Categories: Things To Do

This historic Seattle botanical gem is full of abundant flowers, 7 gardens & is free to visit

Photo via Highline SeaTac Botanical Garden

Seattle has plenty of amazing gardens to explore but if you don’t live in south Seattle, you may not be familiar with the Highline SeaTac Botanical Garden. The beautiful and historically unique garden is the result of people coming together to save two gardens more than twenty years ago. Here’s why you should visit.

Highline SeaTac Botanical Garden was formed out of necessity and community demands when the construction of SeaTac Airport’s third runway threatened to destroy two extraordinary private gardens in the 1990s.

These gardens were the Elda Behm Paradise Garden and the Seike Family Japanese Garden. Bringing these two gardens together, to a new home required the labor and funding of hundreds of community members. Today, you can enjoy the two gardens in one place thanks to the hard work of those Seattleites.

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Beyond the unique historic value, this garden has grown to be a community hub for all sorts of flower enthusiasts. The garden is also home to the Seattle Rose Society, King County Iris Society, Puget Sound Daylily Club, Western Fuchsia Species Society, and the Puget Sound Fuchsia Society.

That means in total there are 7 gardens for you to enjoy. From historic trees to stunning daylily displays, there is no shortage of foliage to enjoy at Highline Seatac Botanical Garden. What’s more, it’s totally free to visit although if you feel compelled you are welcome to make a donation.

It’s also worth noting that the garden is pet friendly although your furry friend must be leashed and you need to clean up any mess they might make. Additionally, they need to stay on paths and may not enter into displays, garden beds, ponds, or fountains.

With that, enjoy, and don’t forget to snap a few pictures.