UC Botanical Garden at Berkeley
Category: Botanical Gardens [Edit]
Neighborhood: UC Campus Area200 Centennial Drive #5045
Berkeley, CA 94701 (510) 643-2755
- Good for Kids: Yes
46 Reviews for UC Botanical Garden at Berkeley
They did a very good job. Their representative Luis was very professional. I would recommend their services to others.
I was married last weekend at the Redwood Grove. I can't imagine a better mini-oasis amid the city. The Brazilian Room is lovely, but we already knew we wanted to have our reception down near the Berkeley campus.
The location is a little bit tricky, but we distributed self-tested directions far and wide and no one appeared to show up mid-ceremony.
There's not much more I can say about it - if you're considering it as a wedding venue, go visit it and you'll see. If you're having a non-religious wedding, this is the perfect place to get married, as it has a distinctly sacred feel.
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I had my wedding here in May of this year. Depending on which location you choose, will determine how many people they allow at the wedding. We chose the Old rose garden which is limited to 30 people. The Redwood Grove allows a much larger group of peeps. May is the peak of roses in bloom. It also tends to be a littler cooler (NOT this year though!) From the Rose Garden, up one path, you can see the Golden Gate bridge. Some of our wedding pictures have the GGB in the background. We were lucky that we had not fog that day to cover up the bridge! If you are a bride, there is a small room near the front offices that they will allow you to use to change. Note: Walking up the hill can be tough in high heels! We had photos taken at the Chinese herb garden, the Rose Garden, and the Asian Garden. Both the herb garden and Asian garden have ponds. The herb garden has this beautiful golden lacey looking bridge where the background is rich green lawn. The Asian garden pond has rocks to walk over falling water, lily pads, a stone pagoda decoration, little koi, and japanese iris. There are lots of great photo ops for weddings near here. No amplified music is allowed in the gardens for weddings. Neither are food allowed at the wedding sites. The Rose Garden is a tough location for older people to walk. If requested, they will allow small cars to drive the older people who need walkers, wheel chairs, etc... Margie Richardson is the rental co-ordinator. She is easy to work with, and she primarily works there on weekends. Parking can be paid in advance and those spaces will be reserved. We did not have our reception there... I'm glad... that day and evening was too hot!!!
Wow, as a photographer, I am always looking for new places to go for pictures. This place is awesome, especially for the nature, macro photographer like me!
Yesterday, July 1st, I was looking for something to do today on a day off, and saw a commercial for the botanical gardens in Golden gate park SF, where they were having a butterfly expo. It mentioned on the site about their corpse flower, which I never heard of before. I started researching this flower and low and behold, it turned out the corpse flower at the UC botanical garden had just flowered late Monday June 30Th, and would probably be closed sometime on the 2ND...
I was so excited, and upon arrival to the gardens around 11am, I went strait for the tropical house to see this wonderful LARGE flower, in what would probably be the last hours of it being open. This flower is very rare for a number of reasons that I learned from a wonderful worker, and I think like the head botanist at the garden Paul lichte I think his name was.
after spending substantial amount of time in the heat of the hot house and a wonderful chat with Paul, about the corpse and the miracle berry, I left to explore the rest of the gardens as I found out that there was another plant blooming that is probably more rare to see then the corpse, and that would be the agave cactus.
These gardens are incredible, very maze-y in the lay-out, which is cool, as it allows people like me to just get lost and enjoy what is around.
At the end of the day, as I was about to leave, I saw Paul again near the front, and he was holding a very small corpse plant, he did say that they were going to be selling them soon. we chatted more about the incredible flower, I think I want to buy one now, and maybe in 8-20 years I can stink out the neighborhood!
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One of my five million Filipino aunties got married here last year. It was the first time I'd ever heard of the UC Berkeley Botanical Garden, and finding it was quite a challenge. But sitting in the Redwood Grove, listening to acoustic guitar and watching my aunt and new uncle get married was so uber-cool. For a split second, I forgot we were just minutes away from cars, buildings, a bustling city. I was in a forest in the middle of nowhere.
The reception was held at a hall in the Botanical Garden, and when I cut out during the part where my aunt tried to get me to dance with all the old Filipino ladies, I walked around a bit and got to see some of the amazing flora on display. The carnivorous plants are especially awesome. Such a peaceful and spectacular place to get lost in for a day - especially if you're not the type to go on trail hikes or venture into the California wilderness (like me!).
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I love this place. I first visited the Bot in 1991 or 1992 when I was in architecture school at Cal and we were supposed to design something sited at the Bot. I fell in live with the peaceful oasis of carefully managed greenery, divided into different regions. I remember strolling through with wonder in the California section with all our native greens, to the almost extraterrestrial land that was host to all the cacti. Then you pass through the calm reflective pools and lakes that mark the Chinese and Japanese gardens and at some point you reach the hot houses where you breathe in the sweetly scented and moist air, perfumed by exotic plants from the tropics.
Some of my best memories from college happened here, and I still try to go at least once a year for a hike through the whole garden.
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I can't believe I've lived in the Bay Area my entire life and JUST discovered this place! This is one of the best kept secrets in the Bay Area (or maybe I'm the only one who didn't know about it). Anyway, my boyfriend and I came to check it out as a potential wedding site and ended up exploring the gardens for 4 hours, but we still didn't see everything! It is up in the Berkeley hills and feels like a total escape from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. We booked the Redwood Grove for our wedding. Besides the fact that it's such a beautiful place and the fees are reasonable, we like that our money will go towards a good cause, like their research and preservation efforts. Everyone who works/volunteers here is very friendly and knowledgeable too. If you visit here, come for the whole day and bring a picnic lunch and/or a book; or definitely try to hook up with one of the free guided tours - you'll learn a LOT and notice things you probably wouldn't have noticed without the help of your guide.
This CAN be an amazing opportunity to view plants from all over the world, but pick your season carefully. There are times when the garden is dormant or being reworked by volunteer gardeners. This takes time.
It is a gentle, good walk, tho', for out of towners, visitors, or relative.
The beauty lies within. A transformed place from the world around. The first Thursday of the month is free, so we meandered up the hill to be surrounded by the abundant plants and critters. It's an inspiring setting, tranquil, and majestic. Great weekday spot for a peaceful retreat.
What a great place to get married too, they have a beautiful redwood grove setting, that holds about 100 or so, and conference type area as well.
Spent most of the time in the Asia and California regions....loved the Arid House. Need to return to see the rest of the grounds.
Wonderful Wonderful place that so many Cal students neglect to visit if they are not in the sciences. Its so peaceful to walk around or even study in if you have access to a car or manage to catch the bus. It's organized very logically, but I recommend picking up a map from the little center. All the volunteers are super knowledgeable, and every so often they have sales for your garden! If you are in the area, the Bot garden is a true Treasure of Berkeley.
I love this place. Its fun to get lost in the mazes of fresh flower and see the amazing view of the bay.
Check out the rose gardens and the Japanese gardens. They separate all the categories with certain destinations. Its fun to compare on region to another. I must warn you to prepare and put on your thinking caps before arriving because you can get lost. Getting lost is kinda fun though.. To each is their own. Right?
They do weddings and special events here too for a decent price. They have three different areas you can rent out and do receptions, ceremonies or anything you want. I must add they do have preferred vendors, insurance costs, and a standard fee per hour in which included set up and break down time.
If you rent out the room by the tropical house they will leave it open for you and your guest to explore. Pretty cool!
Keep up the hard work UC crew its paying off!
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I'm embarrassed to admit that this was my first time here today, and I barely scratched the surface. Nina and I went up this afternoon for a pre-big-plant-sale plant run. The Big Plant Sale is in a couple of weeks. I have been hearing about this place for years. I actually thought I'd been here but I was at some other place in Tilden. Don't snicker. Anyhow, plant run. They have amazing plants for reasonable prices. I picked up seven very fine plants for less than $60. One was the most beautiful variegated grey/green/brown fern I've ever seen. I can't describe the other plants as easily. They have herbs and ornamentals of all sorts. I came home and first Alan helped me dig out a tenacious volunteer cotoneaster that was strangling one of my azaleas. I planted a replacement azalea and then planted the fern and a lovely iris and will plant the others later when my back recovers. I wore my gardening boots from Pastime and I was set!
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Amazing!
I've been here twice and loved it both times. The gardens are tucked away behind Cal's campus. It is a bit of an uphill walk but you can reach it via bus, as well.
Each bed is meticulously maintained. There are many benches available to just sit around and enjoy the scenery (as well as bird watch, if that's your thing). The sound of the creek can be heard rushing around as you walk around peacefully. The wide variety of foliage is beautiful.
Also, current UC Berkeley Students & LBNL employees are FREE!
The location is beautiful and would be idyllic if the noise of the fans in the greenhouses were less obtrusive. From up by the rose garden you can look out through the hills at the bay which is a lovely view.
I was not so impressed with some of the plants however. Were most of them planted very recently? For example, there was a Kowhai tree which was about three feet tall (they are usually about 25 feet tall). Many plants seemed to be just seedlings. The general impression was of looking around a seedling nursery.
We didn't go into the grove on this visit thus we may have missed the best part of the gardens. We want to go back when everything is in bloom. Late March is not the best time to see gardens in California!
Note: this rating is based on its capacity as a wedding venue.
If your vision of a dream wedding is of one among endlessly tall redwoods soaring to the sky...
If you are enamoured with the outdoors and wish to flit like a wood nymph in the woodsy recesses of a shady grove...
If you wish your guests to sit in a rough-hewn rising amphitheatre surrounding a circular central floor where you - and your loved one - will exchange your vows...
If you wish to be married in a space that is sun filtering through the leaves and birds chirping and brooks babbling...
If you are on a budget...
This is the space for you.
Afterwards, I recommend you choose an alternate reception place... unless of course, you don't mind...
...the very small and very close , low-ceilinged greenhouse-like reception area
...the bare-bones austere walls upon which nothing can be attached
...the plastic folding chairs and matching tables
...the intense heat of the rooms with very poor circulation
...the lack of a kitchen
...having a nice and small, intimate ceremony with no more than 50? guests... (official capacity is at 70)
...dancing outside on the uncovered red-tiled patio
I'd like to give this place 4 stars just for the redwood grove and amphitheatre. The site coordinator is a wonderful, kind and pleasant woman who is exceptionally helpful. Unfortunately, the reception area (the Mirov Room & Terrace) is so sorely lacking in beauty and amenity...
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This is where the world told me that I was addicted to Yelp. Literally
So I'm taking the H bus up to the garden and already thinking of things to put in my review. As I get there, I note the different areas with plants grouped according to environment, the small trails that wind around creeks, hidden spots, greenhouses full of carnivorous plants, the serene atmosphere of the place as a whole (obviously manicured but still in touch with all its natural beauty).Then I was going to write some daft Emerson quote and be done with it.
I was going to Yelp the shit out of you, Botanical Garden, and you were going to like it.
Then mother nature kicked me in the crotch and I tripped over some roots from an old Oak tree and my ass tumbled into a creek.
I. totally. ate. shit.
Reality check 2007: you are in the real word you square, shut off and enjoy it. God, I really needed that. I turned my mind off, tuned some Brian Eno on and walked around until a class full of Botany students showed up. A great way to spend the day, if you ask me.... even if it does entail getting your ass handed to you by some foliage.
Tips: CAL students get in for free, and 80% of the time, the work study kid at the ticket office does not give a rat's ass and will let you in if you at least try to say you're a UCB student.
The "H" bus drops you off right in front. It departs 10 mins past every half hour m-f until 6:30 costs $1. (Say hi to Jojo for me, he's my Ghanaian home boy)
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Like Berkeley itself, I have many fond memories of the UC Botanical Garden. It's a decent walk from the campus and Memorial Stadium, and cycling up there is very challenging. But the view just above the garden is awesome. It is nestled in the Berkeley hills and is fairly easy to get to (except on days when the Cal football team plays). Unlike t he SF Garden and the Rancho San Antonio one in Claremont, this is a more "wild" reserve and feels more natural and visceral.
I've had several memorable trips here, from a surprise birthday party my freshman year, to one of the most romantic dates I've ever had, to connecting with my mom--who has a green thumb--for probably the first time in my life when I was 25.
If it's a sunny day and you have a Cal ID or you know somone who does, grab it and head up to the Botanical Garden (it's free for Cal students). There are all these different areas you can walk through and each has specific types of plants....this description really isn't doing the garden justice. You should just see for yourself, it's a very enjoyable experience.
My favorite place was the rose garden. My friend Molly and I sat on a bench and soaked up the sun while drinking strawberry lemonade....it was such a peaceful moment. At the time I was living on Telegraph and sometimes you forget that Berkeley isn't all about fast-paced living and multi-story buildings. I can't tell you how refreshing it was to take a trip up to the Botanical Garden and get away from the concrete urban jungle---it was an unexpected reprieve!
I love this place. I've been going here for a few years now, and I still love it. I prefer it over the other botanical gardens in the area that I've been to.
It's the perfect place to go to on a weekend morning walk up the hill (or you can take the bus/drive if you prefer).
I love the Japanese pond area. There are sometimes nice little snakes or newts that swim around.
The Redwood grove might be my favorite place. It's great for relaxing or having a nice lunch. It's especially nice when it's really hot in the summer, as this place is always pleasantly cool.
The food crop area in the corner is great. I once volunteered for a couple of hours here, and I got some nice starter plants in return. A lot of people miss this area, but it's a nice place to check out.
The California plant region definitely helped me to study for my taxonomy class as well.
Which reminds me...I like how this place is organized in general. It's beautiful *and* educational...or just beautiful if you don't want to be bothered with that education bit.
If you're a Cal student, I can't imagine why you wouldn't at least check it out (it's free!). But I think it's a place that anyone that appreciates the outdoors can enjoy.
Larger than the SF botanical garden, although a little more natural (it is, after all, in Berkeley). It's a nice informal date walk place.
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I'm happy that I got forced to go here for one of my classes during freshman year... otherwise I would have never known about it.
Worth the trip if you have an appreciation for plants and ecology.
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Big fan. We've had a membership for a few years.
Great place to get the kids outside and walking around. At some points during the year the Japanese pond will have all kinds of animals in it (snakes, newts, turtles, etc). Be sure to check out the Redwood Grove across the street as well (ask at the front for the gate code).
Its also worth noting that my older son (and I) took the Carnivorous Plant Workshop once a couple years ago and enjoyed it a lot. Some of the venus fly traps are still alive in our front yard!
Love coming here to decompress and just take in nature and to get away from those awful things I call "people". Thank you Dee for introducing me to this place.
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It's a desert! Then it's lush! Then you are lost in a forest!
Places like this restore my faith in humanity.
The garden seems to live in some sort of wormhole where time and space cease to exist. Is this place really in Berkeley? It feels like it is on five different continents at once.
Bring or be prepared to buy water. It gets really hot up here.
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My husband woke me up this morning and said that he would take me somewhere special today. Said special place turned out to be the UC Botanical Garden.
I thought it was a beautiful garden. $5.00/each got us a day of wandering in a rather magical place. So many beautiful plants (from all over the world, in fact), lots of benches throughout, and at certain vantage points in the Garden, you can catch glimpses of terrific bay area views. The garden is 35 acres or something wild like that, so wear your tennis shoes. Silly ol' me wore these cute sandals, which was not a good idea, it turned out. Pebbles kept on getting in between my toes! Otherwise, I had a dandy time. I'd definitely come back...maybe for a picnic next time (you can eat at the picnic tables and/or lawns).
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I love this place. I'll give it five stars. Lets all take a break from going out to eat and enjoy nature for a little bit.
Just kidding Yelp, we'll pack a lunch.
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This is pretty big garden. I came here on a hot summer day during my first week at Cal, and it was worth the trip. Lots of exotic plants from different parts of the globe. I remember seeing a lot of cacti for some reason. Sort of reminded me of a desert--lots of brown and tan and quite dry, but maybe it was because it was summer. Too bad I didn't have the time or the energy to explore the whole garden on that hot day...
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The UC Botanical Garden for me is like a Disneyland of flora. As you walk through the BG you travel from continent to continent, biome to biome. I'm a biology student at Cal, yet I was still amazed by the plants I saw. The name might sound boring to those without a huge interest in biology, but you will walk away grateful for coming.
This is also a good place to hang out and maybe have a quiet picnic on the many lawns, tables, and benches.
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This is a great place to walk around, learn about plants and flora around the world, meet nice people, enjoy the outdoors, take pictures, and just have a nice afternoon. I went there last week (late March) and it was lush and green and beautiful. I've been there when it's not so green, but that's how the seasons work! It was still very nice. Highly recommended for a fun weekend activity, or a quick getaway from the busyness of Berkeley (town and university).
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This place is big.
Up in the hills, with views of more hills.
Quiet, seemingly faraway
But not. Only 8 minutes by car from downtown Berkeley.
They let you eat the mandarins off the trees!
Small and sweet and cute. Like mixed babies. Or any kind of baby!
The cactii were caged.
So we wouldn't steal the peyote (we guessed)
Fret not - Giant Agave sits outside
Great Indian Chief: maker of nature's nectar.
We go home
And drink tequila
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When I came during the summer, lots of the greenery was brown and dead. Or maybe "sleeping."
Even with everything dead, this place was pretty great. I'm a big nerd for cacti and native Californian plants, and they had plenty of both.
I was also a big fan of the carnivorous plants area. All the plants were beautifully displayed in their little humid glass houses. You can even buy a cute Venus flytrap in the gift shop to take home.
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So nice. We had a picnic here yesterday and it was wonderful. I'm thankful they allow people to bring in picnic stuffs to enjoy the garden. No anti-alcohol rules! Yay for some wine, cheese, and olives on a beautiful day!
As a garden to walk around it's great (5 stars). As a wedding venue, not so much (2 stars).
I was surprised to learn that East Bay Express readers had named the UC Botanical Gardens the best place to get married in the East Bay. Yeah, getting married outside is nice and all and there are plenty of flowers. However, the building for the reception is pretty much looks like a high school cafeteria with a greenhouse-like ceiling. There are many nice places to get married in Berkeley. Choose one of them.
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Oh joy, oh rapture, I love going to the Botanical Gardens. If nothing else just to leave behind the noise of the city for awhile and relax amongst all these amazing species of plants. They have plants from all over the planet, from all climatic zones. They carefully select their plants and only take those that they have full data for the species they exhibit. Not as good as going over the seas to see the plants firsthand but this may indeed be the next best thing. Fun for kids before or after the Lawrence Hall of Science.
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Stunning -- really beautiful. A large, lovingly-planned garden with a unique (for this New Yorker) array of flora. For our homeschool group's trip here, the guide was patient and enlightening. As part of exploring a theme we were introduced to our surroundings using the senses, and she even let us taste some of the plants while on the tour.
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A wonderful botanical garden. You can travel the world (plant-wise) if you stay here an hour or two. The giant tropical greenhouse is really cool, and so is the South African section. My best visits have been in March-June. Check out the amazing Spring and Fall plant sales.
One of my top ten lifetime memories is of watching the newts swim at the botanical gardens. They are so other-worldly. I also took my favorite digital photo here. Its a magical place. We enjoy that is is generally uncrowded, so you are usually alone and there are lots of tucked-away benches to cuddle on. Also, they have a fabulous collection of carnivorous plants (yes, it is slightly odd that as a vegan I am so fixated on carnivorous plants).
There is also a Botanic Garden of native plants in Tilden (http://www.yelp.com/bi...).
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Way up there in the hills, these gardens are a Pangaea of unique plants. During the week while school's in session, you can get up there via a network of UC buses for a min. fee. On the weekends, however, I think you need a car or a good pair of lungs and hiking boots.
June is a great time to see roses at the top where you can get a sliver view of SF. Time to enjoy the botanic surprises that awaits!
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The entire garden is amazing. It's wonderfuly taken care of by a dedicated staff, so it always looks amazing. For such a small park it has within it a tremendous amount of biodiversity, perfect if your into that stuff. My favorite part is that each of the "Regions" has its own set of wildlife. In the CA section, Quails run rampant, in the African desert there are rattlesnakes and squirrels in the oak groves. It's a great way to spend an afternoon.
It was a f ing hot as hell outside, when we went through the desert area, i thought i was there. its quiet, unique and beautiful. i want to go again on a day where i won't die from heat stroke. i loved it.
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