FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
WHERE IS THE GARDEN?
The Garden is located in El Chorro Regional Park, halfway between San Luis Obispo and Morro Bay on Highway 1. The entrance can be found across the way from the entrance to Cuesta College. Our address is 3450 Dairy Creek Road.
HOW MUCH IS ADMISSION?
General admission is $10 per person. Seniors, students and military admission is $8.00, and admission is free for members, children 12 and under, and dogs on leash.
Admissions payments can be made in the Gift Shop during operational hours, online, on your phone by scanning the QR code posted near the entrance. Parking fee is paid to park ranger upon entrance on weekends and holidays during some months.
IS THE GARDEN ACCESSIBLE?
The lower paths of the Display Garden and restrooms are handicap accessible. The lower pathways of the Children’s Garden are also accessible.
CAN WE PICNIC AT THE GARDEN?
The Garden has several singular picnic benches, but El Chorro Regional Park has several larger public day-use picnic facilities. Please contact El Chorro Regional Park to reserve day-use picnic areas for large groups. You may also contact us to reserve garden spaces for large groups. Food is not available on site at the garden, but The Siren at El Chorro, located at the Dairy Creek Golf Course, is available in the park.
HOW BIG IS THE GARDEN AND HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO SEE?
The current garden is about 10 acres. Walking through the main garden sections takes approximately an hour. In time, the SLO Botanical Garden will grow into its full 150 acre space.
The Discovery Trail is approximately 1.25 miles, and takes about an hour to walk the entire trail.
HOW IS THE GARDEN SUPPORTED?
The Garden is an independent non-profit, supported by membership, donations, grants, volunteers, Gift Shop sales, and events. We receive no operational funds from governmental agencies.
DOES THE GARDEN SELL PLANTS?
Yes! Our volunteer-grown, drought-tolerant plants are available for sale in the Garden’s Nursery adjacent to the Gift Shop. Special Spring and Fall Plant Sales are scheduled in April and October.
ARE RESTROOMS AVAILABLE?
Restrooms for Garden visitors are located at the Garden’s Gift Shop, open during business hours. Public restrooms are also located in Dairy Creek Park, open during daylight hours.
WHAT IS A MEDITERRANEAN CLIMATE?
A mediterranean climate is the climate typical of most of the lands in the Mediterranean Basin, and is a particular variety of subtropical climate. The lands around the Mediterranean Sea form the largest area where this climate type is found, but it also prevails in much of California, in parts of Western and South Australia, in the Cape Province of South Africa, and in parts of central coastal Chile. Mediterranean-climate regions are found, roughly speaking, between 30 and 45 degrees latitude north and south of the equator, on the western side of continents, but they can extend eastwards into arid regions if not arrested by mountains or confronted with moist climates or deserts. The climate is characterized by warm to hot, dry summers and mild to cool, wet winters.
