Get out of the house this spring by visiting one of the region’s many gardens

Spring is here and, with many of us eager to escape our homes, visiting a public garden is an inexpensive way to enjoy the view while taking in the fresh air. Luckily, the region is filled with beloved locations such as the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden as well as plenty of other gardens if you’re looking to try something new. While there are many more, here are five that are worth a visit.

Boone County Arboretum
9190 Camp Ernst Road, Union, Kentucky
Open daily dawn to dusk.
Free.
The Boone County Arboretum is home to more 3,600 trees and shrubs, but one can still find plenty of flowers along the arboretum’s 2.2-mile multi-use trail. Yellow magnolias, ornamental peaches and oriental pears are currently in bloom.

Glenwood Gardens
10397 Springfield Pike, Cincinnati
Open daily dawn to dusk.
Hamilton County residents: $10 annual pass/$5 for the day. Other visitors: $16 annual/$8 day.
The 375-acre park is home to a 1-mile paved trail, a 1.6-mile nature trail, prairies, forest, wetlands and more. Its 12-acre Highfield Discovery Garden was designed with children in mind and contains a bouncy bridge, 25-foot play tree and a dragon alongside the flowers.

Mount Airy Arboretum
5083 Colerain Ave., Cincinnati
6 a.m.-10 p.m.
Free.
Within the 1,459-acre Mount Airy Forest is the 120-acre Mount Airy Arboretum. And within those acres, one will find gardens, shrubs and trees as well as its focal point—a gazebo overlooking the lake, which is ideal for pictures.

Rowe Arboretum
4600 Muchmore Road, Cincinnati
7 a.m.-7:30 p.m. daily March through October
Free.
Owned by the Village of Indian Hill, Rowe Arboretum was founded in 1926 by the Rowe family. The arboretum has been designated an American Conifer Society Reference Garden since 2010 and also has one of the largest collections of lilacs and crabapples in the area.

Zoo Blooms at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden
3400 Vine St., Cincinnati
10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily through April 31
Prices vary, advance reservation required.
The Cincinnati Zoo doesn’t celebrate its gardens during the month of April for nothing. More than 100,000 tulips—one of the largest displays in the Midwest—will be in bloom throughout the month.