America's Oldest Surviving Botanical Garden Is A Free-To-Visit Philadelphia Experience

Philadelphia is a wonderful city for parks and gardens. The city is home to one of the oldest urban park and recreation systems in the United States, which includes Fairmount Park — a sprawling green space that's larger than New York City's Central Park  — and Wissahickon Valley Park, set in a stunning gorge with lovely forests and trails. As a transplant to the city who's been living in Philly for six years, one of my top recommendations is Bartram's Garden. Set on the banks of the Schuylkill River, it's North America's oldest surviving botanical garden.

Occupying nearly 50 acres in Southwest Philadelphia, Bartram's Garden is a public park built around an 18th-century homestead built by the naturalist John Bartram (1699-1777). Nicknamed the "father of American botany," Bartram was a friend of Benjamin Franklin. He conducted his own horticultural experiments on this riverfront property, cultivating flowers and plants in the gardens and greenhouses he set up adjacent to his stone house and barn. 

Bartram's gorgeous botanical gardens have stood the test of time. They're open to the public and free to visit every day of the year. Stop by the Welcome Center, housed in Bartrams' original stables, to pick up a map of the site, then go for a stroll around the grounds. Stop to look at the Common Flower Garden and Upper Kitchen Garden around the family's onetime residence, now known as Historic Bartram House. In spring, check out the vibrant tulips and hyacinths in bloom on the riverside of the nearby Coach House. Then smell the roses in the Ann Bartram Carr Garden and take in views of the lush water plants of the Lower Garden, lining a path that leads down to the river's edge.

Apart from admiring Bartram's Gardens' historic buildings and impressive floral displays, I love going for a longer walk on the Bartram's Mile Trail, which winds past gardens, fields, and the river for about 1.5 miles. It's a perfect spot for a relaxed bike ride, too, and the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia provides complimentary bicycles on weekends from May through October (registration is required, however, and the events usually fill up). This is one of my favorite things about Bartram's Garden: The site provides free and public access to outdoor activities. (Where else can you borrow a bike at no cost?) There are even free learn-to-ride classes for both kids and adults. Check the garden's event calendar for upcoming dates and registration.

If you want to get out on the water, you're in luck. Despite Philly's position on the Schuylkill River, hopping in a kayak isn't easy to do because there aren't many public access points. (The Schuylkill is a tidal waterway that rises and falls about six feet each day, so in the city center, the river's banks are walled to prevent flooding.) But Bartram's Garden sits on an open half-mile stretch called Schuylkill Banks — the southernmost 8 miles of the river that flow from the Fairmount Dam to the Delaware River. There's free kayaking and rowboating available from the garden's dock on Saturdays from May through late September, and free fishing on Wednesday evenings. 

Bartram's Garden is open every day from sunrise to sunset. There's free parking near the main entrance on 54th Street, which is accessible via car, bicycle, or the #36 SEPTA trolley. If you're looking for more gardens to explore near Philly, don't miss Longwood Gardens, Pierre du Pont's dazzling estate in nearby Kennett Square — it's the largest botanical garden in America.