7 gorgeous public gardens in Las Vegas

From the Bellagio Conservatory to a community healing garden, experience the power of flowers at these seven public gardens in Las Vegas.

Everything’s coming up roses in Las Vegas.

Despite the arid desert climate, Southern Nevada is full of thriving gardens—tranquil landscapes open to the public for relaxation, rejuvenation, and respite. While gardens in resorts on the Las Vegas Strip attract global tourism with extravagant displays, the outdoor and botanical gardens in Las Vegas and Henderson do remarkable things with limited resources. 

Many public gardens are examples of xeric landscape, or xeriscape, taken from the Greek word xeros, meaning dry. These gardens are designed to save water with drought-tolerant plants and efficient irrigation systems, creating sustainable and lovely gardens.

From an iconic garden conservatory inside a world-class resort to a community healing garden built by locals, experience the power of the flower at these seven public gardens in Las Vegas.

1. UNR Cooperative Extension Botanic Garden

8050 Paradise Road, Las Vegas

The University of Nevada, Reno Cooperative Extension’s outdoor Botanic Garden is an expansive, water-smart collection of plants for research, education, and volunteer activities. Most of the arid-adapted plants reside in the seven-acre Botanic Garden’s demonstration and test garden, which is dotted with exercise equipment along a red cork pathway—perfect for a stroll or a workout.

Throughout the landscape, you’ll encounter about 4,500 different plant types, including nine species of roses, 200 cactus species (especially gorgeous when they bloom in spring and summer), and a habitat for the declining monarch butterfly population with 26 different milkweed species. There’s also a pine grove, herb and vegetable gardens, and a mini-orchard with fruit trees. 

The youth garden is an outdoor classroom where kids can get their hands dirty and develop a lifelong love for gardening. A dry wash running through the center of the main garden developed naturally, as did 99 percent of the plants growing in it.

The Botanic Garden is open to the public on weekdays, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., for self-guided and guided tours. Visit the website to learn more about the garden’s educational opportunities.

2. Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Gardens

Bellagio Resort & Casino, Las Vegas

The 14,000-square-foot, naturally lit Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Garden is known worldwide for its fantastical seasonal displays of flowers, plants, and trees. Locals and tourists flock to the high-end hotel for this theatrical and awe-inspiring show for the senses.

Now featuring its Spring display, a talented team of 120 people transforms the garden five times a year with flowers, trees, gazebos, bridges, ponds, and other features to represent the season, plus a special display for the Lunar New Year. The Christmas holiday display is especially extravagant, the most recent including a Swarovski crystal-star-topped 45-foot Christmas tree, 20,000 poinsettias, an 18-foot gingerbread house, 7,500 red and black roses, and 41 silvertip trees.

The Bellagio Conservatory is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you prefer to avoid crowds, you can watch the seasonal transformations or enjoy a finished display via the Earth Cam.

3. Palazzo Waterfall Atrium

Grand Canal Shoppes, The Venetian | The Palazzo, Las Vegas

An indoor garden changed by a horticulture team for the seasons and Chinese New Year, The Palazzo Waterfall Atrium is another stunning garden attraction for tourists and locals alike.

Located at the Grand Canal Shoppes entrance, the colorful indoor garden bed thrives with natural lighting, creative displays, and fabulous flower and foliage arrangements. It’s often bustling with activity, but if you’re lucky, you might find a spot to sit and smell the flowers.

The centerpiece is a cascading two-story waterfall with escalators on either side. At the waterfall’s foot is a 12-foot-tall, 36-foot-wide art sculpture of the word “love.” The photo opportunities are endless!

The garden is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The Palazzo Waterfall Atrium thrives with natural lighting, creative displays, and fantastic flower and foliage arrangements. (Howard Freeman)

4. Baepler Xeric Garden

UNLV, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway, Las Vegas

Hidden on the university campus near the entrance to the Marjorie Barrick Museum, the two-acre Donald H. Baepler Xeric Garden was the city’s first large-scale demonstration garden. It was completed in 1988, long before water-smart landscapes were popular in Southern Nevada.

The public garden is a living laboratory of desert plants, both native and non-native. It’s a prime example of attractive and effective xeriscaping.

The garden features plants native to the four desert regions of North America—plus Australia, South America, Mexico, and the Mediterranean—including blue yucca, agave, eucalyptus, jojoba, and the creosote bush. Enjoy the peaceful and tranquil setting while strolling along 9,000 square feet of paved pathways or resting on a bench or in a shaded area. 

Located at the garden’s north end, the Klinkhammer Bird Viewing Ramada has a pool to provide a water supply for migratory and local birds. The sandstone boulders used in the design came from the base of Mt. Potosi, a remote range in Southwest Las Vegas.

As a botanical garden dedicated to scientific research, conservation, display, and education, it’s a popular spot for students studying landscape architecture, biology, and horticulture. In addition to the garden, the 335-acre UNLV campus is an arboretum with 80 acres landscaped with trees, shrubs, and turf.

5. Las Vegas Community Healing Garden

1015 S. Casino Center Blvd., Las Vegas

A symbol of unity and remembrance for the Las Vegas community, the  Las Vegas Community Healing Garden was built in response to the Route 91 shooting, when a lone gunman killed 58 people and injured more than 500 during the Route 91 music festival on Oct. 1, 2017.

The garden is not only for the community, but it was built by the community. Hundreds of volunteers and the City of Las Vegas built it in just four days based on a sketch on a napkin. 

The garden has a wall of remembrance, a beautiful water feature with angel wings, a grove of trees, shrubs, colorful flowers, paved walkways, and benches. The central oak tree, known as the tree of life, was donated by late legendary Las Vegas magicians, Siegfried Fischbacher and Roy Horn. Tiles made by victims’ families, survivors, and community members adorn the tree’s heart-shaped planter.

The Las Vegas Community Healing Garden is a garden for the community, built by the community in the wake of the deadly Route 91 shooting in 2017. (Ron Made/CC BY-SA 2.0)

6. Ethel M Botanical Cactus Garden

2 Cactus Garden Dr, Henderson

A popular tourist attraction that’s also cherished by locals, the prolific three-acre Botanical Cactus Garden at the Ethel M chocolate factory has over 300 different species of plants, all specifically selected for their beauty and ability to thrive in the Mojave Desert.

The various cactuses and succulents are native to the American Southwest. Trees and shrubs are native and non-native, hailing from the Southwestern United States, Australia, and South America.

The botanical garden is enjoyable year-round, but it’s especially magical during holidays like Christmas and Valentine’s Day, when one million sparkling lights and other decorations adorn the plants and garden.

Before or after enjoying the botanical desert terrain, head inside to explore Ethel M’s flagship chocolate shop. The Botanical Cactus Garden and the factory tour are free and open to the public.

The Botanical Cactus Garden at Ethel M showcases over 300 species of cacti, succulents, and other plants year-round. (Richard Martin/CC BY-SA 2.0)

7. Acacia Demonstration Garden

50 Casa Del Fuego St., Henderson

Quaintly tucked into a quiet residential neighborhood between the Henderson Spaghetti Bowl and Black Mountain, the Acacia Demonstration Garden is part of a 16-acre public park with a playground, splash pad, soccer fields, baseball diamond, dog parks, and walking trails. 

A collaborative effort by the City of Henderson, the Conservation District of Southern Nevada, and local organizations, Acadia Garden flourishes with water-efficient landscaping ideas for those planting in Southern Nevada. Take a winding journey past allergy-friendly, ethnobotanical, Mediterranean, native, and near-native plants; a cactus garden; compost, turf, streetscape, and dry wash demonstrations; and a garden memorial.

Trails in the demonstration garden connect with those near the dog parks and baseball field. There are benches, covered gazebos with seating, and occasionally a scampering bunny along the way. It’s a great place to take a stroll, run, or walk your dogs (just be sure to clean up after them!).

Acacia Demonstration Gardens hosts workshops every spring and fall on topics related to landscaping in a desert climate. For more information, visit the city’s website.

This article first appeared on Good Info News Wire and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.