Missouri Botanical Garden, Saint Louis (must see)

The Missouri Botanical Garden is one of the oldest botanical gardens in the United States, a designated National Historic Landmark, and a leading global center for plant research, conservation, and education. Founded in 1859 by English-born businessman and philanthropist Henry Shaw, the garden covers approximately 79 acres and contains one of the world's largest and most diverse living plant collections.

Alongside its scientific mission, the garden preserves many historic features, including Shaw's original country estate, offering visitors a unique combination of horticulture, history, and landscape design. The garden is organized into a series of themed landscapes and conservatories representing plants from a wide range of climates and ecosystems. Highlights include the Climatron-the world's first geodesic dome greenhouse, based on the design principles of R. Buckminster Fuller-which recreates a tropical rainforest. Other major attractions include the Japanese Garden (Seiwa-en), which is one of the largest authentic Japanese strolling gardens in North America, as well as the Chinese Garden, the Victorian District, the English Woodland Garden, the Rose Garden, and the Ottoman Garden. Seasonal displays, lakes, fountains, sculptures, and walking paths create changing scenery throughout the year, while the Kemper Center for Home Gardening showcases practical and ornamental gardening techniques.

Beyond its public displays, the Missouri Botanical Garden supports international botanical research, global conservation initiatives, educational programs, guided tours, exhibitions, concerts, and seasonal festivals. It is home to one of the world's largest botanical libraries and an internationally recognized herbarium containing more than 7.5 million preserved plant specimens, making it the second-largest herbarium in North America. By combining historic landscapes, scientific research, and diverse plant collections, the garden offers visitors an opportunity to explore the richness of the plant world while learning about biodiversity and environmental conservation.