The Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory on Belle Isle
The Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory on Belle Isle
On a recent visit to Belle Isle Park in Detroit, my husband and I discovered The Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory, which is the oldest continually-running conservatory in the United States. Home to a collection of exotic and rare plants from around the world, the conservatory is divided into five sections: the Palm House, the Tropical House, the Cactus House, the Fernery, and the Show Room.
The conservatory, along with the formal gardens and the Lily Pond, share 13 acres of land, which is definitely worth exploring! In fact, The Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory is, in my opinion, one of the most beautifully designed and well-kept of its kind.
The Five Houses:
The Palm House includes tropical trees and palms.
The Show Room has rotating displays of flowering plants.
The Cactus House is home to succulents and cacti.
The Tropical House is where plants that provide food are housed including bananas, oranges, and figs.
And the Fernery is where the ferns and other plants that like cooler humid temperatures live.Â
If you love nature, plants, flowers, and greenery, I highly recommend a visit to The Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory. And although the conservatory is free, it’s worthy of donations, which can be left in the donation box before or after your tour.Â
Find out more about what Belle Isle has to offer here!Â
My wife and I visit Belle Isle often and we both went as children with out parents. We LOVE it there and visit the aquarium, conservatory,fountain & the Dossin Great Lakes Museum every time we are there.
Hey Dave, Thanks for the comment. I bet it’s changed a lot since you went as a child. The made so many improvements over the last couple of years. Hope all is well!
Yay, this is finally working! I have only been to Belle Isle 1x I believe, and I think it was for a Yelp event – it was very pretty there, though, so I’d like to go back again sometime.
Oh yeah, You need to check it out sometime.
I’ve never been but it looks like a beautiful place to visit! I’ll have to put it on my list of things to do next spring or summer. 🙂
It really is worth checking out. I was surprised at the beauty!
I want to visit this with my kids. We have never been to Belle Isle. It’s on our bucket list.