Ventura Botanical Gardens

Ventura, California, United States

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The Ventura Botanical Gardens in Ventura, California, began in 2005 when a group of local residents envisioned creating a world-class botanical garden to preserve native plants and educate the community.

Located within Grant Park, the gardens span 107 acres on a hillside offering stunning 360-degree views of the coastline, Channel Islands, and nearby mountains. The gardens focus on plants from the world’s five Mediterranean climate zones, including collections from Chile, South Africa, California, the Mediterranean Basin, and Australia.

The gardens feature themed areas such as the Chilean Garden, the largest outside Chile, and an olive grove representative of the Mediterranean region. Despite suffering damage from the Thomas Fire in 2017, the gardens have been restored and continue to develop with new plantings, educational signage, artistic benches, and sculptures.

The Ventura Botanical Gardens serve as a center for conservation and public education, inviting community involvement through volunteers, memberships, and ongoing support to grow the living collection and maintain its natural beauty.