Best Botanical Gardens

 photo by Randy Pertiet

Spring is in full swing and there's no better way to enjoy your travel destination than by getting outdoors.  If your preferred vision of nature is less rock climbing and camping and more manicured lawns, labeled rose bushes, and urban oases, then check out our favorite botanical gardens in Mexico, the U.S. and Canada.

• Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix: the best time to go is December, when luminarias light the footpaths at night.
• In Chicago, the Botanic Garden: it features a bi-monthly Farmers' Market and a model railroad garden.
• The United States Botanical Garden (above) in Washington, D.C.
• The Jardin Botanique of Montreal: it encompasses the world-famous Biodôme, a planetarium and an insectarium.
• Butchart Gardens in Victoria, British Columbia.
• In the Sierra Madre Mountains, the Puerto Vallarta Botanical Gardens.