Location: Central Seattle/Capitol Hill
Address: 1400 E. Galer St.
Acreage: approx. 0.4
Completed in 1912, the Volunteer Park Conservatory houses hundreds of varieties of unusual plants and flowers. The beautiful glass building is divided into five “houses” with different temperatures and themes: Palms, Ferns, Cacti, Seasonals and Bromeliads.
It’s fun to wander the rooms and take in the wonderful scent of tropical flowers. Especially on a cold fall or winter day, a stop in the Conservatory is a nice break.
Entrance is free, but donations are requested. The Conservatory has gone through a period of decline in recent decades and requires private funding to keep the building and collection of plants in good condition.
Interestingly, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Department gives the Conservatory plants that were seized from people trying to illegally import them. They can never be sold, only traded to other botanical gardens.
So if you’d like to check out some smuggled orchids, cacti or cycads, stop by the Conservatory on your next visit to Volunteer Park.
Links:
Friends of Volunteer Park Conservatory
#50 (Visited 11/4/09)