Finding Nature on The Las Vegas Strip: The Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Gardens

I love surprises. Who doesn’t, right?

We’re spending a few days in Las Vegas at the moment. When we drove in on Saturday, we decided it might be fun for the kids to see the Fountains of Bellagio after dinner as a surprise. They love water and the show is supposed to be fantastic set against the backdrop of the lights of the Las Vegas strip.

What we didn’t anticipate was discovering a magical, beautiful garden display before we even got there.

Simply put, the Bellagio’s Conservatory & Botanical Gardens are gorgeous. Every season, the display changes, but it’s always something unique featuring rare natural elements from all over the world.

The big explorer was so excited by the scene that he assumed it was the surprise we had been promising. Not bad for a totally unplanned nature adventure.

OUR NOTES FROM THE FIELD
As soon as we entered the Bellagio from the self-parking area, we could see the Conservatory & Botanical Gardens. It was kinda hard to miss the giant ants.

Everything about the current display (for summer) is oversized, giving it a magical, whimsical feeling. As I began snapping as many pictures as I could, the kids ran from thing to thing – and who could blame them? There were so many fun things to see.

This ladybug reminded us of the ones in our garden back home.

The butterflies were a reminder of those we saw at the Natural History Museum.

The bees hovering over the beautiful glass flowers were a hit, too.

There were more magical garden creatures. I was partial to this snail and frog.

After you see it, you can understand why it takes some 140 horticulture experts to arrange it all. The good news is you can wonder through as often as you like, whenever you like. It’s free and open to the public every day of the year.

Oh, and we did manage to catch the show at the Fountains of Bellagio, too, which was as spectacular as promised. I’m pretty sure that at least for one night, the kids thought we were the best parents on the planet.

PLANNING ESSENTIALS

• Open 7 days a week, 24 hours a day
• Admission is free
• Gardens are redesigned five times a year for fall, the holidays, Chinese New Year, spring and summer
• Conservatory is located adjacent to the Bellagio’s front lobby area
• Free (self-park) public parking is available
• Restrooms and food are aplenty inside the hotel

MY TIPS FOR A GREAT VISIT

• Visit after the sun goes down. Specially designed lighting adds a magical touch to the already gorgeous display of plants, flowers and water features.

• Catch the Fountains of Bellagio, too. Just outside the front of the hotel is one of the coolest fountain shows around. Kids will love watching the dancing water show, especially if you catch it at night.

The Bellagio is located at:

3600 Las Vegas Blvd South
Las Vegas, NV 89109