Guided tours of the Greenhouse or one of the outdoor gardens can be scheduled for children and adult groups (up to 30 individuals) with an interest in botany and horticulture.  Tours must be scheduled at least 10 days in advance. Please see “adult groups” and “school groups” below for specific information on scheduling and cost .

John showing off the orchids	Venus Fly-traps in summer	The Asian Garden

Adult groups

The fee for a guided tour is a three dollar per person donation.  Groups of 7-15 people require one guide. Groups of 16-30 will require two guides (you may come at the same time, we will just need to divide the group for the tour). We need to make these arrangements before you visit, so please give us your best estimate of group size*.  Guided tours can last from a half hour to an hour & a half, depending on your preference.  If your group has a particular botanical interest, let us know ahead of time and we will happily focus the tour as such.  If you would like to schedule a tour, please contact Paula at or 704-687-0719.  

If you have a group larger than 30,  we highly recommend Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens in Belmont, NC (20 minutes west of Charlotte). Unfortunately, we are truly limited in space and support and cannot accommodate large groups for tours.

* If your group will be traveling in a bus that cannot fit in a normal parking space, you will need to drop visitors off at the greenhouse and the bus will be instructed to park in a remote location (usually parking lot 25 on campus).

School groups

Guided tours of the greenhouse or gardens may be scheduled for school groups studying plants (ages 7 and older, up to 25 students).  Tours for official school (public or private) groups are $1 per child. If you wish to bring a non-school group of children, the fee is $2 per child. No charge for chaperones.

Groups of 7-12 people require one guide.  Groups of 13-25 will require two guides (you may come at the same time, we will just need to divide the group for the tour) . We need to make these arrangements before you visit, so please give us your best estimate of group size*.   Also, please be sure that you bring at least one adult chaperone for every 12 children.   Guided tours for children generally last between 45 minutes- hour. 

If you are studying a particular aspect of plants and would like your tour to have a special focus, please let us know.   If you would like to schedule a tour or have questions about a tour, please contact Paula at or 704-687-0719.

If the group you would like to bring is larger than 25, we suggest trying Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden in Belmont, Latta Plantation Nature Preserve in North Mecklenburg, or Reedy Creek Nature Preserve on Rocky River Rd. off Harris Blvd. – all three of which can accommodate larger groups. Unfortunately, we are truly limited in space and support and cannot accommodate large groups for tours.

* If your group will be traveling in a bus that cannot fit in a normal parking space, you will need to drop visitors off at the greenhouse and the bus will be instructed to park in a remote location (usually parking lot 25 on campus).