Self-guided Tours
Considering a Winter Visit?
Picture of front of guideTeachers, come enjoy the Garden your way: bring your class for a self-guided experience and use our tools to build your own tour!

This season, consider downloading our free featured guide: Bare is Beautiful: A Guide to Enjoying the Botanical Garden in Winter. Take advantage of the opportunity to observe the parts of plants normally overshadowed by leaves. Learn where to go to show your students branching patterns, showy winter berries, interesting buds and more. The Garden is a fascinating place in the wintertime!

We also offer the following tools to help you design your self-guided experience:

Please be aware that advanced reservations are required: Self-guided Tours must be scheduled at least two weeks in advance. The guidelines under "Preparing for your Visit" apply. Schedule a Self-guided Tour. 

For more information, please email schoolprograms@mobot.org or call (314) 577-5140.

Student and chaperone investigate a flower in the Climatron

Required chaperones:
Grades PK–3: 1 adult per 5 students
Grades 4–12: 1 adult per 8 students
Children’s Garden: 1 adult per 5 students

Fees for Self-guided Tours:

Schools within the ZMD:
Students: free
Required chaperones: free
Extra chaperones: regular admission

Schools outside of the ZMD:
Grades PK–8: free
Grades 9–12: $6 per student
Required chaperones: free
Extra chaperones: regular admission

Ready to register? Learn about preparing for your visit or go to the online request form.

 

What is the ZMD?

The Garden receives support from property taxes levied through the Zoo-Museum Tax District (ZMD) and can therefore provide free admission and reduced program fees to schools within St. Louis County and St. Louis City. For schools outside the ZMD, additional fees apply. To find out if your school is within the ZMD, call (314) 577-5140.

 

Shaw’s Satchels

Enhance your self-guided visit by reserving a Shaw’s Satchel at the time of your reservation. Shaw’s Satchels include age-appropriate activities which encourage student exploration connected to the Garden’s many plants.

Grades K–2: In the Garden (download Teacher’s Guide)
Grades 3–5: Horticulture (download Teacher’s Guide)
Grades 3–5: Tree Trek (download Teacher’s Guide)
Grades 6–8: The Rainforest (download Teacher’s Guide)

Shaw’s Satchels are issued to each group upon arrival and collected at departure. One Shaw’s Satchel is issued for every ten students and their accompanying chaperones. Group size maximum is 100 students. There is a $3 fee per satchel and RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED.

 

Garden Highlights
Students stand under the waterfall in the Climatron

Climatron®
Enrich your students’ knowledge of the tropical rain forest with a walk through the Climatron. Students are transported to a lush lowland rainforest, complete with waterfalls, tropical birds and some 1,500 plants. A brochure is available upon request. Learn more

Shoenberg Temperate House
The Temperate House features plants that share a mild Mediterranean climate. Included here is a Moorish garden, Biblical plants and a popular exhibit of carnivorous plants. Learn more

Kemper Center for Home Gardening
Twenty-three display gardens including a native plant meadow, a prairie and a garden for birds makes this 8-acre site a place of discovery and educational opportunities. A brochure is available upon request. Learn more

Doris I. Schnuck Children’s Garden
Open daily April 1–October 31
Students can explore waterfalls, a river, an old steamboat, a cave, a 19th century Missouri village, get wet in the splash area or climb up into a tree house to get a bird’s-eye view of the boardwalk that winds through the canopy of mature Osage Orange trees. A map is available upon request. Learn more

Please note: There is an additional $3 per child entry fee for the Children’s Garden. All school groups must pre-register their Children’s Garden visit. By pre-registering, you receive discounted admission rates and provide us with the necessary information to better serve your group on the day of your visit. School groups are required to have 1 adult chaperone per 5 students. Pre-register now!


 
Seiwa-En Japanese Garden
Bridges and colorful koi, cherry blossoms, reflection and asymmetry—whatever the season, the Japanese garden is thought provoking and makes connections across many content areas. This garden consists of fourteen acres of beautiful plantings with a central lake. A brochure is available upon request. Learn more

Margaret Grigg Nanjing Friendship Garden
Experience an authentic Chinese garden with pavilion, moon gate, traditional stones and plantings. A brochure is available upon request. Learn more

English Woodland Garden
This shady woodland is an ideal place to study a temperate deciduous forest and the interactions of the plants and animals that live there. Learn more

Victorian District
Founded in 1859, the Garden maintains many Victorian elements and structures, including six historic structures designed by renowned architect George I. Barnett. Featured here are Henry Shaw’s mausoleum, an herb garden, a maze and the Piper Observatory. A brochure is available upon request. Learn more

Historical Tours of Tower Grove House
For students of any age studying 19th century Missouri history, a tour through Henry Shaw’s 1849 country home contributes to their understanding of life during that time period. Located within the Garden’s historic Victorian Area, the house and its gardens provide educational elements. Learn more

Self-guided tours during open hours. Guided tours at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., or by appointment. Tours last approximately 40 minutes. Free admission.

Open April through December:
Wednesday–Saturday: 10 a.m.–4 p.m.
Sunday: 1–4 p.m.
Closed Mondays

Climatron® is a registered servicemark of the Missouri Botanical Garden. Other Climatron Educational Services include:

  • Self-guided tropical rainforest tour
  • Plant studies
  • Educational materials regarding the rainforest (See Educational Resources)
  • Docent-led tours for people of all ages
  • Teacher-training workshops focusing on the rainforest and comparative ecosystem studies
  • Exhibits focusing on the rainforest and related issues
Quick Links
Visit the Children's Garden

Bring your class to the Doris I. Schnuck Children’s Garden (open April–October)! School groups must preregister. Preregistered groups will receive discounted admission to the Children’s Garden!

Schedule a class visit!

 

Learn at Our Other Sites!

Check out field trip opportunities at the Shaw Nature Reserve and the Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House!

Or if you’re looking for an opportunity for in-depth field study with your students, consider Litzsinger Road Ecology Center, managed by the Missouri Botanical Garden.