Nature & Gardens in Philadelphia, PA
We list 5 nature & gardens across the Philadelphia area. Compare prices, hours and age ranges in one place, then pick the one that fits your day.
Sorted by distance from the middle of Philadelphia, nearest first. Those are straight-line miles, so every drive is longer than the number on the card.
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An arboretum on the Haverford College campus in Pennsylvania, open to the community as well as students. Families can walk the nature trails, where signage helps…
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The Scott Arboretum & Gardens sits on the Swarthmore College campus and grows trees, shrubs, and seasonal plantings across its grounds. Families can walk the…
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A botanical garden in Devon, Pennsylvania, with seasonal plantings and woodland paths. Families can walk through gardens that change throughout the year, from…
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Cedar Run is a non-profit dedicated to the preservation of New Jersey’s wildlife and habitats through education, conservation and rehabilitation. It sits on 171…
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A horticultural nonprofit based in Wilmington that brings together plants, people, and community spaces. Families can visit the public garden at their Trolley…
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Where a card says no price or no hours listed, the venue does not publish it. We would rather leave the gap than fill it with a guess. Prices come from each venue's own website, and we publish one only when the figure appears on the page we took it from. Tell us if we are missing one you know.
Free nature & gardens in Philadelphia
One place on this page gets you in free. That makes a short trip easy to justify on a day when nobody is sure how long they will last.
Jenkins Arboretum & Gardens
Free to get in, 16 miles out and listed ages 0–16.
Planning a visit
These run from 1 to 25 miles out from the middle of Philadelphia. Hours move with the season and with school holidays, so check the listing before you set off. If you run one of the places on this page, you can claim it for free and keep its hours and prices right.
Before you go
Grip socks. Almost every venue requires them for children and several require them for adults. Most sell them at the door for a few dollars. Bringing your own is cheaper and means you are not buying a fourth pair.
Check whether adults pay. It runs from free to full price and it changes the cost of a visit by a lot when there are two of you.
Weekday mornings are the toddler rush. If you want space, aim for after two on a school day. Weekend mornings are the busiest hours of the week almost everywhere.
Ninety minutes is the realistic ceiling for most children under five. There is rarely a gradual wind down. Leaving with time left on the clock is not wasted money, it is a better afternoon.
Call ahead in school holidays. Several of these venues run camps and private events that close open play with no notice on the website.
Looking somewhere else in the metro? Browse every kid-friendly place in Philadelphia.
Other things to do in Philadelphia
Nature & Gardens in nearby cities
Common questions about nature & gardens in Philadelphia
How many nature & gardens are there in Philadelphia?
We list 5 nature & gardens within 31 miles of Philadelphia, PA. Every one is a published listing with an address we checked.
Which nature & gardens in Philadelphia publish their prices?
1 of the 5 here do, and each price was checked word for word against the venue's own page before we published it. The rest do not publish one, so their card says no price listed rather than carrying a guess.
Are any nature & gardens in Philadelphia free?
Yes. One place gets you in free: Jenkins Arboretum & Gardens.
Which nature & gardens in Philadelphia suit a toddler?
2 of them list an age range starting at two or under. Check the age line on each card, because a place that suits a six-year-old does not always suit a two-year-old.
How did Mini Navigators choose these nature & gardens?
We list every one we have within 31 miles of the center of Philadelphia. Each is a published place with an address we geocoded and checked, and the business can claim its listing to keep the hours and prices current.
Do adults have to pay?
It varies more than you would expect, from free to full price, and it changes the cost of a visit by a lot when there are two of you. The price on each card is what it costs to get a child in. Where a venue publishes an adult price it is on the listing, and where it does not we have left it out rather than assume.
Do I need to book ahead?
Usually not for open play, but several venues cap capacity at weekends and during school holidays, and some close open play entirely for private events. Where a venue has its own booking page, the listing links straight to it.
What should I bring?
Grip socks, a water bottle, a change of clothes for anyone under four, and a plan for leaving before the meltdown rather than after it.
What else is there to do with kids in Philadelphia?
Philadelphia has 7 categories of kid-friendly places on Mini Navigators, from playgrounds and museums to splash pads and zoos. The Philadelphia hub lists all of them.
Listings last checked August 21, 2026.