Denver Botanic Gardens’ York Street site, 24 acres of gardens and plant collections in central Denver, books school groups three ways for the 2026-27 year: guided tours, Discovery Days station programs and self-guided visits. Guided tours start at 10 a.m., 11 a.m. and noon, and students walk in groups of 10 or fewer with a tour guide and one or two chaperones. The five tour themes are the Sensory Tour (pre-K and kindergarten), Gardens Galore (grades 1-12), Wild Wellness (K-8), Nature and Art (K-12) and Journey to the Rainforest (grades 2-12), which goes through the Boettcher Memorial Tropical Conservatory.
Guided tours cost $6 per student for schools within SCFD and $7 per student for schools outside it. Discovery Days and self-guided visits are $5 and $6 on the same split. Discovery Days run from 10 a.m. to noon on select Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, August through May. Plant Discovery Day (pre-K to grade 5) is offered on select days in September, October, March, April and May, and students plant seeds to grow at school or home. Rainforest Discovery Day (grades 1-12) takes over in December, January and February. Two more station programs, Ecosystem Discovery Day (grades 2-5) and Science Inquiry Stations (grades 6-12), are by request and only for groups of 60 or more students.
One adult chaperone is required for every 10 students, one chaperone for every five students gets in free, and extra chaperones are $8 each. Groups of pre-K through second graders can add the Mordecai Children’s Garden for $2 more per student, on select Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays from March through October. There is also a daytime self-guided school visit during Glow Before Dark, Oct. 16-23 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., when the carved pumpkin displays are up.
A note for homeschool families: the page is written for schools. It does not mention homeschool groups, set a minimum group size or say which rate a homeschool co-op would pay, so put those questions on the request form or call the school programs line at 720-865-3656. The Gardens also runs separate dated classes built for homeschoolers, linked below.
Know before you go
- Where: Denver Botanic Gardens, 1007 York St., Denver, CO 80206
- Cost: guided tours $6 per student (schools within SCFD) or $7 (outside SCFD); Discovery Days and self-guided visits $5 or $6; Mordecai Children’s Garden add-on $2 per student; extra chaperones $8
- Grades: pre-K through 12, depending on the program
- When: guided tours at 10 a.m., 11 a.m. and noon; Discovery Days 10 a.m. to noon on select Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, August through May
- Reservations: required. Advance reservations are required even for self-guided visits, and final payment is due two weeks before the program.
- How to book: submit the 2026-2027 School Group Request Form
- Homeschool groups: not mentioned on the page. Ask before you plan around it.
- Details: York Street school programs page
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