Back in Bloom: Denver Botanic Gardens Reopens May 22

The York Street location is reopening...with limits.

May 21, 2020

The Denver Botanic Gardens blooms again. Amy Aletheia Cahill, Flickr

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "12017618",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "17242653",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18838239",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17261320",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18838239",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17261321",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        }
      ]

The Denver Botanic Gardens will reopen tomorrow, May 22, the first of Denver's large cultural organizations to do so.

A day after canceling its entire summer concert series, the DBG announced that it will start letting visitors back into its location at 1007 York Street just in time for Memorial Day weekend.

But it will not be business as usual.

First, you'll have to buy tickets online before you arrive; they will be for a designated time and date. There will be a strict cap on how many visitors can come in; entry will be timed in thirty-minute increments. (If you're a member with a fob, that won't work for now.)

Outside of restrooms, buildings will be closed to the public. Visitors older than two will be required to wear masks. Guests will need to social-distance and stay six feet apart.

Bring your own water, because drinking fountains will be shut off. If you need a wheelchair or a stroller, you'll need to bring that, too; for now, DBG equipment is not available.

The Hive Garden Bistro will be open for online and in-person ordering, but the deck will be closed for seating. The indoor shop will also closed, but there will be outdoor shopping options — one person at a time. (The Gardens' online store is a better bet for shoppers.)

The DBG has worked out all of these guidelines with the city and state and has been granted a variance to reopen, but fair warning: If guests don't follow the policies, the Gardens could conceivably be shut down again.

The date for reopening the DBG's Chatfield Farms location has not yet been determined. None of the city's other large-scale cultural institutions, from the Denver Zoo and the Denver Museum of Nature & Science to the Denver Art Museum, have yet announced reopening plans.

For more information on ticketing and rules, go to the Denver Botanic Gardens website.

KEEP WESTWORD FREE... Since we started Westword, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Denver, and we'd like to keep it that way. Your membership allows us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls. You can support us by joining as a member for as little as $1.