Missouri Botanical Garden st louis: Tickets, Prices & Hours
This article answers the questions people usually have about visiting the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis, Missouri, also known locally as Shaw’s Garden. Here’s what you’ll find below: how much tickets cost, when the garden is open, what the Japanese Festival is and when it happens, whether real ticket discounts exist, and how prices…
This article answers the questions people usually have about visiting the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis, Missouri, also known locally as Shaw’s Garden. Here’s what you’ll find below: how much tickets cost, when the garden is open, what the Japanese Festival is and when it happens, whether real ticket discounts exist, and how prices here compare to another well-known Missouri garden, Powell Gardens near Kansas City. Simple answers, no guesswork.
Quick note if you’re new to St. Louis: this garden has a few different names, and they all mean the same place. Some people call it the missouri botanical garden st louis. Some call it Shaw’s Garden, after founder Henry Shaw. Others just say “the botanical gardens” or “STL botanical gardens.” It’s one 79-acre garden, in the Shaw neighborhood, just south of Tower Grove Park. You can see also 7 Easy Ways to Make Your Christmas Cactus Bloom Again
In this guide
Missouri Botanical Garden ticket prices
A regular ticket costs $16 for anyone 13 and older. Kids get in free. Members get in free too, every time they visit, no matter which membership they have. If you live nearby and visit more than twice a year, that’s worth knowing: two regular visits already cost close to what a full year of membership costs.
If you live in St. Louis City or County, you pay less. Just bring an ID or a piece of mail with your address on it. There’s also a lower price for residents 65 and older. Prices can change a little depending on the season or during special events like the Japanese Festival, so check the garden’s own plan-your-visit page for that day’s exact price before you go.
| Ticket type | Typical price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| General admission (13+) | $16.00 | Standard non-event days |
| Children 12 and under | Free | No ticket required on regular days |
| St. Louis City/County resident | Discounted rate | ID or proof of address required at entry |
| Resident senior (65+) | Around $4 to $6 | Resident rate, senior pricing tier |
| Garden members | Free | All ages, unlimited visits |
| Japanese Festival (13+) | $20.00 | Event-day pricing, separate from general admission |
| Japanese Festival, ages 3 to 12 | $10.00 | Event-day pricing |
A regular ticket does not get you into the Japanese Festival. It’s a special event with its own ticket, even though it happens inside the same garden. If that’s the weekend you’re planning for, make sure you buy a festival ticket, not a regular one.
Hours and the best time to go
The garden is open every day, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The last time you can enter is 4:30 p.m. That’s a nice long window, plenty of time to see the Climatron (the big glass greenhouse), Seiwa-en (the Japanese garden), and the rose garden without rushing.
A few tips that make the visit better:
- Go in the morning if you like taking photos. It’s also the best time for the Climatron, which gets foggy as the day heats up.
- Weekdays are quieter than weekends, especially in spring and fall when flowers are blooming.
- The Japanese Festival changes the hours. The garden stays open until 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday that weekend, the only nights of the year you can walk through Seiwa-en by lantern light.
- Tram tours pause during the festival. It gets busy enough that the garden skips its usual guided rides.
The Japanese Festival: dates, tickets, what’s included
This is the garden’s biggest event of the year, and one of the oldest festivals of its kind in the country. It happens every year over Labor Day weekend in early September. For three days, the garden fills with taiko drumming, traditional dancing, sumo demonstrations, martial arts, and food stalls.
Here’s how the weekend usually looks:
| Day | Hours |
|---|---|
| Friday | 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. (last entry 8 p.m.) |
| Saturday | 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. (last entry 8 p.m.) |
| Sunday | 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (last entry 4:30 p.m.) |
Tickets cost $20 for ages 13 and up, and $10 for kids 3 to 12. Garden members pay $10, and members at a higher level (plus kids under 12) get in free. Tickets usually go on sale in July, and it’s smart to buy early. This event sells out, and the line at the gate can get long on Saturday.
What actually fills the three days
Besides the drumming and dancing, there’s paper folding (origami), a tea ceremony, bonsai trees on display, martial arts shows, a fish show, and food like yakisoba and shaved ice. If you only have time for one thing, make it the candlelight walk through Seiwa-en on Friday or Saturday night. It’s the part visitors talk about most.
Seiwa-en: the Japanese garden itself
Even without the festival, Seiwa-en is worth seeing on its own. It’s about 14 acres, one of the biggest Japanese gardens in North America. There’s a lake with islands, two bridges, and a teahouse built in the traditional Kyoto style. It’s been open since 1977. The idea is to walk slowly and let the view change little by little, instead of seeing everything at once.
Fall is another great time to visit. The Japanese maple trees by the lake turn bright red and orange from late October into early November, and the calm morning light on the water is why so many local photographers keep coming back here.
If you can only visit once outside festival season, come in late October. The maple trees here turn color a few weeks after the rest of St. Louis, so it still looks beautiful when other fall color nearby is already gone.
Discount tickets and Groupon, honestly assessed
If you search for a Groupon deal on the Missouri Botanical Garden, you’ll find a page, but don’t expect much. Real discounts on the regular ticket price are rare there. What you’ll usually find instead are bundled deals, like a tour plus admission, or a gift shop credit, not a lower gate price. Searching “botanical gardens St. Louis” deals or “STL botanical gardens” coupons turns up the same kind of bundled offers.
The discounts that actually work come straight from the garden itself:
- Lower prices for St. Louis City and County residents, shown automatically at the counter with an ID.
- Free admission for kids 12 and under. No coupon needed, that’s just the price.
- Reciprocal membership programs, like the American Horticultural Society’s network, which lets members from other gardens in free or at a discount.
- Membership itself, if you visit three or more times a year. At that point, a membership usually costs less than paying per visit, and it also covers events like the Japanese Festival at a lower price.
If you see a big discount on a third-party site, it’s worth checking it against the garden’s own price list first. Some outside sites list old or wrong prices.
Bonus: Powell Gardens ticket prices, for comparison
If Seiwa-en has you thinking about other gardens worth a road trip, Powell Gardens is Missouri’s other major botanical garden, out in Kingsville, about 30 to 40 minutes southeast of Kansas City. It’s a different feel from the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis, more open prairie and woodland trails than formal display gardens, but it’s an easy comparison if you’re planning a trip that covers both sides of the state.
| Ticket type | Typical price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Adult, weekday (Wed-Thu) | $18.00 | Lower rate on quieter days |
| Adult, weekend (Fri-Sun) | $20.00 | Higher weekend rate |
| Senior (60+) | $16.00 to $18.00 | Depends on weekday or weekend |
| Youth (5 to 12) | $12.00 | Same price weekday or weekend |
| Children 4 and under | Free | No ticket required |
| Members | Free | All ages, unlimited visits |
Powell Gardens is open Wednesday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., which is a shorter week than the Missouri Botanical Garden’s daily schedule, so plan around that if you’re combining both stops on one trip. Prices run a little higher than St. Louis too, and weekend visits cost more than weekday ones there, something the Missouri Botanical Garden doesn’t do. Always check Powell Gardens’ own site for the current price before you go, since it can change by season.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Missouri Botanical Garden the same place as Shaw’s Garden?
Yes. Shaw’s Garden is just the older, local nickname for the Missouri Botanical Garden. It comes from founder Henry Shaw, who opened the garden to the public in 1859. Long-time St. Louisans still use both names for the same place.
Does Japanese Festival admission include general garden access?
Yes. Your festival ticket covers the whole garden that day, not just Seiwa-en. A regular admission ticket does not work on festival days, you need the festival ticket instead.
What is Seiwa-en, and is it always open?
Seiwa-en is the garden’s own Japanese garden, and it’s open all year during normal hours. The Japanese Festival is a separate, once-a-year event that happens in and around it, not the only time you can visit.
Is there a real discount for Missouri Botanical Garden tickets on Groupon?
Sometimes, but it’s usually a bundled deal rather than a straight discount, and what’s available changes often. The resident rate, free admission for kids, and membership are more reliable ways to pay less.
How does Powell Gardens pricing compare to Missouri Botanical Garden?
Powell Gardens costs a bit more, $18 to $20 for adults depending on the day, versus $16 at the Missouri Botanical Garden. Powell Gardens is also only open Wednesday through Sunday, while the Missouri Botanical Garden is open every day of the week.
Looking for more from around the garden? Browse more posts in our garden section, or if you’re growing plants at home, check out our tips on planting indoor plants and our guide to roses. You can also read more about who writes these guides on our About Us page.