ABQ BioPark - Botanical Garden in Albuquerque, New Mexico

Located in the heart of Albuquerque, New Mexico is the ABQ BioPark, a complex dedicated to animal and plant life. Including a zoo, an aquarium and a botanic garden along with a beach located on banks the Rio Grande, this city-run park is a big draw for the city. In this article we will be focusing on the botanic gardens.

Getting there and Entrance

The entrance to the Botanic Garden is in the Old Town of Albuquerque off of Central Avenue. From the airport you can take Interstate 25 or New Mexico Route 47 up to Avenida Cesar Chavez, then turn north on 8th Street SW, west on Santa Fe Avenue SW, then finally north on 10th Street SW until you reach the entrance across from Dolores Gonzales Elementary School.

From the North, take I-25 until exit 224A, then head west on Lead Avenue SE, and finally south on 10th Street SW unless you reach the entrance.

Times tickets for the Botanic Garden can be purchased up to two weeks in advance from this website. There are a very limited number of tickets available on the day, so it is highly recommended that you purchase in advance. There are no refunds or rain checks for tickets.

A ticket to the Botanic Garden costs $10 (£7.47 GBP, €8.51 as of December 2025) for New mexican residents and $19.50 (£14.56 GBP, €16.60) for non-residents. It includes entrance to the Aquarium. Alternatively you can buy a combo ticket that includes the zoo for $16 (£11.95 GBP, €13.62) and $27 (£20.16 GBP, €22.98), respectively.

Flower Exhibits at ABQ BioPark

The Botanic Garden boasts 32 diffferent exhibits, including Old World Walled Gardens, Heritage Farms, a Railroad Garden and the BUGarium.

Non-New Mexican Gardens

The Old World Gardens are representative of southern Spanish-Moorish gardens that do not look much out of place in New Mexico. Native to the southern deserts of Spain, they thrive in New Mexico, which has similar ecology. Arid-thriving plants such as some species of roses, wisteria, clematis, rosemary, lavender, pomegranates and others decorate pillars, arches, fountains and more.

The Mediterranean Conservatory focuses on coastal areas with hot dry summers and mild rainy winters. There are species from the Mediterreanean, California, southwestern Australia, south Africa and Chile ranging from olive trees and mrytles to oleanders and snapdragons.

The Desert Conservatory focuses on American deserts, such as the Sonoran (Arizona, Mexico), Chihuahua (Mexico) and Baja (Mexico) and feature cacti and paloverde trees.

The Sasebo Japanese Garden is an homage to one of Albuquerque’s sister cities, Sasebo. IT is a 4-acre Japanese-style garden with waterfall, koi pond and a mix of Japanese and local plants. It was designed by famous landscape architect Toru Tanaka and opened in September 2027.

Native New Mexican Gardens

The Curandera Garden is dedicated to Spanish folk doctors, who have a 300+ year history in New Mexico. They used local plants to create remedies for all kinds of ailments – many of which are found in this garden.

The Camino de Colores is a water feature garden that changes with the seasons, reflecting local conditions. It always has some kind of colour.

The Cottonwood Gallery is a garden that is restored Bosque featuring a canopy of cottonwood trees and an understory of native trees and bushes. This is more typical of what this area of New Mexico looked like before it was developed into the city of Albuquerque. As a result it attracts wildlife, which use it for shelter and foraging, including roadrunners, kestrels, porcupines and great-horned owls.

Animals and Insect-Focused

The Pollinator Pavilion is dedicated to butterflies and moths, featuring pollinator-friendly plants and is meant to teach about the interdependent life cycles of plants and animals that provide our food.

The Dragonfly Sanctuary Pond buzzes in all seasons except winter with dragonflies and damselflies flitting about living their best lives. Sitting centrally in the botanic garden, it features a stream in a rocky desert landscape with a stunning glass mosiac of dragonflies.

The BUGarium features insects and arachnids from around the world, including Malaysian walking sticks and giant bird eating tarantulas. As an important part of gardening and plants, the BUGarium is an education centre with the goal of raising awareness about bugs and their challenges.

The Heritage Farm, which is spread across 11 acres, resembles a vineyard and apple orchard with several heritage breed farm animals including Highland cattle, miniature donkeys, Nigerian dwarf goats, and a flock of chickens, among many others.

Other gardens

The Railroad Garden, dedicated to this history of rail in the US, has two 400-ft looks of rails running through it, including bridges and tunnels. This is a collaboration between ABQ BioPark and the New Mexico Garden RailRoaders Club.

The Children’s Fantasy Garden opened in 2001 and features a 14-ft high topiary dragon guarding a castle. Everything here is larger than life, dwarfing even adults who enter.