Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden in Minneapolis, MN

It's amazing how a little slice of heaven could be found in the midst of urban growth in the city. However, the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden in Minneapolis, MN manages to reign over that slice of heaven quite competently. Admission is free to this garden area and the hours are from 7:30 a.m. until dust for the months of April through October when the flowers and other plants are nicely blooming before the frosts.

You can wander around this postcard setting along the trails as well as the shady and sunny gardens that are pretty as a picture. One hundred years old, the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden is the oldest wildflower garden open to the public in the US. About 14 acres are filled with lovely wildflowers like violets, marigolds and lady slippers, just to name a few.  There is even an interpretive center where you can read up on some exhibits and learn more about the garden areas.

One particular element is worth noting as it is such a quaint addition to the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden. There is a floating boardwalk over a tamarack bog that you can walk across. You are given the illusion that you are walking on water. It is quite a special sight and completely fitting within this delicate nature area filled with pretty wild blooming flowers.

You will want to time your visits when the Garden center offers full moon hikes or when the flowers are in bloom. From May to September, there are a variety of flowers in bloom at different intervals that will just blow you away with their natural beauty. The Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden in Minneapolis, MN is a spectacular addition to any tourist itinerary.