This Must Be The Place – Desert Botanical Garden, Phoenix

Oasis in the Desert

Phoenix is a sprawling metropolis that grows out instead of up. The city has diverse things to enjoy: music, professional sports, the arts, and green spaces. But if I had only one place that I would recommend, it would always be the Desert Botanical Garden. Except for sports, everything can be seen in the Garden, along with the unique plant life found only in the desert.

Art installations are changed at least twice a year throughout the Garden. Chihuly, who usually only exhibits at a garden once, has had two exhibits here because he likes it so much. I had the opportunity to see some of the exhibits assembled, which was breathtaking as each piece of glass was taken from a large crate and put in place on the metal structure. Another wonderful installation was Lights in the Desert. Lights were projected onto the cactus, along with music playing in the background. As you walked along the path, it felt like you were looking at a coral reef.

Desert Botanical Garden also celebrates people’s cultures. Some of the events are Dia De Muertos (Day of the Dead), Plants & People of the Sonoran Desert Celebration (Arizona’s Native American Cultures), and Juneteenth commemorating the end of slavery in the United States in 1865, just to name a few. The garden shines with Las Noches de las Luminarias, which runs from November to the New Year. Luminaries light the path, and the garden is decked out with Christmas decorations. Throughout the year, there is live music that can be heard drifting through the air.

The best part of all which can be seen anytime that you visit is the unique plant life of the Sonoran Desert. The garden has different paths leading to specialized gardens. During the fall and spring, a butterfly pavilion is installed as the monarch butterflies migrate. It contains a thousand free-flying southwestern butterflies along with a gorgeous array of flowers and trees to feed them. When I wander through the succulent garden, I always think that these otherworldly plants must have inspired Dr. Seuss. In April and May, the cactus flowers bloom, but they are only day bloomers. It’s always a gift to be there when they are showing off their beauty.