Butchart Gardens, Canada's most spectacular botanical garden, is just outside Victoria, British Columbia, on Vancouver Island. The warm coastal weather allows the gardens to operate year-round. There is so much to see it almost can't be covered in one day. The gardens are family-friendly with a pavilion and rose carousel for children.
The gardens are about three hours from Washington state. To reach the gardens from Seattle, take a public bus downtown and then catch the Victoria Clipper ferry, which will take you to downtown Victoria. From Victoria, you can take a city bus to Butchart Gardens or you can book a sightseeing tour on a bus line such as GreyLine West. GreyLine West's tour of Butchart Gardens takes three hours.
Ferries for Victoria also depart from Bellingham, Anacortes and Port Angeles, and then you can make bus connections in Victoria.
The Royal Botanical Gardens are on the border of Burlington and Hamilton, Ontario. They are open year-round and have displays based on the seasons. Spring bulbs, cacti and orchid collections are just a few of their other displays.
The gardens are 60 miles from Buffalo, New York, and 200 miles from Detroit. While a bus day trip from Detroit might be a stretch, it is quite easy from Buffalo. To come from Buffalo, take a Greyhound bus to the station on the north side of Burlington, Ontario. The trip is about two hours. Catch the city bus, Burlington Transit, to the gardens. The bus runs regularly throughout the week. Once at the gardens, you can take a shuttle bus tour from May to September. The shuttle tour is included in your admission fee of $12.50.
Niagara Parks Botanical Gardens are 10 minutes from Niagara Falls. In addition to the gardens, there is a butterfly conservatory and horse and carriage rides. Because the gardens are so close to such a large tourist attraction and so close to the border, it is an easy day trip. Niagara Falls, Ontario, is only about an hour from Buffalo on a Greyhound--and Greyhound has six to eight buses leaving Buffalo for the falls each day. From Niagara Parks, you can catch a bus or shuttle to the botanical gardens.
