Goshen Getaway: The Missouri Botanical Garden

One of the great things about living in St. Louis' Illinois suburbs is the proximity to the world-class attractions our region has to offer. For this Goshen Getaway post, we'll check out the Missouri Botanical Garden.

Getting to the Missouri Botanical Garden from most points in Madison County is a quick and easy 30-minute trip.

The 79-acre Garden has been celebrating its 150th anniversary this year. Founded by an English immigrant named Henry Shaw, the attraction is recognized as one of the top three gardens in the world.

Shaw came to St. Louis on the edge of the frontier to sell his family's knives and other hardware. He quickly built a thriving business trading with the explorers, pioneers, mountain men and settlers who were passing through the the city on their way to open the American west.

Still a young man, Shaw was able to travel the world and then retire to the countryside (now south St. Louis) to indulge in his passion for horticulture. You can take a virtual tour of his Victorian home, Tower Grove House, or explore the house in person during your next visit to the Garden.

Today the place the locals still call Shaw's Garden is known around the world not just for its beauty, but for its scientists' work to catalog plants in the world's rainforests. As their slogan says, the Missouri Botanical Garden has been green for 150 years.

While the season changes, you'll find that fall is the perfect time to head out from Edwardsville, Glen Carbon or Collinsville for a visit to the Garden.

Be sure to see the whimsical Walla Walla "Onions" (pictured left) which dot the ponds near the Climatron greenhouse. They are a reminder of the popular Dale Chihuly glass exhibit that graced the Garden a few years ago.

If it's chilly outside, dip into the Climatron to warm up. Inside the geodesic greenhouse is a re-created rainforest populated with plants that may look oddly familiar. Many of them are considered houseplants here in the St. Louis region, but in the rainforest they grow to enormous sizes and reach to the top of the dome.

If you have little ones, note that the children's garden -- called A Missouri Adventure -- will be closing for the season on November 1. The working Floral Clock, opened for the 150th anniversary, will operate through October 31. Have a favorite plant? The Kemper Center for Home Gardening offers an updated list of plants in bloom.

The Missouri Botanical Garden -- located at 4344 Shaw Ave. -- is open from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. seven days a week. Wednesdays and Saturdays the grounds are open for walkers from 7 a.m. until 9 a.m. It is closed only on Christmas Day. Admission for adults is $8 and parking is free.

Here's a map to the Missouri Botanical Garden.

Happy travels!