Daily tours & Family activities
Included with membership or general admission
Docent Tours
*All docent tours are subject to volunteer availability
Botanic Briefings
Oct. 2
Integrating Plant Collections and Technology to Create Resiliency in a Changing Landscape
Noemi Hernandez, Cactus Lifeform Specialist
Aryn Musgrave, GIS Manager
Caroline Wise, Plant Registrar
Ray Leimkuehler, Trees and Shrubs Lifeform Specialist
With the Cactus Collection as a focal point, this talk looks at the challenges of cultivating a nationally recognized plant collection under the stressors and uncertainty of summers that are hotter, longer and drier as a result of a changing climate. New challenges give rise to new and innovative responses, and this has required the Garden to improvise and adapt in place by using technologies to make our work more holistic and integrated. We share our work cultivating our Garden to have plants working in tandem to support each other, specifically by creating an expansive tree canopy to act as a heat shield for our cacti and agave collections now and in the future.
Included with General Admission. Located in Dorrance Hall. Lunch not provided, please pack your own lunch or purchase a lunch from the Garden’s restaurant.
Plant Adaptations Tour
9, 10 and 11 a.m.
Discover how plants have adapted to the desert environment with a volunteer docent-led tour. See the Garden’s living collection with plants from around the world and the Sonoran Desert and their fascinating survival strategies in this arid climate. Walk away with a new appreciation for the beauty of the desert and the plants and animals that call it home.
Tour size: 15 people
Upcoming tour times will be posted onsite daily at the Cohn Gathering Area.
Plants and People of the Sonoran Desert Tour
Fall dates to be announced
Join a docent-led tour of the Plants and People of the Sonoran Desert trail. Discover how native plants have shaped the lives of the Akimel O’odham, Tohono O’odham and San Carlos Western Apache people for generations across five unique desert habitats.
Tour size: 10 people
Meet at the trailhead.
Birds in the Garden
Now– Sept. 30 | Mondays, 7 a.m.
Oct. 1 – June 30, 2026 | Mondays, 8 a.m.
Join seasoned birders along the Garden trails. Everyone is welcome, including first-time birders. You’ll want to bring binoculars if you have them.
Meet in Ottosen Entry Garden
Audio Tours
happiness Tour
Now – Dec. 31
Daily | Self-guided tour
Welcome to Desert Botanical Garden! This Happiness Tour guides you to six tranquil locations in the Garden where you can experience the natural beauty and peace of the Sonoran Desert.
Garden Activities in Phoenix
Get to know the Garden Discovery Stations
Oct. 11 – Dec. 31
Stop by one of our many Discovery Stations, and participate in hands-on activities with volunteers to learn about the animals and plants of the Sonoran Desert.
