Visit

Tour Groups

Tours have returned!  Click on the button below to request a garden tour.

Learn all about our unique collection from knowledgeable and enthusiastic docents! During peak season, we appreciate a 2-week advance registration and a minimum of 10 participants.  Fees are $15 per person. Request a Garden Tour

Self-Guided Tours

In addition to docent-led tours, garden guides are available online at Self-Guided Tours and in the Visitor Center for your convenience .  

Pacific Bonsai Museum

This magnificent bonsai collection is adjacent to the Garden and shares an entrance with the RSBG.  Nestled amidst towering conifers, Pacific Bonsai Museum connects people to nature through the living art of bonsai. One of only two museums in the United States solely dedicated to bonsai, and one of only a handful of bonsai museums worldwide, Pacific Bonsai Museum maintains a collection of 150 bonsai that are among the finest examples of bonsai anywhere in the world. The collection is also the most geographically diverse bonsai collection in the United States, with trees from Canada, China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and the United States. A grand outdoor setting with the elegance of a fine art museum, Pacific Bonsai Museum features sixty trees on exhibit at a given time, open to the public six days a week. This cultural gem offers contemporary and traditional bonsai exhibitions, group tours, education programs, field trips, and public events. For additional information please visit their website at:  Pacific Bonsai Museum  or call (253) 353-7371.    

Facilities for Disabled Visitors

The Visitor Center, Shop, Restrooms, and RSBG Nursery are fully accessible. The accessibility path (marked on maps available in the Visitor Center) is level and covered with very fine, well-compacted gravel. This route loops through our Rutherford Conservatory and adjoining terrace with benches and chairs. The path continues through the Gazebo, which provides ample seating and an open vista of the Alpine Garden. From the Gazebo, the route loops back around to the entrance, with more benches along the way. The rest of the Garden is partially accessible. Gravel paths and hilly terrain make the use of wheelchairs and walkers difficult through most of the Garden. Many visitors with walkers or motorized wheelchairs are able to travel down and back up some of our more gentle slopes.

When to Visit

Year-Round Features: Pacific Northwest forest, Alpine Garden, Pond Garden, Woodland Garden, Hardy Fern Collection and Victorian Stumpery, Gazebo, RSBG Nursery, Visitor Center.

Explore a Season           Summer    Spring      Fall    Winter

Spring: Peak bloom time is mid-March through mid-May. Hundreds of Rhododendron species are in bloom, as well as spring bulbs, perennials, emerging ferns, and flowering trees and shrubs. Meconopsis (Blue Poppies) begin blooming in May and continue into June. Summer: Attractive new foliage, unusual late-blooming rhododendrons, perennials, carnivorous plants, hydrangeas, and ferns. Fall: Spectacular fall color provided by azaleas, maples, sweet gums, fothergillas, and many other ornamental trees and shrubs throughout the garden. Winter: Silhouettes of deciduous trees, our extensive conifer collection, swelling buds, and the beautiful flowers of early blooming rhododendrons and heather in January and February. View our self-guided tour guides for more details about what to see during the different seasons.

The Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden is committed to being an inclusive and welcoming space for the community by offering a range of low and no-cost admissions opportunities throughout the year. Please see below for current opportunities.
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ADMISSION DISCOUNTS:

Active or Retired Military Service Member with ID: Free
Children age 12 and younger: Free
Seniors (65+) and Students with ID: $7

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The garden is free and open to the public annually for Fall Foliage Festival (held in October).
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Tacoma Public Libraries Free Pass Program – Passes to local museums, parks, and other attractions can be reserved with your library card. Current Free Pass Program partners include: Foss Waterway Seaport, Lakewold Gardens, Museum of Glass, Tacoma Art Museum, Washington State History Museum, and Check Out Washington Discover Pass. King County Library System Museum and Park Pass Program – Reserve passes for museums and parks in King County with your library card. Current Museum and Park Pass Program partners include: Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden, Bellevue Arts Museum, KidsQuest Museum, Museum of History and Industry, The Museum of Flight, Seattle Aquarium, Museum of Pop Culture, and Washington State History Museum.
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American Horticultural Society’s Reciprocal Admissions Program (RAP) – Current memberships to the American Horticultural Society or from a garden participating in the AHS’ Reciprocal Admissions Program entitles you to special admissions privileges and discounts at hundreds of gardens throughout North America.  *Please note that the RSBG enforces the 90-mile exclusion rule, meaning that if you are a Member of another participating garden that is located within a 90-mile radius, Reciprocal Admissions Program benefits do not apply.*  Example: If you are a current member at Chicago Botanic Garden (or another RAP partner), you can present your active membership card and receive free admission at the RSBG. For more information, visit the American Horticultural Society’s website or contact us at Info@RhodyGarden.org.