Toronto Canada— On Tuesday at the North American Garden Tourism Conference, the Canadian Garden Council and the American Pubic Gardens Association announced the recipients of the 2017 ‘Top 10 North American Gardens Worth Travelling For’ Garden Tourism Awards.
Tourism is the world’s fourth largest industry and Garden Tourism is a significant part of it. “For example,” says Dr. Richard Benfield, author of ‘Garden Tourism’, and chair of the International Garden Tourism Network, “more people visit gardens in the United States than go to Disneyland and DisneyWorld combined, and more than visit Las Vegas annually, making Garden Tourism one of the largest sectors in the tourism market.”
Garden Tourism Awards are presented to gardens that have distinguished themselves in the development and promotion of the garden experience as a tourism attraction.
“In the spirit of highlighting North America’s most dynamic garden experiences and in consultation with a North American jury, we are honored to announce the 2017 recipients of the ‘Top 10 North American Gardens Worth Travelling For’ Garden Tourism Awards,” said Michel Gauthier, Executive Director of the Canadian Garden Council and Chair of the North American Garden Tourism Conference.

2017 Top 10 North American Gardens Worth Travelling For

(in alphabetical order)

1. Chicago Botanic Garden, Chicago, Illinois
2. Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden, Vancouver, British Columbia
3. Ethnobotanical Garden, Oaxaca, Mexico
4. Halifax Public Gardens, Halifax, Nova Scotia
5. Hershey Gardens, Hershey, Pennsylvania
6. Jardins de Métis / Reford Gardens, Grand-Métis, Québec
7. Las Pozas, Xilitla, Mexico
8. Longue Vue House and Gardens, New Orleans, Louisiana
9. San Diego Botanic Garden, Encinitas, California
10. Tucson Botanical Gardens, Tucson, Arizona