Plan Your Visit
Our gardens and natural areas are open and free of charge, year round from dawn to dusk. Nevin Welcome Center hours: Tuesdays through Sundays, 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. When the Nevin Welcome Center is closed, portable restrooms are available near the parking lot during spring, summer, and fall.
Parking: The parking lot for the Nevin Welcome Center and surrounding gardens is a Cornell University metered lot. Rates are $1.50 per hour from 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on weekdays for up to three hours. Payment is taken by using ParkMobile only (there is no working payment machine on site), location Cornell University zone 4120. Visitors are not required to pay to park during evening hours and on weekends.
Parking lots in the F. R. Newman Arboretum, Mundy Wildflower Garden and other off-campus natural areas are free. View our interactive map to search for parking locations.
Get Started in the Welcome Center
You will find interpretive exhibits, a reception desk, and fully accessible restrooms. Surrounding the welcome center are over a dozen specialty gardens that hold a large part of our cultivated plant collection.
Our Gardens and Natural Areas
Cornell Botanic Gardens is a living museum with a mature botanic garden and arboretum—part of what makes Cornell one of the most beautiful campuses anywhere.
We steward over 3,600 acres of biologically diverse landscapes that represent the full range of ecological communities found in the Finger Lakes region.
Get the Lay of the Land
Check out our interactive Garden Map, which locates our natural areas, gardens, waterfalls, overlooks, outdoor sculpture, and more.
Review Visitor FAQs to make the most of your visit.
View upcoming classes, workshops, and special events.
Our welcome center, gardens and natural areas have varying surfaces, slopes, and levels of access.