Visiting the Harry P Leu Gardens, Orlando, Florida

Last month, I visited the Harry P Leu Gardens (a 50-acre botanical garden) during my visit to Orlando.  I was staying at SeaWorld area, and the Leu Garden is about a 35-40 minutes drive away. If you are staying in downtown Orlando, it’s only about a 10 minutes drive.

There are certain times of the year where admissions is free.  Admissions is $10/ adult.

The weather wasn’t great (a light drizzle) on the day of our visit.  It was not the kind of day where one might think to visit an outdoor garden, so there was no crowds.

There is small gift shop onsite.  I don’t typically buy souvenirs when I travel anymore, but the shop had some unique gifts.  I ended up buying two small things there, including a little ornament.  There is also small painting gallery on display at the time of my visit.

Garden Pictures

The garden has these game ‘stops’ to make the visit more interesting.

There is one stretch by the waters where there was sign to not feed the alligators.  That was a little concerning.  It’s Florida so it’s not unexpected, but I certainly don’t hope to encounter them.  It made me think, “Given the light drizzle, are alligators more likely to want to be in the waters or on land?”

Plants and Flowers

We were in no hurry, so we took our time strolling around.  It was a very peaceful walk.

With the natural beauty of a well managed garden, there is plenty of opportunities to take pictures (personal use only).  You can also reserve parts of the venue for garden weddings and other events.

There are many different sections of the garden, but I was excited about the Butterfly Garden.

This would make it the second time that I’ve visited a “butterfly garden”.  My first visit was at the Butterfly Garden at the Changi Airport in Singapore during a transit.  We were there at some odd early morning hours, so the place was warm and dark.  I didn’t end up seeing even one butterfly.

I fared a little better this time and saw one lone butterfly.  It’s beautiful, and I was able to get a few pictures before it flew away.

We ended up spending a good half morning here, and it was time well spent.  If you’re looking for a refreshing break from the all the parks in Orlando, the Harry P Leu Gardens is only a drive away.