1455 Palmer Drive, Janesville, WI  (608) 752-3885

About the Gardens

Rotary Botanical Gardens invites you to join us for our annual bus trip to the finest gardens of the region. For 2009, we’ll cross the mighty Mississippi River and tour some of the great gardens in Iowa—you’ll quickly see they can grow more than corn in that state!

Our itinerary will bring us to several of the major botanical centers in eastern and central Iowa, including the Quad City Botanical Gardens (IL), Des Moines Botanical Center, Iowa State University’s Reiman Gardens, and the Cedar Valley Arboretum. Each garden offers a unique experience for you to enjoy.

Overnight accommodations will be at the Marriott Hotel in downtown Des Moines. The downtown area offers a variety of entertainment opportunities, especially along the Court Avenue area. Evenings will be free for you to explore on your own. But the Saturday morning down town farmer’s market is a not-to-miss event for the early birds. This multi-block market is walking-distance from our hotel; enjoy your morning coffee as you stroll through the vendors of this large market.

No bus trip is complete without shopping. The Flying Frog Farms and The Garden Barn in nearby Indianola offer a variety of plants and garden related items that can make lovely souvenirs of this trip.

The annual bus trip is a great opportunity to travel at a reduce cost, share an experience with family, meet new friends, and see some great gardens you may have never known about. We hope you can join us.

IMPORTANT NOTE: We have made every effort to keep the expenses associated with this trip at a minimal, but still offer you a fun and unique experience. We are strictly enforcing a 40 person minimum for this trip. Please register early and encourage others to do so, as well. The registration deadline will be June 15, 2009.

Download Registration Materials here. (PDF)