My first time here. I picked an off peak time, so it is hard to get a true picture of things. Several offshoot displays off the main walkway were closed, and many things are off-season. Still, a pleasant way to get your steps. Admission is free, with opportunity to donate, although I didnt find a donation kiosk.

Very beautiful garden well kept and loved the different types of flowers and plants has a really nice childrens garden along with some toys to keep them entertained. I didnt get to see the alligators maybe next time very enjoyable and friendly staff.

Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center is a beautiful hidden gem in Orange, TX. I visited SLBG in July, and it was surprisingly beautiful, even during the unrelenting 100+ degree summer heat. While its beautiful during the summer, I will certainly return to this garden during the fall and spring to view its seasonal and colorful changes. The gardens are also an excellent place to view a variety of bird species due to the constructed bird-blinds. This is a highly recommended, off the beaten path, botanical garden.

A natural gem for sure! A beautiful nature park that is well-kept, wonderful signage, great variety of plants, a nice little cafe and a hands-on childrens garden. The park is very large with many different types of areas- wetlands, butterfly gardens, etc. Very peaceful with butterflies and bees and songbirds chattering away! We loved the herony with a fabulous bird blind where we got nice and close to lots of egrets and cormorants and could see them caring for their babies! We made the drive over from Houston to explore this nature center and it was well worth it!

Always a lovely experience at the gardens, and for now it is free to visit as they restore the grounds from weather damage. This is a place that is deserving of support and I hope it is around forever. I discovered this place by searching for botanical gardens and have been proud to introduce my family and friends to it.The staff is always nice and informative. They host events throughout the year (butterfly release, scarecrows, christmas lights, etc.).As you arrive, you park across the street from the entrance and walk (drop off is available if needed).Originally the gardens had a information building with art and history of the gardens with a short movie presentation that introduced you to the gardens. They also had a boat ride that took you down the river and back. Both have been closed the last couple of times I visited, but I hope they become available again as it added even more to the experience.The gardens are lush with flowers in the spring/summer. Along the trail is a bird watching area that allows you to look at nesting birds and alligators in the lake without disturbing them. We have seen bees, small grass snake, birds, alligator, rabbits, spiders, etc. during our visits (But no need to fear- everything is noticable and at a distance).It is a good place for families to enjoy- kids can enjoy the sensory gardens and running about.

I can’t believe I just discovered this place is like a oasis hidden away in Southeast Texas. It’s so beautiful and peaceful. A great place to bring kids to learn about nature. A quiet place for a picnic. A great place to do a photoshoot or a take a walk. I can’t recommend this place enough well worth it.

If you had told me this place existed without taking me there, Id have never believed you. There are very few places where I find absolute calm, this is one of them. The Stark Foundation and its entire organization provides this amazing gift to the community, and keeps it pristine year roundThe grounds are nothing short of breathtaking, and the people that care for them take their work to heart. It shows.Once the rona is a thing of the past, go and visit the Pond of the Blue Moon. Youll thank me.

Everyone is very kind and knowledgeable. They make it fun. We attended a field trip, one of many I have been on. They care about nature and the habitat of the animals, birds, turtles, plant life...etc.It is very clean and a beautiful place to visit. They have a cafe where you can meet and eat lunch and relax .

We drove down from Houston on a whim. It was a Saturday and we had nothing to do, so we decided to drive here and walk around the garden. I didnt see as many flowers as I thought I would, but it is a nice place to take a stroll. It was a hot day and we forgot to bring water. They have a small cafe though, so you can purchase drinks and food if you want to enjoy a meal al fresco. It has accessible friendly trails and plenty of benches throughout.

Beautiful gardens! The staff and volunteers were all extremely knowledgeable and helpful. Take the bot tour if you can and go to the bird hide, both spectacular

Amazing experience as always. The kids loved it! Theyre still not completely open after the hurricane but theyre still trying hard. Every person who works/ volunteers there is always so friendly and helpful. Just a wonderful escape back to nature! Cant wait for their theater and bayou tours to be opened back up. They host events ALL THE TIME. Definitely a jewel in orange TX!

Beautiful gardens and water habitats. Vast assortment of trees, plants, flowers, bushes, etc. Wonderful employees and volunteers, great cafe for a quick meal or snacks. Very educational and absolutely stunning scenery.

Had a wonderful day at Shangri La. Wonderful staff and super friendly. Absolutely gorgeous and peaceful.

This is an amazing place. It’s a hidden treasure for most of us. I really enjoyed bring my family and had a wonderful Saturday afternoon .

This place is a gem. It bounces back after every hurricane. Stop here even if youre just passing through on I-10. The lights are great at Christmas. Come for some birding or to see the gardens.

I was expecting to pay $20 per adult ticket. Really nice gardens, well kept and very clean.

An absolute gem of a place. I went during the day, which was pretty, despite it being off season for flowers. The boat ride was both entertaining and informative, but beware of low winter tides - the planned 11am excursion was cancelled so as not to ground the boats. I was in town longer than expected, so I dropped by again that night to see the Christmas Lights. Id highly recommend a visit, especially since there is no entrance fee.

Great place for a family outing and everything inside is so beautiful you really get to see nature at its prime.

It was so hot that day. But it never fails to be beautiful

Beautifully flowers great place to visit and spend a few hours

This was our first time here ever and it was amazing. I cant wait to take my whole family

Very beautiful. We went for the Scarecrow Festival, brought 2 toddlers. There were displays for the kids which they enjoyed.Overall a lovely gaeden.

Beautiful property.i think that if it grows, its I display. great experience for all.clean restrooms,lots of room to move around.huge property.you could spend the whole day exporting this place..i highly recommend a visit.

Had a wonderful experience. Unbelievable botanical garden.

Very nice Park. Lots to see have plenty of time plan cooler days if possible especially with small children. Cool wildlife center experience, They have a boat tour also. Directly Off Of Interstate 10 in Orange Texas. Worth the stop and not very expensive.

We love this place. Its beautiful to walk around and look at all the different plants, flowers, and creatures. Everything is always so pretty.

My son and I were there for butterfly release it was awesome.

This place is simply beautiful! Staff is very knowledgeable and friendly! They want your experience to be amazing! The events they put on are educational and fun!

Wonderful Christmas stroll through Shangri La...lights were magnificent & beautiful Nativity

Guides and staff are very friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. Very well maintained grounds. Great place to visit for any age. Good programs for kids.

Its super beautiful here, especially during Christmas with a ton of decorated trees and lights everywhere!

This place is so beautiful.

Amazing place.

Shangri La is a treasure in the middle of Orange. It is absolutely a dont miss experience if you come to the Beaumont area.

This place is amazing, my girlfriend and I went over the weekend and was blown away at how beautiful and perfect this place is. this place is so massive that you wouldnt tell how big it really is just by driving on the side of the road, I recommend to anyone that likes nature and sight seeing to go there, I took some really nice photos from my trip.will return to take more photos another time

I had a lot of fun. It was beautifully decorated with Christmas lights. My boyfriend and I would definitely go again next year on Christmas.

Went to the Christmas lights and I loved it. It looked so beautiful. Perfect for a december date night or for a stroll with the family.

Family friendly... Everyone was extremely nice during the Christmas event. $1 hot chocolate was nice

Very nice botanical gardens and water features - amazing to find a place like this in a town the size of Orange. Dont miss the Heronry! We saw cormorants doing their mating displays and even spotted a gator.

I needed a quiet place today. The Garden was my chance to relax, and unwind. Too many irons in the fire. Thank you!

We went for our first visit to the Christmas Stroll & what a pleasant surprise! Well definitely go back in daylight hours to explore.

Christmas light stroll was great family entertainment.

Im in town with the red cross and had the day off. Stopped in here to be back with nature and it was amazing. Beautiful, calm, spiritual. Really helped reset me. Would recommend!

Beautiful flora and fauna to enjoy. The best spot to visit in Orange, TX and admission is free.

This is an amazing botanical garden. I have have visited many, and they do a fantastic job maintaining the grounds and throughout the year they have wonderful events. There are lots sitting areas in the most scenic and peaceful places. Shangri La is one of my favorite places.

So beautiful here. My kids always enjoy going & the Free Christmas light stroll was Amazing!

Beautiful, relaxing garden! We attended the scarecrow festival and enjoyed it very much.

Best summer camps! My girls love being EcoRangers. Such a blessing to have such high quality in our awesome small town community, I have friends from Houston asking about Stark programs every summer. Thanks for everything yall do

Today was a beautiful day! This place often has free admission and the grounds are kept in great shape. Some parts of the park are serine and silent while other parts are adjacent to a road that has moderate traffic. The traffic can be heard through the trees. If you are looking for a beautiful place to take formal pictures in an outdoor environment there are several spots to chose from. If you are in Orange Tx take an hour or two out of your busy schedule to enjoy nature and reflect.

I went on a drizzly, humid, and cloudy afternoon. I pretty much had the whole place to myself. Its a great way to spend an hour or two outside for free. I really enjoyed their bayou and heron blind. The staff was friendly and working hard that day. They take a lot of pride I their work and it shows. Thanks for the nice ace to enjoy some peace.

My family loves Shangri La! Hurricane Harvey really did a number on the gardens, but theyre back close to their former glory now. Fun, hands on childrens area, beautiful lake and swamp, varieties of plants I didnt even know existed, and even a small cafe. There are benches to stop and rest, and clean, handicap accessible bathrooms in 2 locations in the park. They have wonderful programs, such as Eco Fest, which culminates in a mass butterfly release, and weekend programs for kids. And, did I mention its free! No admission currently, due to the repairs from Harvey. You wont be disappointed!

Shangri La was WONDERFUL!The seasonal Fall decorations were extensive, tasteful, and beautiful.Talk about family-friendly, there were lots of 3-generation groups like mine there. It was really beautiful, really fun, really educational, and really impressive.Shangri La is definitely sophisticated in botanical science, art and sculpture, landscape architecture, wildlife biology, environmental stewardship, community recreation and ecological education. There were historic artifacts from sugar cane plantations, and bells from the city halls and churches of Southern antiquity there. They have a great hands-on childrens area, and a nice cafe.Lots and lots and lots of people were there today.Everybody had a good time.

Great place for the kids. Nice and relaxing. Beautiful all around....maybe bring an umbrella for the sun....:) and walking shoes...

Good place for a day hike thats not really a hike lol

Its a nice place to take your family but my school takes field trips here from elementary to junior high every year

This place is so beautiful. Staff is nice and helpful. Lots to see and take in. They also have events that everyone can attend, I recommend checking out the website for the events and hours. They do have a restaurant, if you are hungry. Plan on going back, as half of the plants were not in bloom. And you are holding back going because of the cost...there is none. There is no entrance fee to explore the gardens. As a side note the boat trips are still not open yet.

The experience was great. Plenty to keep you entertained. The nature and art collaboration create a beautiful landscape to talk about!

May 2019, the boat ride was damaged by Harvey & is yet to be fixed. However I saw many new plantings, including some young long leaf yellow pines. The Heronry is of interest to people of all ages. My late husband worked on several water features and I love to show them to our friends and family. Its best to come early in the day during hot weather.

Me and my boys love coming here, its so nice and relaxing, great pl6to bring the kids when the decorat the garden through out the year with different thems!

It was very peaceful and beautiful here. The staff here keeps it maintained and clean. Enjoyed the garden that you can pick from as well.

North Early Learning Center takes their kids here every year. This was no exception..We just returned to the school with our little charges and they had tons of fun. The guides who take us around are always knowledgeable, friendly and great with kids. The gardens have all been made beautiful again and especially the childrens area. I look forward to our next visit.

Nice even in cool weather, the scarecrow festival was very entertaining for the kids. Guided activities are available Saturdays and the view of Adams Bayou from the bird blind is fantastic.

Absolutely Love this place. Theyre always doing something for the season!

Absolutely beautiful gardens.

The Christmas lights but the security gaurd was an a$$ it started at 6 we got there at 540 was waiting no where near the entrance gate and he felt he needed to say very rudly that we needed to move back and wait 3 different times that they didnt open till 6 and 2 mins later a lady told us we could go ahead and go in

The staff working there was so nice, the garden was awesome to walk through.The food at the cafe was pretty darn good too

Cant believe its free! Attention to detail throughout the gardens. Amazing and beautiful.

Nice Nature Walk in Orange.

Beautiful place to observe nature. Plenty of things to see and hear. I hear some songbirds but had trouble finding them in trees. Newbie to nature loving and bird watching.

I am actually employed at Shangri La as a gardener and absolutely love my job.

Beautiful and family friendly !!! The Cafe has an amazing menu and the service is wonderful ! Everyone on their staff is courteous and friendly.

Everything is almost back to normal before Hurricane Harvey:(Boat docks hopefully will be rebuilt so people can go on boat ride. Employees are all very nice and makes the tour fun for kids and adults

My family loves this place!!!! We always have a blast learning!!

Great place to visit and relax. The rain threatened to cancel the butterfly release. At last minute the skies cleared they were released and alot of happy kids. Will go again with more time.

A wonderful outdoor experience! Art, nature, well maintained walking paths suitable for mobility devices. A saving grace for a city in its final days.

No animals persay. It great romantical walk

We love shang ri la! Awesome ppace to have in town and great for kids! The scarecrow festival is great every year

Thursday evening, shady guy breaking into cars in parking lot. Police response time very favorable. Less than two minutes. Thumbs up for orange police officers. Very nice garden too.

Great place to visit. They always have a lot of activities for the family

I loved it. It was our first time there. We went bc our one year anniversary is tomorrow.

They are really doing a fine job to bring back everything since the flood. Looking good. I miss the boat ride, what an experience!

Peaceful and beautiful.

Beautiful... So glad we came... Parking is a chore but well worth it

Beautiful gardens. Best I have ever seen

Here are some reasons to visit Shangri La Botanical Garden - relaxing environment to get away from lifes noise; numerous varieties of plants to see, touch, smell; educational experience for the family; and freshly made sandwich for a romantic picnic with that special someone.

Great place..

Beautiful place and very friendly staff. A great place for a quiet day out.

I Love the Scarecrows they have on display.

Staff was very friendly and super helpful, as always. Great place to visit with my family. The venue is still recovering from the flooding, but the grounds are looking amazing! A great day out - just make sure you stay hydrated.

Beautiful gardens that is home a countless variety of plants, great for kids and adults. They have many different special events and activities throughout the year, lovely place to spend the day just walking around and taking in the sights. There is a gift shop on site, childrens area, walking trail and sitting areas. Parking is a little off-site but is very close and free. *They opened for a special event for one day in April and staff told us they plan to reopen sometime around Sept due to hurricane damage

Good atmosphere, and they nice environment

Open to the public for free the staff are pretty friendly and helpful if you love nature then go experience wild flowers also wild life its like a world unto itself.

Beautiful place, amazing natural feeling environment, and overall a little slice of paradise. Great for a getaway from technology if your needing it.

Beautiful scenery and gives a great outside vibe. The whole area is eco-friendly and they even have an area for your kids to enjoy. It’s a great place to walk around and take in nature.

The flowers were awesome and it was perfect for a photographer like me

Beautiful place to go for a walk with a date- definitely visit the heronry blind, tucked away on a side path, while there- saw 2 HUGE gators and plenty of beautiful herons. Did I mention that its free admittance?

Outstanding!

This garden is so awesome!!!! It is beautiful! The educators are very knowledgeable and fantastic with children. The school program they offer is the best ever. Children who would never have the chance to go to a place like this get to go and its free for all of them. I love love love this place. You should go if you ever get the chance. The entrance fee is affordable and well worth it when not going as a school function.

Most beautiful place in se TEXAS

A must visit....place has bird watching area ..falling water fountain walls..kids area..a. Herb and veggie garden ...ponds..so much fun during Halloween with scarecrow displays ..