Since instituting the fee-based entry system (I believe it was ten years ago), the garden sees little in the way of picnic-goers and any sports on the lawns are no longer permitted. Another difference is a complete upgrade of the toilet facilities on site as well as drastically improved signage and pathways leading one through the green space. In short, I like it. And I especially like that I, as an SF resident, do not have to pay an entry fee.
Depending upon age of the non-resident visitor and day of the week, the fee to enter the grounds varies--
Adults-Mon.-Fri.: $9
Adults-weekends: $12
Family: $19
Seniors & teens: $6
Kids (5yrs-11yrs) $2
4yrs and under: gratis
By 'family' it is meant that two adults and any kids under 17yrs all residing at the same address would constitute as such. I sort of don't know how parents/adults could prove that minors live at any given address, so I suppose the folk at the payment kiosk just take it on faith.
Here are few snaps from my arboretum visit today---
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| I'm a sucker for the mirroring effect on water. I think that the taller trees in the bunch are a type of cypress. |
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| Endemic to New Zealand, the Nikau palm is a fantastic-looking specimen! |
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| A hawk uncharacteristically perches at the edge of a lawn--numerous people around him--on the hunt for mice, I imagine. Below shows a newer section of the gardens that, presumably, was able to be built with botanical garden-goer fees. Yes, those are my feet because I could not have been arsed to move them.  |
You look very relaxed in that last photo!
ReplyDeleteI was stone cold chillin'. :D
DeleteOur Botanic Gardens is free to enter. The parking costs are emphatically not. I hope they get their cut.
ReplyDeleteI love the images - and that totally relaxed last photo.
That's good. I recall many of the Botanic Gardens I've visited elsewhere where gratis to enter as well. Glad you loved the images. The area with the feet is such a relaxing corner of the grounds.
DeleteThose prices don't seem unreasonable at all. A nice relaxing day and plenty to see! I looked at the site and the pictures were beautiful.
DeleteWith that freebie I would be there every day.
It seems a strange pricing policy to be free to SF residents. Isn't that the majority of visitors or do you get a lot of tourists?
ReplyDeleteThe arboretum is in a very well-visited spot of Golden Gate Park. Tourists, both foreign and domestic, and locals visit the arboretum.
DeleteI think the fee is off-putting enough to keep the masses (of general park visitors) out.
Oo, lovely! Our Botanical Garden is free here and is also pretty busy owing to it being located on the harbour and adjacent to the Opera House. It's a place we are often walking through as it's our preferred route to certain parts of the city.
ReplyDeleteThe most extraordinary arboretum we've visited was in New Zealand. A young man who was a soldier on the Front, witnessed the devastation WWI wrought on Europe, and came home determined to safeguard as many tree varieties as he could, spending his life growing this memorial.
That sounds familiar. Before the fee-based system was imposed, the gates to ours were wide open and many of us would take a short cut through it to get the neighboring area of town.
DeleteThe NZ arboretum you visited has a very moving origin story, if you will.
Gorgeous grounds.
ReplyDeleteQuite!
DeleteI used to live near a lovely arboretum that we visited often. Now I go occasionally to the Cleveland Botanical Gardens. Not quite the same, but all lovely. I liked your pix and toes.
ReplyDeleteToes and pix, even! :D
DeleteI have heard very good things about the Botanical Gardens in Cleveland.
Lovely pictures.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Susan. It's a lovely place to visit.
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