Loading…
- Home
- Appointment
- Customer Portal
- Search For Tires
- Specials
- Why Choose Us
- Services
- Additional Resources
Gardens & Atrium · Hershey, PA
Hershey Gardens is a 23-acre botanical garden in Hershey, PA, set on a hilltop near The Hotel Hershey, with an indoor Butterfly Atrium inside the Milton & Catherine Hershey Conservatory. Open daily year-round, it pairs themed outdoor gardens and a hands-on Children's Garden with a warm, tropical butterfly room that makes it work even when the weather doesn't cooperate. For us, it's the calmest, most relaxed stop on the Hershey map.
Our take If you're building a Hershey itinerary, slot the gardens in as the calm part of the day — a quiet morning before the park crowds, or an easy wind-down after. It's stroller-friendly and the indoor Butterfly Atrium means a surprise shower won't wreck your plan.
When folks ask us for something near Hershey that isn't loud, fast, or built around a line for a roller coaster, this is the first place we point them. Hershey Gardens has been growing on this hilltop since 1937, and over the decades it has expanded from a single rose garden into 23 acres of themed plantings, seasonal color, and an indoor Butterfly Atrium. It's the kind of place where you can slow down, push a stroller along a flat path, and still feel like you saw something special. Out-of-town guests staying up the hill at The Hotel Hershey are practically next door.
The standout for a lot of visitors is the Butterfly Atrium, tucked inside the Milton & Catherine Hershey Conservatory. It's a warm, humid tropical room with hundreds of free-flying butterflies, and because it's indoors and climate-controlled, it's a genuine all-weather draw — a rainy afternoon or a gray winter day doesn't shut it down the way an outdoor-only attraction would. Admission to the Atrium is included with your garden ticket, so you're not buying two things. Outside, you'll find the historic rose garden, seasonal tulip and perennial beds, themed spaces like the Japanese and rock gardens, and a whimsical Children's Garden built to keep younger kids engaged.
What makes it easy for us to recommend is the pace and the logistics. The grounds are open daily year-round (closed Thanksgiving and Christmas Day), the paths are stroller- and wheelchair-friendly in most areas, and you can comfortably do a visit in an hour or two without feeling rushed. It pairs naturally with a bigger Hershey day — a quieter morning here before the afternoon crowds, or a low-key finish after a busy day at the park. Confirm current hours and pricing on their official site before you go, since both shift with the season.
A single ticket covers the 23 acres of outdoor themed gardens and the indoor Butterfly Atrium. Admission is typically tiered by age, with little ones often free — confirm current pricing on their site since it isn't posted here on purpose.
Buy tickets on the official site →An indoor, climate-controlled tropical room inside the Milton & Catherine Hershey Conservatory with hundreds of free-flying butterflies. It's the all-weather centerpiece and is included with garden admission. Watch the last-admission cutoff near closing.
A whimsical, hands-on outdoor space designed to keep younger kids engaged and learning about plants and pollinators — a good reason this stop suits families with small children.
The historic rose garden, seasonal tulip and perennial beds, and themed spaces like the Japanese and rock gardens change through the year, alongside special events. Check the official site for what's blooming and on the calendar when you visit.
Hours shift by season and the Butterfly Atrium has a last-admission cutoff (about 15 minutes before closing). These reflect the published seasonal pattern at the time of writing — always confirm current hours and any holiday changes on their official site before visiting.
Hershey Gardens & Butterfly Atrium is in Hershey, PA. The map shows both pins — Hershey Gardens & Butterfly Atrium and our shop in Grantville — so you can see exactly where it sits relative to us.
From everything we've seen on their site, the Butterfly Atrium is included with your general admission to Hershey Gardens — you don't buy a separate ticket for it. Note there's a last-admission rule for the Atrium (around 15 minutes before closing), so don't save it for the very end of a late visit. Confirm the current policy on their official site before you go.
It depends on what you want. Spring brings the tulips and the rose garden coming into bloom, and roses peak into early summer. For the gardens at their fullest, late spring through summer is hard to beat. That said, the Butterfly Atrium is indoors and warm year-round, so a cold or rainy day is actually a fine time to visit. We'd aim for a weekday morning if you want it quiet, and check their site for seasonal events like the orchid show or fall pumpkin display.
Generally yes — this is one of the more accessible attractions in the area, with mostly flat, paved paths that work well for strollers and wheelchairs, which is a big part of why we recommend it to families and older visitors. A few garden areas may have gentler grades or natural surfaces. If accessibility is a must for your group, call ahead at 717-534-3492 to confirm current conditions.
Most visitors are comfortable with an hour to two hours. If you're moving at a relaxed pace, letting kids explore the Children's Garden, and spending real time in the Butterfly Atrium, lean toward the longer end. It's easy to fit into a half-day Hershey itinerary rather than building a whole day around it.
It's on the hill near The Hotel Hershey, a short drive from the main Hershey attractions, so it slots in well as a calmer bookend to a busy day. We often suggest it as a quieter morning stop before the afternoon crowds build, or as a low-key wind-down. Combo passes with The Hershey Story museum have been offered in the past — check current options on their site if you're planning multiple stops.
If you're putting together a Hershey day around the gardens, here are a few nearby stops worth working in — and where to find us if your trip gets sidelined by car trouble.
A calmer, indoor downtown stop that pairs naturally with the gardens, sometimes via a combo pass.
The big-ticket attraction up the road — do the gardens as a quieter morning before the park crowds build.
If something goes sideways on your trip, here's how we help out-of-town visitors get back on the road.
Verified via: Hershey Gardens — official site · Hershey Gardens — Hours (official) · Visit Hershey & Harrisburg — Hershey Gardens
Hershey Gardens & Butterfly Atrium is an independent local attraction we're featuring in our guide — we're not affiliated. Details are from the place and public sources and were accurate at the time of writing; please confirm current hours before visiting.