Skip to content
Olbrich Botanical Gardens, Madison, WI

Photo: Chief-O, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

Sports & OutdoorsLocal GemDate Night

Olbrich Botanical Gardens

Sixteen acres of free outdoor gardens near Lake Monona, with a Thai pavilion and a tropical conservatory under a glass pyramid.

3330 Atwood Ave · Madison, WI

About Olbrich Botanical Gardens

Olbrich Botanical Gardens spreads 16 acres of outdoor gardens along Starkweather Creek near Lake Monona in Madison. You can stroll the Sunken Garden with its 80-foot reflecting pool, a rose garden, a rock garden and the Thai Garden, whose sala was a gift from the government of Thailand and the Thai chapter of the Wisconsin Alumni Association. The Bolz Conservatory, a 50-foot glass pyramid, holds tropical plants, a waterfall and birds year-round.

  • #botanical garden
  • #conservatory
  • #thai pavilion
  • #rose garden
  • #madison

Printable maps

What's around here?

The closest stops to Olbrich Botanical Gardens, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Museums

    Madison Children's Museum

    Under $25

    A hands-on museum in downtown Madison where children learn through play across arts, science, history, health, and civic life.

    Transit: reachable by public transit

    2.7 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums

  • Theater & Events
    Date Night

    Overture Center for the Arts

    Check prices

    Catch a Broadway tour, symphony, opera or ballet at Madison's performing arts center on State Street, or browse its free art galleries.

    Transit: reachable by public transit

    3.0 mi awaySwitch it up: Theater & Events

  • Museums
    Rainy-Day Pick

    Chazen Museum of Art

    No admission fee

    Wander two linked buildings of free galleries at UW-Madison, with European, American and Asian art, drop-in tours and a cafe.

    Transit: reachable by public transit

    3.5 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums

  • Sports & Outdoors

    Allen Centennial Gardens

    No admission fee

    A free garden on the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus, open daily from dawn to dusk, focused on connecting people with plants.

    4.1 mi awayMore like this

  • Sports & Outdoors

    Capital Springs State Recreation Area

    Check prices

    A state recreation area just south of Madison, shared with a Dane County park, offering trails, camping, fishing and lake access on Lake Waubesa.

    4.4 mi awayMore like this

  • Sports & Outdoors

    Governor Nelson State Park

    Check prices

    A Wisconsin state park on the north shore of Lake Mendota with beaches, trails, and effigy mounds.

    5.9 mi awayMore like this