of which I have visited several times).. Hope to add Vallarta to my list some day.
Thx to all for continuing the conversation. I, too, have visited Butchart Gardens and the Desert Botanical Gardens, Donna. Each is so very different. Butchart is much more groomed and manicured, like an English garden. The Desert Garden is dry and sparse by comparison. The Vallarta Gardens are kind of halfway between the two.
Stunning images and looks like a lovely place to visit. Not sure when or if I’ll get back to PV but you’ve certainly provided some tempting reasons to give it a try!
You had me at “relax”. Thank you for the wonderful post!
Wow, Doreen! Jalisco!!! Do you have a post about their plant collections? I heard from a friend they are exotic!
Hi Trisha. No, I haven’t done a post about the collections at the garden as there is just too much to say! If you spend some time reading their online newsletters, you will see more about the specialities that the Vallarta Botanical Gardens is best known for. It’s constantly expansing and adding to what they have.
nice! Something pretty and relaxing about seeing flowers and gardens. And that water lily!
Hi Mar: Yes, gardens are such therapeutic places, aren’t they? I’m going to make a point of trying to get to each of the 10 gardens listed on that Top 10!
Thank you so much for such wonderful words about the Vallarta Botanical Garden!
You’re most welcome, Neil! I’m really pleased to have discovered the Vallarta Botanical Gardens and to have met you. I hope that fate will bring me back some day. Perhaps a book launch for volume II of Chocolatour …
Such a fabulous place to have botanical garden. The water lily photo is gorgeous:-)
Thanks, Kathy. I love that photo, too. I love water lilies in general, as they have such an image of peace and serenity. Cheers to you, my friend.
Glad I found your site. A chocolate lover here from the Philippines. 🙂 And oh, your reasons to visit Vallarta Botanical Garden are all iniviting! 🙂 Direct and so genuine. 🙂
Thanks a lot for your comment, Jessica. Yes, I think the Philippines is getting more into pure chocolate vs super sweet candy. It’s a whole new world! I hope you enjoy it, and that you have the opportunity to visit Mexico.
I’d love to sit on that seat with a good book! I try to visit the Botanical Gardens in every place I visit.
Hi Danielle and thanks for your comment. Yes, the Vallarta Botanical Gardens has quite a few enticing placers to relax and just take it all in. Which Botanical Gardens have you visited that really impressed you?
Honestly didn’t know Vallarta had a botanical garden. If I ever go there I will visit it because it looks and sounds good.
Hi Catarina: I think there are a LOT of people who don’t know about the gardens in PV. But I think that is changing, as they are very good at asking visiting to post reviews on TripAdvisor, and they have been working with the local tourism authorities to help get the word out. It really is a tremendous facility.
Wow — this place sounds wonderful! It opened since I was last in Puerto Vallarta; clearly it’s time for me to go back.
Hi Edie and thanks for your comment. Yes, I was amazed at all the new attractions, art installations and facilities I discovered while visiting PV this year. It’s really changed and enhanced itself as a well-rounded destination since I’d first visited in the 1980’s.
This sound like a really cool and relaxing place to visit. Thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome, TammyJo. Plus it is a great place for chocolate enthusiasts, so what’s not to love!
Reasons good enough for me. I must check out this place.
Their monthly magazine is beautiful. I can just imagine how stunning the Vallarta Botanical Gardens is in person. It must feel wonderful to see your book on the shelves in the gift shop. Pretty awesome!
Hi Susan. Yes, I’m really proud to be a supporter of the Vallarta Botanical Gardens. It’s a truly beautiful facility. And it does feel great to have my book in Mexico. The list of countries is growing!