Since 1885, the Vander Veer Botanical Park in Davenport has been wowing visitors with its lush gardens. The park is home to an extensive collection of gardens and trees, including many planted during the early 1890s. It's an escape from hectic daily life that's as beautiful as it is tranquil and best of all, it's free.
Here's what you can see and do at The Vander Veer Botanical Park, one of Iowa's very best free day trip destinations.
The park is located between Brady and Harrison Streets, Highway 61 North and South, just south of West Central Park Avenue in Davenport, Iowa. If you arrive by car, you'll find entrances off of Central Park Avenue. The park is open daily from sunrise until one half-hour after sunset.
The park is a popular place with walkers. A brick walkway lined by trees and gardens called the Grand Allee leads to an impressive stone fountain. The path that traces the outside perimeter of the park is just under a mile long.
For more than a century the conservatory has featured rotating displays including flowing bulbs, lilies, daisies and azaleas. You'll find summer tropical plants and foliage. In the fall it holds a chrysanthemum festival and in the winter it has a poinsettia lights display.
The park covers over 33 acres and has 600 trees representing 70 species. There are many gardens, including a hummingbird garden, a heat-tolerant garden, a grass garden, midsummer blooms garden, a sensory garden, a butterfly garden and a rain garden.
There are scores of plants at the park, including a huge variety of succulents.
The conservatory is open year-round. You'll see lush azaleas blooming in the dead of Iowa's winter.
The park is a popular destination in Davenport. It hosts events throughout the year and is the site of some beautiful weddings. Iowa is a state with many gorgeous gardens. Here are eight more gardens you need to visit.
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