I went to the Brookside Botanical Garden in late April and it was amazing! We didn’t go into the butterfly exhibit, but perhaps for another time. The garden was actually quite large, at 50 acres, meaning less crowds and a lot of photo ops! There was a wedding event when we got there (we were not invited, and thought it better not to crash someone’s random wedding, haha!) but it would be great place to host that if you want!

The parking was difficult; there was a lot, but just not a lot of spaces for the sheer size of the location (or perhaps the wedding contributed to that.

We saw mostly tulips, but there were plenty of other types of flowers and there were a lot of tulip varieties! On my Azalea post, I asked how many people knew the number of varieties of azaleas there were and I want to do the same here. So give me your best and the answer is listed these photos. How many tulip varieties do you think there are??

According to the Martha Stewart blog, there are more than 3,000 varieties! Which in comparison to the Azaleas, is low, but still crazy to me!

I went with a couple of friends and we stayed there for hours! A lot of it was talking, some of it was photo ops and just spending time in the area, appreciating the flowers and nature. It wasn’t too buggy when we went and the garden is free which is a really nice additive, especially in the MOCO area.

The space itself has an aquatic garden, azalea garden, butterfly garden, children’s garden, rose garden, Japanese-style garden, and more, so there is definitely a lot to explore when you’re here. I would say that it definitely can make for an all-day trip.

Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to explore the whole park, but I think I would like to revisit the aquatic or rose garden next time I go. I know that depending on the season, there may be different flowers blooming, so that is also something to keep in mind when you decide to go, because you may see different flowers (maybe even prettier ones!)

Note: PETS ARE NOT ALLOWED (With the exception of service animals, of course)

But the big question you’ve been wondering…

Do I recommend Brookside Botanical Garden for Tulip viewing (additional posts will be made for other gardens/seasons)

Yes! I think it was a lovely experience and if you have more time than we did, I definitely recommend you looking at the other gardens they have. The free-factor was a definite “selling point” (Haha!) for us and I think the only complaint would be it was to large to decide where to go or what to do! (Which is never really a complaint at all!) Depending on when you go- make sure to bring sunscreen because not all places are shaded.

Website: https://montgomeryparks.org/parks-and-trails/brookside-gardens/

Address: 1800 Glenallan Ave, Wheaton, MD 20902

Cheers friends and travelers!

~ Backroad Butterflies ~