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Kauai Garden Sights
National Tropical Botanical Garden
At the end of Lawa'i Road is one of the most magnificent gardens on Kaua'i, the National Tropical Botanical Garden. It is actually two gardens in one: the 252-acre McBryde Gardens and the 100-acre Allerton Gardens. The Allerton Gardens were once a private estate and are full of fountains, lush greenery, and interesting flowers. It is also home to the famous Moreton Bay fig trees that were featured in the movie" Jurassic Park." If you can remember the scene were Dr. Alan Grant and the kids discover the dinosaurs eggs, well, that's the tree. Below is a photograph of this magnificent plant.
Tours of the garden are guided and normally last two to three hours. Visitors must check in at the Visitors Center across the street from Spouting Horn Beach Park. The McBryde Gardens are adjacent to the Allerton Gardens and are home to the world's largest collection of native Hawaiian flora. The tours are not guided and reservations are not required. A tram leaves for the garden from the Visitors Center. To contact the gardens, you can call 808-322-7324. Take Highway 50 from Hanapepe toward Lawa'i. Just past Mile Marker #11 turn right on Koloa Road (Highway 530). Continue to Po'ipu Road and turn right again. The road forks near the ocean, go right on Lawa'i Road. Entrance to the garden is located across the street from the Spouting Horn Park about one mile down Lawa'i Road on the right.
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