If you’re planning a trip to Washington D.C. and love flowers, gardens, or learning more about plant life from a variety of climates you won’t want to miss the United States Botanic Garden.

Caught up in the rows of roses and other flowers, staring at the sun dial, I nearly skipped over the inside of the botanic garden. Based on the signs outside, I thought the inside was meant only for classes and demonstrations. After two tourists stopped to ask me how to get in, I decided to see for myself what they were looking for.

The inside of the botanic garden is a series of rooms filled with flowers and plants of various climates and habitats. From the lush greens of a tropical jungle to the dusty reds of a desert and everything in between you can easily lose hours walking from room to room. Don’t have a green thumb? Not to worry, you can read plant names both exotic and familiar on the small placards.

Going through my photographs from my visit to Washington, D.C. to put together a more objective article about visiting the city, I realized how many pictures I had from the United States Botanic Garden and thought I’d share them here in a separate article. I hope you enjoy seeing them as much as I enjoyed taking them.

Don’t let being an adult deter you from going into the children’s area to walk under this archway