Allerton Garden Reviews

We took the best of both worlds tour visiting both the Allerton and McBryde gardens. Our tour guide Randall was amazing!! He was engaging, patient, and funny. He was very knowledgeable about the plants and history of the garden. He was also able to share movie references
If I took a tour again I would love to have Randall as my guide. I just wish they would have suggested I purchase the bug wipe when I bought my ticket. Love this place!

A must see - the sunset dinner is great - guide was terrific - very knowledgeable about the history of the garden and the plants withiin,

Lots of interesting information about the flora of Kauai and the rest of the islands. We recommend to tour that takes you through the McBride Garden on bus and guided walking tour of Allerton Garden.

The gardens are astounding! Not being an enthusiast I was awestruck by the beauty and the history of the gardens. The guided walking tour is about two hours but doable. Call ahead for reservations if you need assistance - a cart is available should you need one.

Absolutely do this...it is a one in a life time experience.

We took the guided tour with Dr. Bob. He shared his ton of knowledge on all things botanical and historical, stopping along the way to pick a flower or fruit to let us smell or sample. The gardens are spectacular and if you like flowers and plants even a little bit, you will enjoy this tour. The time went quickly and there were a couple of mosquitoes but nothing a little pre-spray didn’t keep away. There are water features and statues but it’s all set in a beautiful tropical setting near a beach and along a river. When our tour was done we were treated to a local market plus a free love Hulu show on the grounds. Amazing. My only regret is not having cash on me to give Dr. Bob a well deserved tip.

We went on the first tour out at 9am - our excellent docent, Clayton, was super informative :) We took a shuttle to the garden area, driving above the expansive views of the Allerton's private Lawai beach, bridge and home - WOW!! After descending into the garden, we disembarked and began the 2 1/2 hour walking tour through the 6 garden outdoor garden "rooms" that the Allertons designed and lovingly maintained. Each area was incredibly lush, colourful and enhanced with gorgeous water features / statues. The highlight for us were the "Jurassic Park" figs where Sam Neill and the kids, Lex and Tim, discovered the hatched dino eggs in the movie - they even have a "dinosaur egg" so you can do photo ops. Really splendid tour - a must do and no mosquitos (we did "DEET up" though!!) Highlights were the lipstick seed pods, pomelo trees, monkey pod seed trees, gold and jade bamboo groves, breadfruit trees, orchids, hibiscus, bougainvillea, the Lawai stream, Henrietta the duck!!, green geckos, and the ubiquitous roosters and chickens that walk along with you - hilarious!! Excellent gift shop too!! DO NOT MISS THIS!!
Chris and Elissa Vancouver, Canada

This garden has an excellent combined Allerton and McBryde Garden tour. The guide, Randy, was excellent. He set a perfect pace, was very knowledgeable, was super personable, and the time flew by. The views and plants are amazing. We learned so much. The bus allowed us to extend our reach so walking is really not an issue. Bring and wear bug repellent (not that mosquitos were an issue on our tour). They do sell repellent wipes in the store if you did not bring your own.
We liked this place so much we are going back for a different tour on our next visit.

The in-depth tour we had by Diane added to the beauty of these gardens. We learned so much about the history of the gardens and the native plants and trees of the islands. Highly recommend.

Wonderful experience, so beautiful! We took a guided tour and our guide Dr. Bob shared a wealth of knowledge about the history and plants. We visited on Tuesday and they had vendors/farmers market set up on grounds and hula show after the tour that was excellent. Highly recommend you visit, an amazing experience!

The guided (Allerton) tour is a bore.

Instead, consider the self-guided tour of the McBryde garden.

The GUIDED tour is led by a sweet guy named David who is chock full of uninteresting information about the family that used to live there and you’re going to hear every bit of it. The plantings are highly repetitive and dull. The pace of the “tour” is agonizingly slow. It’s more like penance than a tour and you can’t get out.

Several years ago, we had taken the self-guided McBryde tour and it was far superior. The plants and landscape were more varied and more beautiful on the self-guided tour and you could look at what you wanted when you wanted.

PS - if there is a redeeming feature to the GUIDED tour, it is the large-rooted ficus trees used in the Jurassic Park movies. You can walk right up to them and into them. If that’s not enough to make your day, skip this thing.

First, I want to thank Allerton Gardens for having such a wonderful group of volunteers. I traveled with my 80 year old mother and her 78 year old friend. I was able to make prior arrangements to have them ride a volunteer driven golf cart around the gardens. They would not have been able to take in the beauty of the gardens otherwise. I am so thankful.
My experience was also wonderful, I was on the guided walking tour, our guide was so informative and the scenery was breathtaking. No matter your age or ability take this tour!

Sam, our bus driver and tour guide, had a very entertaining style of providing a wealth of information about the "garden" and its produce and history (and movies). He offered us a sampling of a fruit called Pomelo which was very refreshing and tasty.

My husband and I took the Best of Both Worlds tour and enjoyed it very much. Our guide, Michael was very knowledgeable and provided us with the interesting history of the Allerton family and the trust which owns the property. We are glad we took the guided tour or we would have missed out on this history. A bus takes you from the visitor's center to McBryde gardens where we walked to a pretty waterfall and then got back on the bus to go to Allerton for a walking tour. Be sure to wear closed shoes and take an umbrella. Some parts of the gardens were muddy when we were there and it did rain on us. This is not like other Botanical Gardens we have visited that have themed exhibits but are natural gardens containing the trees and plants that were planted by the owners and surprising not a lot of it is native to Hawaii. Overall, we are happy we chose to go on this tour.

We went on the guided tour and it was fantastic!
Beautiful grounds and our guide Sam was marvelous, friendly, funny and informative!
If you like plants and flowers don’t miss the opportunity to visit this place, it’s great!

My wife and I went 2 times.Once to the Mcbride section(it rained ) and another to the allerton.After being to both and basically comparing an apple to an orange,it really depends what floats your boat.The Mcbride is vast and you are dropped off and meander your own way through a path on hundreds of acres,finding your own adventure and discovery.That might be of interest to some.The mystery of discovering your own find of flowers etc.
The Allerton side(twice the cost) isa guided tour of more manicured and formal gardens with fountains and statues and waterfalls all with a rich history of the caretakers and stories behind each section.I find this beautiful and interesting and vastly a photographers dream.The gardens are the set for many a movie and the stories behind the shoot with Jurassic park,,pirates of carribean,gilligans island ,raiders of lost arc etc.Even Donavons Reef had its share of the valley floor there.Our guide ,dave was highly educated about the plants,history and hada dry sense of humour we all enjoyed.Its not cheap,but......if you can get a sunny day and have decent camera equipment,You will enjoy yourselves immensely and get some SUPER pictures as well.Can be buggy so do bring skintastic.We loved it.Its approx. 2.5 hrs.

Allerton Garden is a must see for every plant enthusiast! This 2nd visit was for the Sunset Dinner Tour, and it was well worth the money (besides, all funds go to an excellent cause, the Nat'l Trop. Botan. Garden). Our tour guide, Michael, is a the one to ask for: his funny delivery, his factual knowledge, his playful sense made for the highlight of our Kauai visit. He made it interesting to learn about the history of plant evolution in Hawaii, the history of the Allerton's and McBryde families, a little Queen Emma Hawaiian culture, and what the current plant conservation efforts are. A message to Michael: Your tour would have made the Allerton's & McBryde's proud of how you represented them! Mahalo for all you do!

Ron, Ron, Ron. He was engaging, cheerful, fun, so knowledgeable. Every question was answered. We have so much fun watching him teach our nephew how to open a coconut.

The tour was long and generally boring. The gardens were nothing spectacular. Go for a hike instead. A waste of an afternoon.

We took the 2 1/2 hours guided tour and it was well worth the $60 price. The tour started out in a van/bus for a twenty minutes drive along the coastline and view of the ocean. Then our tour guide John took us on a walking tour and he was fantastic. He was very knowledgeable and introduced to us all the native and nonnative plants in the garden. He also showed us spots where movies like Jurassic Park was filmed. The walk was not difficult as most of it was shaded. At the end of the tour and since it was a Thursday, the Allerton Garden offered a free hula show. The dancers were from a hula school and they were very good and entertaining.

We did the Best of Both Worlds tour which was fantastic. Absolutely beautiful and not too strenuous or extensive. Riding in a tour bus with AC and a microphone for the guide was much appreciated. Our guide Michael was extremely knowledgeable and entertaining. Only complaint was that he seemed a little annoyed when we explored thr area we were in and couldn’t hear everything he was saying. One of my children is autistic so i had to try and keep her entertained and engaged each time we stopped in a garden room. So i just wished he’d been a bit more understanding and didn’t roll his eyes or quiz us on what he had just explained, like were were in trouble for not listening. If it wasn’t for that part i would have given it a full five stars.

An enjoyable 2.5 hour tour of a unique garden paradise. Not so much a floral garden but rather a living museum of curated plants, sculptures and water features laid out in distinct outdoor garden rooms. Paul was a very knowledgeable and entertaining guide.

We did a combination tour of Allerton and McBryde Gardens. The tour guide was very good and we learned a lot about the area. The views along the drive to the gardens were stunning!!!

We had a great time seeing Allerton Garden on the Best of Both tour. The guide was knowledgeable and entertaining. The scenery was beautiful.

The garden is definitely worth visiting to see the splendor created by its designers so long ago.
With time the garden has lost its majesty but that is due to the constraints imposed by the benefactors who left strict instructions relating to upkeep and maintenance of the property. Still worth the visit

Took the Best of Both Worlds Tour of McBryde and Allerton National Tropical Botanical Gardens. The gardens are very beautiful and not to be missed by anyone who enjoys botany or by those looking for a serene experience while on Kauai. Our guide Ron was joyful and educational. He communicated the mission of NTBG while also showing a native Hawaiian’s love and respect for this very beautiful island. With Kauai being the Garden Island visiting this site offers a depth of knowledge while providing visual and sensory delights.

Some tours are self guided, but not this one, you’ll be met by a guide, taken onto a bus and explained along the way down about the Gardens.
After you reach the gardens, you’ll be informed about how important it is to protect the old growth and endangered tropical plants ( all new information to me).
Tip: There is a code you can use to get 10 percent offf, ( but you have to do it 24 hrs in advance on line, WEB10, at check out).
You will need to be able to walk, because all of the two hours and half tour is on foot.
If as some gardens, you are expecting flowers, you will be disappointed, because most of what you’ll see, is flora, and a very small amount of flowering trees.
If you see them once, for some of us, that is enough.

My husband and I throughly enjoyed the Sunset tour. Not only are the gardens and surrounding grounds exquisite, but the guide, Tanjin was a wealth of information and very witty too!

This is the only tour where you can step back in time and imagine the parties and guests in attendance at the Allerton home purchased in the ‘30’s. The land was previously owned by Queen Emma and the purple bougainvillea was planted by her and is beautiful. Its the Great Gatsby meets Donovan’s Reef.

There is a light dinner and mock tail that is yummy. Not gourmet, but tasty!

Definitely worth the time and $. They are a non profit, so the cost is not unreasonable.

We loved the tour and gardens are spectacular. The natural beauty and design of the gardens offers something for all to appreciate. We used a cloudy day to visit and were so happy to have spent three hours in the gardens. Enjoy. Mahalo to all

What an amazing garden and story! Splurged for the sunset tour & loved it. Had a great tour guide who was very knowledgeable. Have been to the Allerton Garden in Monticello, Illinois so fun to see the second Allerton legacy!

I enjoy touring gardens of all types and I was left unimpressed with this one. It is a garden designed and planted by the Allerton family around WWII. It looks like they were trying to blend European gardens (highly manicured, groomed, and stylized) with a wild tropical rainforest and in theory that sounds interesting but in reality, at least for me, it missed the mark. The statues and ‘rooms’ are underwhelming. The lack of flowering plants is an obvious miss and the fact that there are not legible plant identification markers seems like a poor choice. Our guide was semi knowledgeable and didn’t take the time to educate us on the plants/trees unless asked.

The picture of the beach, palm trees, and house often associated with the Allerton Gardens is a restricted area. Unless you book the afternoon tour with dinner, you will not be allowed to explore that area.

You can learn more about tropical gardens in the Princeville Garden tour and the Limahuli Garden tour up north. Both are much better experiences in my opinion.

My wife and I earned our undergraduate degrees from the University of Illinois, so we were familiar with the Robert Allerton Park outside Monticello, Illinois, also known as the University of Illinois’ playground. So when we visited Kauai this summer and read about the Allerton Garden on the south shore, we knew we had to take a tour. We took the Allerton Garden at Sunset tour that includes a guided tour and dinner.

The tour guide was excellent with plenty of fun, cheesy jokes. Our tour only had eight customers on it so we had an intimate experience and essentially the whole garden to ourselves! A wonderful evening with lots of history about Allerton, which the tour guide augmented after my wife and I revealed our connection to the Allerton Park in Illinois.

Make sure you bring ample bug repellant as the mosquitoes do come out in force as the sun goes down. Dinner was adequate and tasty with non-alcoholic drinks in Allerton’s house. So with the tour and dinnner, you definitely get your moneys worth.

I highly recommend the dinner tour for an enchanted evening at Allerton Garden.

This garden was amazing as we saw giant crinum lilies blooming as well as bamboo stands, and enjoyed tree roots where Jurassic Park's egg scene was filmed and the mermaid scene in Pirates Of The Carribean 4. We passed by additional areas where the two movies were filmed along the palm tree lined creek. We were led to the house and beach where John Wayne's Donavan Reef had scenes filmed in the palm trees along this secluded private beach. This is the beautiful view that is enjoyed with the tasty dinner. My 17 year old son even enjoyed the tour. We saw the beach at sunset which was a lovely view. We felt like royalty being here as it was previously owned by Hawaiian royalty.

Love beautiful gardens? A guided tour of Allerton Gardens in Kauai’s National Tropical Botanical Garden should be very highly considered by nature lovers – we loved it! Your admittance fee helps them preserve endangered trees and plants helping them take a slow march back from the edge of extension. We felt the tour was interesting and well worth the price - knowing it goes to a very good cause makes it even better. Movie lovers will also like the many nature scenes of movies and TV series filmed here. Nearby Spouting Horn is delightful for a quick stop.

My mom and I did the Best of both worlds garden tour. We toured both Allerton and Mcbryde Gardens. Ron, our tour guide, was very knowledgeable and encouraged everyone to try things out in both gardens. I loved the surprising things some plants were used for, either for medicine or for everyday use. I would definitely take this tour again!!

We took the Allerton Garden tour at the National Botanical Gardens. It is a lovely tour and our guide was great. It is a couple of hours for the tour. You are bused to the gardens from the main center and the guide takes you through all the wonderful areas of the gardens. He explained many things about the gentlemen who owned the property and created the spaces. He pointed out many plants and told about the areas of the gardens. He pointed out where Pirates of the Caribbean was filmed and where scenes from Jurrasic Park was filmed. Several little waterfalls and other water features. Great tour.

This was a lovely tour. The bus ride was fine (and I don't typically like bus rides). But I could see everything just fine. Incredible views at the top. And very enjoyable riding down into the gardens and seeing all the different plants and trees and roots growing...literally...everywhere. Our guide was incredibly knowledgeable about everything we saw and all the questions we had. We saw highlights from both the Allerton and McBryde Gardens. It was very wonderful!

Our tour of Allerton was fun and informative. David was a great tour guide and the estate was beautiful. Sunset dinner added a wonderful touch!

The Allerton Garden is a visual delight which never seems to run out of wonderful plants and blossoms. It is an fairly easy walk with the guide, and we found ourselves marveling that an old sugar plantation could be so transformed than one would never suspect its prior life. We got to the Garden early and made the first tour bus with ease. Our driver/guide, one Bob Nishek, has been with the garden for many years and for a long time headed the plant nursery, I believe he said. He made the walk through the gardens worthwhile with his knowledge of the many things growing there. I never knew there were so many kinds of ginger, nor how beautiful they all were. This garden, of course, was featured in Jurassic Park, and the Moreton Fig Trees and stupendous. Bob shows you where the children in that movie found the dinosaur egg among the roots of the trees. The variety of plants, blossoms, nuts vines will live in your memory and scrap books for a long time. I'd estimate the length of the encounter from start to finish to be about 4 hours.

Due to the terms of the trust in charge of the garden, the guided tour is the only way to see the Allerton Garden. Even though the tour is $60 per person, the 2 hour tour of the garden is well worth it! You get to see the Moreton Bay fig trees made famous in Jurassic Park (1993) as well as several gorgeous garden "rooms" each with a unique theme. We went on the afternoon tour. Our tour guide Amanda was fantastic - very knowledgeable about the garden's history and the plants there despite only working there for 5 months! She was more than willing to answer questions and take pictures of families and couples.

Because we went on a week day, we were able to call up and make reservations the same day. (You can't do the same day online, you have to call.) We arrived early and they let us go on the tour ahead of and earlier than the time our reservations were for, which was nice. The tour was not crowded (about 8 of us), and we were comfortable talking to the guide and asking questions. The gardens are in a nice location on the island, not too far from the Hyatt, and Koala. The gardens start beach front and go inland, and are quite large with its own stream. The tour was very interesting and well done. Clayton, our guide, is well educated in plant life and loves his job - you could tell. These gardens are for a good cause - trying to save native Hawaiian plants from extinction. So by going there, you are supporting a good cause. Clayton made a good case why saving plants from extinction is just as important as saving animals from extinction. The grounds are beautiful and interesting, but we didn't see too many flowers, this is not what these gardens specialize in. I am attaching a few photos to give you an idea, but these don't do justice to the extensiveness of greenery and the history. These gardens as you may have heard, were in Jurassic Park, and the so called dinosaur egg was found by the roots of one of the giant Monkey Fig trees. I am glad I went and experienced the gardens, as it broadened my horizons.

The place was closed for tours when we reached there, but we were still able to walk around the garden. It is beautiful and we had a great time walking around.

After my family stopped at Spouting Horn, we drove up the street a minute or two to this Gardens. Totally worth the trip for the day! Even though the day was hot, we opted to just walk around the grounds rather than paying $30 a head for their self tour with the tram. Words cannot describe the amazing Flora displayed at this gardens!!

Went to high school on Oahu in the 60's, thought that over the years I had seen most of what the outer islands have to brag about. I was wrong.

What a wonder! Wife and I marveled at what it took to put this acreage together years ago, and the amazing fauna that abounds. However, we could never have gotten out of the area what we did if not for our guide Bobby. His knowledge of the fauna and history is endless, and he translates that information clearly, with great patience, and obvious enthusiasm. FINALLY, a guide who discussed his subject and not himself! What an asset.

Why we didn't see this years ago is a mystery, worth a second and third trip all in itself. One of the best features on Kauai.

The Allerton Gardens were built by an eccentric couple over several decades and resemble an outdoor mansion with many rooms and water features as well as a vast variety of trees and shrubs. Although the garden in its own right is worth visiting, what made this a unique experience was the knowledge of Hawaiian history, culture and botany of our guide, Sabrina. Sabrina explained the history of the introduction of many foreign species of plant and animal life into Kauai as well as the native usage of the plants indigenous and introduced to Kauai. We also learned about the history of Hollywood filming in the gardens - a fascinating story in and of itself. This tour takes over 2 hours, and is well worth the time spent.

Enjoyed the stories within this tour. Great gardens designed by a single family. Can imagine why they selected this space to video scenery for Jurassic Park!

We had a delightful time at Allerton gardens. The place is so beautiful and what a wonderful story. Our tour guide was knowledgeable funny and a very nice person. It is so worth visiting.

This was a highlight of our trip to Kauai. Stunning gardens, knowledgeable guide, very unique scenery. Worth the price.

This experience was disappointing. It may have been more enjoyable with a different guide. Our guide made inappropriate transgender and 'shape of a banana' remarks. Instead of telling us about all the iconic films and tv shows filmed at the Garden, he focused on enacting scenes from Jurassic Park and ignored a guests inquiry about other films. He did manage to provide some interesting facts about the plant life. I enjoyed learning about different tropical plants and the history of the Allerton family, but the vulgar comments and lack of knowledge exhibited by the guide detracted from the beauty of the Garden.

Wow! The night before we went, my wife said, ‘why do we want to look at plants?’ We both laughed at that later! This century old garden has been allowed to age gracefully, yet in a well kept way. You will not have seen all the flora or the stunning settings it provides. Clayton, the guide, was so knowledgeable about each thing we saw and his knowledge and enthusiasm for it was contagious! We tasted things we’d never heard of, saw plants from around the world grouped in wondrous ways..... and loved looking at plants! Quick bus ride to the garden followed by an extensive trek around the garden. Our total trip was 2 hours 15 minutes

Disappointed in 2.5 hours on off bus to hear non stop information about history, seeds and encyclopedic information and names of every plant in the garden. Came to see and admire beautiful trees and flowers.
Do not recommend- self guided would have been more enjoyable

This was our third tour of the gardens...the first for our two grandson's. Our docent, Amanda was a delight and a fountain of knowledge about the gardens and the flora to be found there. The boys amazed and delighted to be standing where Alan Grant discovered the raptor eggs and will hold that memory the rest of their lives.
There didn't seem to be as much color/blooms as in previous visits, but that is all dependent on seasons and weather.
We will surely be returning.

One star because the trees are beautiful and there could be a lot to see. DO NOT come here with children under 7. This is NOT family friendly. We had a traumatizing, harrowing experience and the worst part is that the Visitor center was closed by 1 pm today so we could not complain.

I am a single mother visiting Kauai with my 3 year old boy (almost 4 in February). We came in 2-3 days before and looked around and were encouraged to book a tour. Heck, they even offered us a sunset dinner cruise. No where on the website or in the Visitor Center or in reading prior reviews did I see any indication that Allerton Garden is not family friendly. In fact, most reviews say it is! Anyways, we were welcomed and given bracelets. All seemed well until we got to the garden with the bus, which is about 10 min away in a separate location. The only way to visit is with a tour which is $60. Once we got there, one of the other guests immediately complained that my son was speaking and she could not hear the guide. The guide was elderly and her voice was soft and had speaker/microphone of any kinds.

I tried my best to keep my boy quiet by he got whiney because he saw that some disabled guests were given a ride on a gold cart and wanted to go on it. Long-story short, he got on the cart, but the tour guide acted like this was a museum and not a garden. My child was expected to stay quiet for 2.5 hours and could not run around or act like a child. I would have been perfectly happy to be given a green light to explore the place on my own, perhaps with the help of a map, but once we left the visitor center, maps were not available.

The tour guide was extremely rude and rigid. She told me in front of everyone that the Allerton Garden was not appropriate for children. She had no approach and really did not know how to engage a child. What was I supposed to do? I asked the tour guide what to do with this knowledge now that we are in the middle of the tour and she told me that there is not much to do as the tour bus would not be there in another 2 hours to pick us up. We were essentially told we were not welcome there!

In the end the visitor who complained about my child left the tour by asking to be picked up and somehow got management to send her a special pick up. Prior to leaving, she got into a confrontation with some other guests who defended me and my child and called one of them a "fat slob" for absolutely no reasons and was calling the other names as well. I understand that people will complain and some people mind kids, but kids are allowed there. I was mostly hurt by the tour guide's response as she just kept apologizing to the other guests and did nothing to trouble-shoot. TO add insult to injury, when the pick up for the complaining guest arrived, we were offered to go too, it felt like she was trying to get rid of us.

All in all a harrowing experience, do NOT go there with children under 7 or so who can act like they are in a museum. They also cut our trip short by about 45 min and we just spent time waiting for the bus to pick us up. I wish I could get a refund, but by the time we were brought back around 1:30 pm, the office was long closed.

A thoroughly enjoyable 2 1/2 hour tour with Dr. Bob. He knows so much about the plants and the history of the area and is just a great storyteller. He's funny and Irreverent! And even makes great restaurant recommendations!

My husband and I stopped by just to “check it out” It was our first day in Kauai and we wanted to get a taste of Hawaii. We were greeted by a wonderful woman who told us all about the two tour options..... to be honest I thought that it might be a bit on the boring side.... I mean I love gardens and flowers, but I was hesitant. My husband said “Why not?” And so we did..... and I am SO GRATEFUL! It was truly spectacular! We LOVED walking around on our own, soaking it all in.... literally.....we got rained (poured) on quite a few times.... it was so fun! There were so many beautiful plants, flowers and trees to look at and enjoy. The group you come with on the bus splits up so we really were hiking around all on our own. You can hike as much or as little as you like. The views are stunning, you won’t be disappointed.... it really is a MUST SEE..... plus the bus drivers are friendly and knowledgeable too.... the lady who drove us there told us so much on the way in and the gentleman made us laugh all the way back..... I can’t say enough about what a great experience this was!

It was windy this afternoon, so we decided to book a tour of Allerton Garden. It was absolutely stunning. Our guide, Martin was fun and very knowledgeable. I am so glad we booked the tour.

I loved this garden. Gardening is a passion of mine and this display didn’t disappoint. That said my husband, nongardener, also enjoyed the tour.
The history of the creation of the garden intrigued me, the fact that the trust must leave it exactly as it was. After hurricane Iniki, the garden was devastated. Truly amazing to bring it back.
Our tour guide Sabrina was very knowledgeable about the plants, had a great sense of humor and also invited questions at each point. The importance of some plants to the Hawaiian culture was appreciated.
Thanks for having this display of nature.

Great guide, John Steinhorst, he was knowledgeable about botany and had a great delivery of lots of information. Interesting history about Allerton family and their dealings in the gardens as well as botanic information. Queen Emma history as well.

This was expensive BUT the money supports this beautiful, unspoiled spot. The tour guide was knowledgable and entertaining. I saw plants i've never experienced before. It was a wonderful way to spend two hours.

My daughters brought me to the Allerton Garden as a belated 60th birthday present.
Fascinating flora and fauna especially the Moreton Bay fig trees with their tremendous roots. In parts of the garden, you feel as if you are going back in time (I guess that is why Jurassic Park was filmed here) . So many water features with streams, distant ocean vistas, man-made waterfalls and water features. The variety of plants were extraordinary. The guide opened a cacao plant and let us each taste a cacao seed. The tour was not rushed, the guide was open to questions, and it was a great take-in!

It was an interesting tour. Lovely grounds. The history of the area, people and prior industries fascinating. Dinner was excellent and just enough. If you’re really into flowers, you might prefer the McBride. Both are worthwhile.

I thought the tour was a little pricey for what they had. Our guide said that we only saw about 10% of the garden and what we saw seemed to be by his whim. The guide was very knowledgeable and could answer every question thrown at him. If it weren't for the awesome fig trees, I would say go to McBryde instead.

The National Tropical Botanical Gardens - composed of Allerton Gardens and McBryde Gardens - are an amazing place. You will see plants and architecture there which in some cases is nowhere else in the world... they do amazing conservation work with endangered and near-extinct species of plants. They are more famous as a setting for scenes from movies (trees in Jurassic Park) and TV shows (Fantasy Island, Gilligan’s Island), but their care and skill is what truly shines.

When I retire someday, this is the sort of place I would want to volunteer for. Wonderful people.

My husband and I enjoyed the tour of the Allerton Garden. Our guide, Bob, was super friendly and knowledgeable about the plants, animals, and heritage of the property. Along the trail we fed fish, frogs, and roosters and sampled many exotic fruits. There are several reflecting pools and water features. The rooms of the garden are living history and truly provide a sense of stepping back in time. An amazing place!

We love reviewing the gardens and having dinner at the home on the oceanfront. Great area to visit. Visit just before sunset and you can have a great view.

What was disappointing for us was how little was in bloom. The gardens are beautiful, but green, similar gardens can be found in many other areas of Kauai without paying $60 p.p. The 3 hour tour was nice but most of the tour was standing still listening to a social history of the Allertons. We expected more and when we toured other gardens, found it. So, if it is beautiful foliage you want, look elsewhere.

We put off going to Allerton Gardens for the more than 30 times we have come to Kauai. Boy did we miss it! The tour is well worth it with tour guides who give you cool, local info and history of the area. Plus the eccentric previous owners of the garden made the place a truly unique place to visut,

We've done several of their tours and they are all wonderful. We loved seeing the house, loved the garden, loved being able to walk around like we owned the place. The Jurassic Park trees seen on one of the tours are amazing.

We visited in perfect weather. The gardens are breathtaking, both as an expression of the original owners’s vision, and as a wide ranging botanical research and preservation institution. The guide interspersed descriptions of the plants, trees and engineering feats with stories of his decades of work in the gardens. The paths are gentle and well-maintained, making the mile to 1.5 mile walk a pleasant ramble.

The tour here takes about 3 hours, but it is time well spent. There is a lot of history here along with beautiful sights. The guide will give you information about the garden plants and some of the movies that were filmed nearby.

We know people on Kauai and some 20 years ago, they arranged for the then head gardener to take us in from the upland entrance through the McBryde gardens and down to the beach. To be honest, the sole point at that time was to see the giant Moreton Bay fig trees that were so important to the first Jurassic Park movie, which of course my boys loved.

This time my wife and I went specifically to see the Atherton Gardens after I read Lucinda Fleeson's book "Waking up in Eden. In pursuit of an impassioned life on an imperilled island". The entry point now is by mini-bus from the ticket shop to the east by the Spouting Horn. After a lifetime as home to Hawaiian royalty (Queen Emma), part of a sugar cane plantation and tenant farmers, the Athertons bought the property in the late 1930s and built water features and plant rooms to amaze their celebrity party guests. The figs were planted with the thought their roots would help dam the river; unfortunately fig roots avoid water! One of the many facts we learned from Tanjai our guide.

The place really is amazing to walk around with someone knowledgeable about its history, and of course it's beautiful to see with all the sight lines the Athertons designed. I will say, be sure you don't mind some muddy patches on the trails and be prepared for the bugs. I look forward to our next trip to see the native Hawaiian plants in the McBryde portion of the gardens and maybe to enjoy dinner at the Atherton house on the beach.

Yes, it is a bit pricey, but come on what do you spend on dinner out on Kauai and this is even better, since it is truly food for the soul?

Allerton Garden is a unique location on the island of Kauai. As a non-profit garden, the cost is significant. Yet the experience is worth it. Splurge and take the tour followed by dinner. The original Jurassic Park was filmed in a number of garden locations. See the film and read the book, Waking Up in Eden, which describes the garden's history and some of the travails to save the garden for plant preservation and public touring. You won't forget this garden.

This is an extraordinary garden. Everything is gigantic bc of the climate- sunshine, some rain, and the purposeful way the plants were planted. Jurassic Park and Pirates of the Caribbean were filmed here in part. It’s a 2 hour guided tour that’s informative and interesting.

excellent tour and visit. We enjoyed far more than we anticipated and wished we'd done this first in Kauai.

My husband and I really enjoyed touring these gardens and learning about the history, we saw nothing but beauty here and the trees were amazing

We chose the behind-the-scenes tour and were frankly disappointed by how little walking we did. Most of the time we were being driven by our guide, who was quite knowledgeable and friendly, but personally we would have preferred to spend more of our time strolling.

We took a guided tour which we highly recommend. Our female guide whose name I can't remember was Italian; she was a wonderful guide. So much to see and all so very interesting. The tour lasted 2.5 hours. To enjoy this experience to its fullest, cover up with clothing, avoid open toed shoes, and use mosquito repellent with deet. Before or after the tour, find some time to browse their gift shop which has lovely items, and snacks too.

We really enjoyed our time at Allerton Garden. The variety of plantings is amazing....tropical paradise in its gardens.

Lauren was very good a guiding us through the gardens. If you don't have repellant you can buy cloths of it for $2 . Beautiful grounds and nice to have the shuttle to cut out some walking especially on a hot humid day. Nice ocean view as entering the gardens. Disappointed that the new garden cafe wasn't a cafe like in other gardens, but only a place to grab a quick snack or wrap or salad and drink. Also, disappointed by the fee since I'd been to other gardens with or without and price was substantially less.

We started off our adventure in the gift shop waiting for our tour to begin. The music was nice but the gossip and complaining from the young girl with curly hair in a bun was embarrassing to witness. The girl went on and on complaining about another employee and “why does she not have to work weekends. Look her schedule no weekends.... why is she so special?? I mean .....” she went on and on badmouthing the other employee the entire time me and my family were perusing. On the other hand The tour was amazing! Dave was so sweet and entertaining as well as immensely knowledgeable. His demeanor was impeccable and professional. The plants are amazing, and the water features were so relaxing. When we returned to the gift shop the cackling from the girls was still going on. I purchased a sticker and asked for a bag for the girl to give me an almost dirty look and say. I can’t justify giving you a nice bag. Here you can have this little bag. Uhhh I didn’t even care about the bag style... her rudeness taking about the other employee seems to have bubbles onto me ... not cool. Any way. Thank you Dave!

PS- Would have been 5 stars if not for the bickering.

Everything about Alberto. Was fabulous from the tour guide to every aspect of the gardens. A must go when in the island of Kauai, great little shop and we were lucky to see Hawaiian local dancers at the seating area behind the shop.

The garden is beautiful. But DO NOT buy the evening Allerton By Fire tickets unless you want to donate $125 + to the garden association. One hula dancer, the fire dancing is just ok, and the meal is worth $15, tops.
Way overpriced!

This is a wonderful place to spend a few hours on tour. Make sure to get a reservation, because it is very popular. You meet at a visitor's center and take a shuttle to the garden. The tour is led by very enthusiastic and knowledgeable guides. The gardens were created by Robert Allerton and his son John Gregg and are a living museum of plants, art and water features. The gardens are divided up into "rooms". Each is unique and have different landscapes and outdoor artwork and water features. A wonderful preservation of part of the island and well worth a visit.

Very interesting gardens and water additions. Had a great tour guide, Sabrina, who is a local with many interesting stories. Water attractions look completely different in photos which pick up the reflections you don’t necessarily see with the naked eye. Well worth the visit and price

Managed to visit for free as it was part of Plantation Days. Had been to the McBryde gardens but not the Allerton. Amazing and beautiful. If you are a photographer you must check it out. Take bug spray though.

The guided tour shows the landscaping genus of the former owner with the numerous gardens and architecture. It is magical if you can use your imagination of living there with the beauty of each location as you wander through the gardens. I've been to the Gardens more than a dozen times and will go back again. I've bought wonderful gifts from their shop and have an entire Christmas tree with Hawaiian ornaments from this shop.

Randy, our tour guide, did an amazing job educating and entertaining us during the tour of these unique and beautiful gardens. He is very knowledgeable and his narrative definitely made this a very special excursion! He thoughtfully volunteered to take our photos throughout the trip; especially appreciated by a solo traveler such as myself. DO put on your mosquito repellent; the gift store sells some if you forgot to pack some. So glad that I was able to take this tour!

We went on the sunset tour. Clayton was an excellent guide. He was very knowledgeable regarding the plants and the Allertons. Touring the house was nice and the light meal was good.

We thoroughly enjoyed our all-day visit to Allerton & McBryde Gardens. Our tour guide was highly informative and shared not only the history of this beautiful place but also so many fascinating details about the acres of lush plantings as well as the open air "rooms" and various architectural features.

The garden was stunningly beautiful, fig trees magnificent and it was fun to see where some movies were filmed but overall it felt a little overpriced and we even had a discount code. Way too much wasted time at the beginning. Tour guide talked way too much-an hour of talking (most of it standing at the building at the entrance to the garden talking about a different garden) before we even entered and then spent most of the tour complaining about how they weren’t allowed to clean the statues. The whole tour could have been done in 1/2 the time. Ask for an amusing guide who doesn’t ramble as much. Get a good discount code and get some good pictures with a dinosaur egg at the fig trees.

On the mainland, this would be a $10 tour, but on Kauai it's a $50 tour. It's a perfectly fine tour, not that many special plants, but a very nice garden. I heard that other tours got a better background on the Allerton Family and more botanical information. Our guide was very nice, but only modestly informative. Mosquitos were extremely aggressive, fully apply repellent.

We have gone on their evening tour twice and each time it was very special. If you have an interest in tropical gardens, a look back in how things come to be or just enjoy a stroll and then a nice meal in an exceptional setting this is the ticket. While the food is light sitting on the edge of the ocean in the Allerton home is really something to enjoy.

We paid for a guided tour that was supposed to be 1.5 hours- it turned out to be 2.5 hours! It was hot and humid so be prepared.
We saw many types of trees and plants that they are trying to preserve and save. The garden itself is very interesting.
Even though our Driver/ Guide is not a Botanist, she knew a lot about local plants and tress and where they came from.
Interesting tour.

This was the first stop on my trip to Kauai, and I'm so glad it was. Joe, our guide, was knowledgable and easy to listen to and lead us through a quirky but informative tour. The gardens are beautiful, and even in the rain, it was an enjoyable experience. Joe gave us some excellent recommendations on both what to do, and what to avoid, on our trip. In addition, for the rest of the trip we were able to relate other parts of Kauai back to the information we had learned at Allerton. Worth the cost, and also, a great cause as most of the money goes directly back into taking care of the gardens.

We toured the Allerton Garden in early November with Dennis as our guide. He was affable and personable but not knowledgeable. I thought we would get knowledgeable for $60. He could name two birds and maybe 5 plants. He gave a little history of the owners and almost nothing about the sculptures. I wanted to see the house but that was not on our tour. When they mentioned "rooms" in the promo these were just outdoor rooms where they entertained. Disappointing too that little was known/shared about the plant research being undertaken there.

Beautiful property and interesting history. Just could have lived without 2 hours of corny jokes from the guide and his celebrity encounters. Ugh!

There are a variety of botanical gardens on Kauai, all worthy of a visit. At Allerton, only guided tours are permitted. They last about 2 1/2 hours. Ours was excellent - a beautful experience with an excellent guide. We will happily go back again next time we are on the island.

I was lucky enough to be able to tour these gardens with a friend on a blue-skied breezy Kauai day. After a shore (bumpy) ride, we parked and the bulk of our 2+ hour tour was spent walking as a group. Our lady guide truly loved showing us each of the architecture rooms created without brick, mortar, and wood. It has distinct rooms setup with landscape/architectural precision where a soaring canopy of giant bamboo creates a serene cathedral-like feel and space. Other rooms focus on a theme-such as ripple and small currents formed by water ventures and art permit you eyes and ears to go to a quite zen-place with a "wave" theme. The guide provided continual insights and facts with sufficient quiet time to soak-up the total experience. You will probably meet several chickens that will add their antics and commentary.

Tour guides sometimes make the tours. Our guide Sam is great. He grew up in the gardens, working with his family for many years. You can hear the pride he has for his Hawaiian culture. He gives a lot of information, but it is all worth it. Tropical gardens equals mud. For some reason people believe the tour companies can control the weather. We had great weather for most of the tour and yes it was muddy in spots. If that is what caught someone's attention then they weren't probably on the correct tour. We were told the best time to come for the most blooms are in May and June. Many of the plants were past their flowering stage, but there is so much history and water features, it is well worth it to go.

You can only visit Allerton with a guided tour. It was very nice 2.5 hour with a 9 and 11 year old in the group. Great guide. Would recommend even though it is expensive. I would consider adding the Mcbryde portion if you are into gardens much at all. The Jurassic park and Pirates of the Caribbean scenes help raise the interest level of younger visitors.

We decided to book on the Allerton garden tour over the McBryde, we’re so glad we did. These gardens can only be accessed on a guided tour so you feel like the only people there, the guide was brilliant, really engaged everyone, super friendly, and so knowledgable. It’s so worth doing this tour to find out the native history of the island, so few species are native to Kaua’i. You also get to see lots of filming spots from Jurassic Park, Pirates of the Caribbean and many more! Well worth the extra for this tour.

We booked a Friday evening sunset tour of the garden. Our guide was knowledgeable and answered any question asked of him. It was a hot day but cooled off pleasantly once we got to the estate for dinner. The food was simple but good and the view was worth a million bucks! It was a magical sunset!

Tour guide was very knowledgeable, the gardens are amazing..
The walking was ok for everyone - you could basically make as much of it as you wanted.

We thought the added dinner at the cottage would keep my teenager happy but she loved the whole tour. The grounds are beautiful and the dinner at the cottage was tasty and fun to eat there. Would highly recommend.

Beautiful plants, sculpture, and history to this place. Also, an unlikely spot to celebrate some LGBTQ history and pride just before the end of pride month!
The garden is gorgeous, but the real cherry on the icing was our character of a bus driver who took us to and from the garden, and most of all, our absolutely lovely tour guide Becky. The place was astounding, and Becky did an unbeatable job at showing us around and explaining everything passionately, and yet the tour guides are volunteers! Perhaps that's why her passion shined through the whole tour, but I left her a nice tip to boot anyway.

This was our first stop in Kauai. It was raining hard but that didn't deter us and the sun came out by the time our tour finished! We had a great guide, very knowledgable about the history, incredibly diverse flora & fauna, and the many films that have used this beautiful backdrop.

My husband and I took the sunset dinner tour and were so fascinated by this property. Our guide was very knowledgeable and made the evening very enjoyable. We truly felt the magic of the island in a more personal setting. The dinner was very good and although the weather was wonderful, the sun did not give us one of her beautiful sunsets, but we still loved this place and its history.

Did the two-fer McBride and Allerton. Well worth it! You meet and get on a small bus, then get driven into both (they're kinda the same), getting out for about 20 min to walk around. The plants/flora/landscape is simply spectacular. Only issue we had with our guide (Bob), is you have to huddle close to him to hear anything when walking around. Should have had a small microphone so people knew what he was talking about like they have on the bus. Anyway, WELL worth it! And use mosquito spray before you go...

Beautiful gardens and experience. Our guide was fantastic: a native to the island and very knowledgeable and passionate about what was seen in the gardens and on our way to and from the gardens. It is about a mile of walking but not difficult. There is a firm requirement about wearing closed toed shoes.

These are stunning gardens. It was an unbelievable experience. I've been there twice, and I look forward to my next visit.

It is unusual to see a tropical garden in a private estate like this. The original Jurassic Park movie has scenes there...and parts are spectacular. Perhaps a little too long a tour .... but if you like gardens then you will be thrilled.

I am so glad I took this tour, it was awesome. The guide was knowledgeable about the history, the plants, and even the chickens. This is where you will see the trees from Jurassic Park, the island used in Pirates of the Caribbean and the upcoming/yet to film Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson movie. There is so much to learn and you will enjoy it whether you're botanical nerd or not. I highly recommend this tour.

History behind Allerton and Greg interesting but garden not worth $60, Morten fits lovely but overall skip it, McBride gardens better and cheaper but not by much

Clayton, who is very knowledgeable and rather overqualified, led our excellent tour of this grand garden/arboretum. It was superb. Allow two hours and bring your camera and spray well with mosquito repellent.

Fantastic multi layered garden with several outdoor "rooms" to experience. Try to get on a tour with Dave, a guide who has lived,farmed and gardened on Kauai for 40 years! Fabulous

We thoroughly appreciated soaking up the beauty and learning much from our knowledgeable and friendly guide, Bobby. He let us try fruit and take home the most delicious oranges. We did the Best of Both Worlds tour and would have liked a bit more time at McBryde. However, we’ll return and opt for the self-paced tour there next time.

They charged us 60$ per person for a 2,5h roundtrip with a vehicle in a garden full of plants and fruits. It is nice but not worth it for 60 bucks and the time.

Beautiful gardens. We did the evening tour with dinner. The food and tour guide were both fantastic. Would def recommend. My favorite part about Kauai!

We booked the Allerton Garden guided tour - evidently the only way to visit the garden. We were enticed by the description that Allerton Garden is “a masterpiece of landscape architecture” that includes exotic plants and water features and were, therefore, willing to pay the $65 admission fee, expecting a professional tour. Though the guide told us that the guides were supposed to utilize an established tour plan, our guide told us she didn’t believe in a prearranged tour walk. That was unfortunate. Despite our expectations, the guide did not provide information about the landscape’s development, about the plants themselves (frequently saying she couldn’t recall) and was unable to engage the group. Sadly we received no information about the NTBG - its mission, scope or history. The glacial pace at which the tour moved proved challenging for many of the tour participants, but our guide was unable to read her audience or engage the participants in any meaningful way. Visiting the garden may be worth the effort and expense, but be aware that the quality of your tour may not be commensurate with the expense or your expectations.

We were driven from the information center to the Allerton Gardens which was a nice surprise. Sorren, our guide was patient and knew so much about the gardens and water features that he made the gardens come alive for us. The small tour group was lovely.

Wear big sprays when you go!

Nice vegetation. Well maintained. Lots of cool looking fountains and statues. Couldn't have asked for a better guide. He was warm, friendly, upbeat, well informed and had a great sense of humor. He also had a lot of stories and information about the plants and the history of the garden which he readily shared throughout the tour. I got to see where part of the Pirates of Caribbean movie was shot and visit the Jurassic Park trees which were absolutely beautiful. I gave it 3 stars, because I guess I was expecting something a bit more spectacular in terms of the landscape, but it was pretty average.

On this our second visit to Kauai and the Gardens, we booked the Behind the Scenes tour and saw not only Some of Allerton but also some of McBryde. Our knowledgeable driver/guide told us the history of how the Gardens came to be, walked us through a conservatory/nursery, pointed out a variety of trees along the path and gave us a wealth of information about each of the 15-20 growing things we saw. We stopped at the lovely Waihulili Waterfall and the Morton Fig trees and took photos there and all over.
Restrooms are available at the visitors center and at a couple of places during the walk.
A bit of the path may at times be muddy, and insect repellent should not be overlooked along with the cameras.
We will assuredly return.

Absolutely amazing! A unique place where you can see plants from all over the South Pacific and incredible art deco fountains and statues. I wish the gardens would acknowledge how special this place is in gay history.

Great gardens, don’t miss it! Easy to find and enjoy Kauai’s lush tropical offerings. Friendly and knowledgeable staff.

Beautiful tropical gardens; Diane was a knowledgeable and entertaining guide. The history, art and the flora of this remarkable place were presented in detail.

Make a reservation, online or call in.

We attended the regular tour 2 years ago, and received a very thorough description of what plants the Allertons brought from various parts of the world, and all done by ocean voyages. The Sunset tour is a shortened version of the regular tour, because they want patrons to see the Allerton's house and have dinner there. While the tour of the park was shortened, there was little reason to not share more information about the origin of plants and efforts it took to get them to Kauai. There were many pauses for "photo ops", which I felt was dragging time out to meet the dinner and sunset schedule. There was little pride over the upkeep of the Allerton house. The dinner was actually quite delicious and filling. THen came the "sunset" part. We were driven up to a part of the road, where we were NOT allowed to exit the bus, because of fear that patrons might slip down the cliff. We took pictures the best we could of the sunset from inside the bus, and the sunset was NOT that spectacular. So....the "sunset" highlight was a bust for us. Touring the Allerton house was interesting, but seeing the condition of the upkeep was very disappointing. The people we spoke to simply did not seem proud of what they were representing. The existence of the non-profit appeared to be the ultimate goal. We strongly recommend attending the regular tour, but would suggest one to shy from the sunset tour.

Definitely worth a trip over if you enjoy botanical gardens and have had enough beach time for the day! We love botanical gardens and we’re lucky enough to do the tour through the gardens down to the beach. Fantastic tour. Most people walked the gardens, it was a long walk, but they did have one golf cart for anyone with mobility issues.

For $65 I expected beautiful gardens and fountains and art. I saw none of that. Moss covered statutes that have been there a long time with no maintenance. A few pools of water that are green. Lots of walking to see trees and plants, none of which are manicured or flowering. It was like walking through a forest. Very disappointed and the2 1/2 hour tour felt like 20 hours! Would not recommend.

We went on the Best of Both Gardens Tour. We were really impressed with the gardens and the tour guide, John. He took us slowly through several areas of the gardens and answered many questions from people on our tour, which included several biologists and also some local gardeners. There was a lot of comparing of plant species to others in different areas and what is growing on other parts of the island. I learned so much more on this tour than ever before on similar tours. We also enjoyed the guide's upbeat Dad jokes. We learned about the mission of the gardens, illustrated by a short explanation of the guide's first paper about studying how to germinate a certain species of plant. After this tour, we will likely continue to support the mission of the gardens.

The history behind the creation of this private estate and garden in the 1930's is so interesting. It became a location where the 'rich and famous' were invited, and the garden 'rooms' each have their own stories and tropical plants. Our guide, Steve, was so full of botanical tidbits, people stories and maintenance stories, all told in a fun way. Very much enjoyed the 2.5 hours spent. Bring insect repellent or buy some at the gift shop before you depart for the tour.

Yesterday my sister and I took the morning your of the Allerton botanical gardens. Our guide was Sabrina, a young, knowledgeable and vibrant young woman. Her extensive knowledge of the plants, birds and history of the gardens and Kauai made the tour wonderful. I highly recommend the tour.

We were required to arrive early and had to wait around for a half hour before bus tour began. Two plus hour tour partly on bus, partly on foot. Driver with pleasant corny commentary. Apparently there are next to no native Hawaiian plants on the tour. Invasive species that were mostly introduced by gardeners. The trip went through lush greenery but since it was all non native species not very interesting. Several sites where movies were filmed. Considering the $70 price it was underwhelming.

We had to go there to see the Moreton Bay fig trees because of Jurassic Park. There is so much more to see! There is different kinds of exotic plants, sculptures and fountains. There is a short but bumpy ride to the garden. You will of course see the Kauai shoreline getting there. Walking is at a slow pace. It will be important to have something to protect you from mosquitos. Bring water.

If you like colorful plants, like casual walking and enjoy learning, go here. Plan to spend a half day.

We did the evening guided tour and catered dinner in the main house. It was fantastic and well worth the extra price!

This place is a landscape architect's dream! Amazing gardens, pools, sculptures and unusual plants from all over the world. Our tour guide was fantastic - funny and personable.

We had a wonderful tour led by Sam. He has a strong passion for the gardens as his father worked there. His knowledge and enthusiasm for the property shines through. The gardens are so really interesting. The small waterfalls are also lovely. We went on a Thursday when there was a market and hula dancing so made it extra special. An afternoon well spent.

One word: go! This place is not to be missed. The combo guided tour of the two gardens is well worth the price. (Don’t be fooled by the “national” in their name; they are not federally funded. They are a 501c3 nonprofit and your tour dollars go for upkeep.) Our guide was very knowledgeable and engaging and funny, too. And the gardens are beyond description in beauty and design. We happened to be there on a Thursday and much to our delight there was a hula performance happening right after our tour. We learned a lot and the dancers were so good at their art. Our visit was truly one of the major highlights of our week-long vacation. Go!

This is worth the price of the visit. We had a great tour guide and the statues, waterfalls, ponds, etc and tremendous.

If you like visiting gardens and finding out more about the history of the area, this garden tour is for you!

The garden was the private garden of the Allerton family. It is composed of outdoor rooms created by plants. Each room has a signature plant or feature that sets it apart from the others. From the fig trees filmed in Jurassic Park movies to the quiet bubbling of the water feature, this garden will amaze you with its diverse plant life.

Wonderful, educational tour enjoyed by all ages in our group, from elementary school age to grandparents!

Wonderful!!! So worth the money. We also got 20 percent off using a coupon out of one of the local magazines I picked up at the airport which helped. My family was hesitant to do this tour, especially my kids, but we all loved it! Our guide Sam was amazing and we all learned so much about the local history and vegetation. Don’t forget to put on bug spray before you go, I still got bit a few times even with it on. Bring water and a hat too. Don’t hesitate to take this tour! It was one of the highlights of our trip!

Self guided tour allows enough time to explore. Things are well marked. Walk is easy. Would recommend this tour

Enjoyed the botanical gardens on Kauai near Poipu beach and spouting horn. These botanical gardens are impressive and well worth the trip. We usually make a day out of Poipu beach, spouting horn and the botanical gardens with dinner or happy hour at the Beach House. All highly recommended.

We went not realizing that the Allerton Garden is by tour only and we ended up joining a departing group with guide Michael. Once we got into the garden we really appreciated having the guide- he went into the history of the garden, pointed out different plants, and showed us several movie locations. Very pleasant and knowledgeable. He even introduced us to Alfredo the chicken. Overall was a great experience!

We took the sunset tour, and it was nice. The garden rooms were interesting, and our guide had a lot of information. The dinner consisted of kalua pork, salad, and rice with some kind of curry chicken, and it was pretty good. This is probably not the best tour for kids, as there is a lot of standing around, listening to the guide talk about the various plants. We had several younger kids on our tour, and they got bored fairly quickly. For the adults, it was an enjoyable evening.

We toured the Allerton and McBryde Gardens. Don't take this tour if you are want to see tropical flowers!

The tour is mainly of jungle trees, palms, and tropical plants. If you are expecting to see gardens filled with tropical flowers you will be disappointed.

The nicest flowering plants are along the sidewalk that leads to the admission gift shop.

We had fantastic guided tour here. The guide (I think his name was Bill, but I am not sure) went above and beyond for us. He brought a huge backpack with him and he was taking plants, seeds and other stuff from it to shove us the things we could not see at that moment in the park itself. When we come to the place witch was mosquito infested he even gave us bug spray (he had two: organic and usual). He had so much knowledge of the plants and history of the garden that is unbelievably. The girl who gave us a ride back at the end of the tour told us she has never stayed without the answer with him. By her words he is live encyclopedia.
I would absolutely recommend the visit. It is worth every cent.

We did the Sunset tour and thoroughly enjoyed it. Our guide was excellent and it was such a cool tour. The dinner was very good also.

We were there 15 years ago, when we were allowed to wander Allerton garden and enjoy the day. Today it is only a guided tour, and the price is ridiculous. I think they view visitors as a nuisance. I wonder what the Allertons would think of the gift they gave to Kauai only being able to be accessible to the those of means?

We had an high energy fire knife dance Luna besides other Hawaiian dances. Food is fine although it is not a buffet. You preselected food and it is served in a box.

Good way to learn about the foliage of Hawaii. Our tour guide, Bobby, was very informative. Take bug spray, as the gardens are loaded with mosquitoes.

this was a fantastic tour led by a very good host. We learned so much about the native plants of hawaii and the ones that were brought to the island. These gardens are absolutely beautiful. We have taken this tour a few times and always learned and seen something new.

The spouse enjoyed these gardens so much the last time we were here, that we visited again.
Our guide was Michael and he did a great job of telling the history of the gardens. He also knew every flower and plant and could tell you about them.
This tour included a lunch which was OK. I liked the chicken and the Tahitian purple sweet potato, but wasn't crazy about the salad.
There is a lot of walking with this tour and the ground is uneven in places. So to fully enjoy these gardens you need to have sufficient mobility.

Well, we heard a lot about the movies that have been filmed in the garden, and saw some amazing and beautiful plants as well. It is a truly exquisite setting, but I would have preferred a self-guided tour. The pace of the tour was very, very slow...whew...I felt like a little kid who wanted to run ahead -- and I LOVE beautiful gardens. Perhaps a 1 hour tour would make more sense? We are glad we went -- the little dinner on the lanai was delicious and a unique experience that we wont forget. But be aware of the length and slow pace of the tour if you choose to take it.

Just a beautiful and naturally managed collection of the most beautiful plants and trees. It was lush and very peaceful. the guide was very entertaining and the aroma of greenery was enveloping.

Save your money! Dreary and disorganized, this is a rag-tag garden. Organized in “rooms” - outdoor spaces that are dull and have mediocre statuary. Here and there you come across the Flora you expect in Hawaii, but it seems random. The Jurassic park trees were the highlight- that tells you how bad the rest of the gardens were. Not a patch on say Brookgreen garden in SC or the NYBG in NYC. Those are wonderful, exciting places to visit here every corner you turn has a nice vista.

The best part of the tour was the ride in the van down to the gardens. The gardens were in fair condition and the gardener in me wanted to dead head and prune. Another downside was the incessant monotone droning of our tour guide, who focused on the opulent lifestyle of the Allertons. I wanted to take in the gardens and enjoy them, instead I felt tense and anxious because of the barrage of useless information.

I talked my friends (in our 50's and 60's) into visiting the Allerton Gardens and we spent days after that whining about how awful the experience was. Sad, because I'd wanted to visit those gardens for twenty years. I'd discovered the McBryde Garden a few days before. I LOVED it so much and I'd heard the Allerton was even more beautiful. The McBryde tour was self-guided and that was magical. Most of the time, I was completely alone, exploring meadows and beautiful trails with clearly marks parts. I was disappointed to discover (after we'd purchased our $60 tickets) that the Allerton tour is guided. The guide was sweet but SO low energy. The tour was SLOW (we spent 14 minutes in front of a Macadamia Nut tree. It was super hot. I wanted to kill myself. Then we strolled about 10 feet and stood for another ten minutes. The tour covered a surprisingly small amount of acreage given the 2.5 hours we visiting but there was too much extraneous information and one could tell the guide was stretching out the experience. Don't get me wrong, the garden and environs are gorgeous and the history in interesting, but it was an hour tour at the most, and the garden seemed overgrown and "wild". I would recommend visiting the McBryde. It's even more beautiful, spacious, and tourists and free range to you can make your visit as long or as short as you're like. Buy a $30 ticket, then donate more. It's a great organization, but they should consider revamping or shortening that Allerton tour. Ugh!

If you go in the summer, prepare to take a bath in your own sweat, no kidding.
Also make sure you wear long pants, as the $2 insect repellent wipes they sell is not enough to cover all exposed skin.
This would be a great place if you are a biology major, studying plants, or even into garden design. Otherwise, this tour can be skipped, particularly for the $50 price. You can probably walk in free hiking trails and see mostly similar plants. My expectation for a botanical garden was for something like Buchart Gardens, so this was an almost complete disappointment for me. Other than seeing the large fig trees used in Jurassic park, there is really nothing here that I have not seen before.

Excellent, excellent, excellent tour. Good for all ages. Our guide was super knowledgeable and funny. So much ‘eye candy’. The walking is easy with lots of rest stops. Such a great way to spend 3 hours.

Truly one of the most beautiful spots on the island. A little pricey for someone that isn’t super into plants and isn’t planning on spending a ton of time there but I was entertained for a couple hours. Worth the visit if you have some time to kill and you’re staying on the south side of the island.

Gardens created on the Allerton estate, lovely to walk in and explore created to be beautiful and restful. A lovely example of what money could create many years ago. Using local and imported plants in very creative ways. Statuary adds emphasis to many of the outdoor rooms .

One of our favorite stops on Kauai. We had a great guide and learned so much. The gardens are spectacular. Well worth the time.

My wife her twin sister and husband were up early and were looking for something to do that was a little different so we cjose this excursion/ Was very educational and the staff was very friendly and knowledgeable. They weren't rushed and our group got strung out a couple of times but they just worked with everyone to get them together. For the island it was one of the cheaper thing to do and they let us take lots of pic's.

Outstanding and thorough tour of breathtaking botanical grounds near South Beach in Kauai. Our tour guide was exceptional and knew every detail about the plants as well as the movies made here.

We spent about 4 hours here. Made reservations online before our trip, and signed in when we arrived. We were shuttled about 15 minutes from the sign in/gift shop to the trailhead, and even that ride was gorgeous. We spent the bulk of the time hiking through the park, viewing the flora and fauna put in place by the Allertons. Scenes from "Jurrasic Park" were filmed here, and there are several spots of note with sculptures and fountains. The flowers and trees were gorgeous, and the hiking was not difficult for young and old, though wheel chairs would have a hard time as the paths are not paved.
Well worth the time!

Worth the price given the history and the gardens themselves. We had an excellent guide who brought the history of the gardens to life.

The overall tour was a bit disappointing since it seemed to be more of a walk in the woods rather than a informative tour of unique Hawaiian plants. While the gardens may be performing vital work to preserve historic and unique plants, we did not see any of the actions taking place to further this goal. It is a beautiful place to visit and the history of the founders was interesting, but as a botanical tour, it did not meet my expectations. Our tour guide, who was not a botanist, could have done a better job of keeping the group together and providing information to the entire group, as some people were slower in walking through the gardens and missed some of the information

There were 7 of us on the Thursday dinner tour. Ron, our guide/driver/entertainer/photographer and “professor of plants” was the best and made the tour so memorable. Definitely wear close-toed shoes and mosquito repellent. Bring water. The beauty and history of the gardens are amazing as well as educational. Again, Ron was the best.

A bit overpriced in my opinion - even for Hawaii. But definitely a beautiful place. The Combo Behind the Scenes tour didn't leave much time to see the actual gardens, so heads up on that.

Amazing garden tour and a rich history of the island. Take the tour. You must book your tour in advance online.

Our tour guide David was knowledgeable and experienced with the historical and scientific aspects of Hawaian plants, invasive species and methods to restore endangered plants to the landscape.
The tour also focused on Hawaii’s history and how plants came to the islands. On the flip side, the Modern gardens had beautiful exotic plants that were the site of movies such as Jurassic Park. Fun and informative and the tours help the work of restorating Hawaii’s endangered plants.

beautiful area to explore,guide was very engaging and had great stories to share about the how the gardens came to be. A very relaxing afternoon in gardens and trees.

We took the 2 1/2 hour tour which gives an in-depth tour of three areas on this large estate. You are driven there by small bus. One of our parties had a back issue and couldn’t walk. He stayed on the bus and was able to see a lot. In one area he sat outside under some tall shades trees and enjoyed the scenery.

The guide was incredibly knowledgeable especially since his dad was a horticulturist there when he was a young boy and he and his siblings used to play on the grounds. Loved his old stories.

This tour is a bit pricey, but it is because this is a 501-3C and receives no government funding. There is a shelter here which stores samples of Hawaiian plants should a hurricane destroy the plants. You feel like you are helping this great state retain its uniqueness and I think the price is justified.

Our three year old got a little bored, but he did seem to enjoy being out in nature. ( He was free) You can judge for yourself with your own kids.

Different in the fact it’s not a typical botanical gardens. It is more lived in. Loved how they constructed water features and moved water through out the property. Our guide was awesome! Very neat experience. But they aren’t kidding about bug spray! Use it!

A tour hear is at the top of our lifetime great experiences! It is incredible...inspiring...and soul satisfying. The tour guide was knowledgeable and engaging. It is rewarding to see the stewardship and care the staff gives to preserving native species and the care they give the interesting "rooms" in this exquisite garden. It was a spiritual experience for me and I hope to return some day. Totally worth the price!

We came to the gardens not knowing which one to explore and ended up doing the "Sunset Tour and Dinner". We came back at 4pm and met our guide Paul. He took us through the gardens and reflecting pools and was very detailed about the place and it's history. The talk about the plants was not the only interesting part, but how the garden came into existence was also cool. Paul chatted about all the movies that were shot here, and then we ended our tour at the Allerton residence down by the beach and were taken inside for a tour of the house. You can't help to wonder how awesome it must have been to be invited to this place back in the day. Such a great location.
Not many people know about the tour and dinner. For a few dollars more it's worth it. Typical Hawaiian food, raw veggies, pulled pork, coleslaw, pineapple cake. Plenty of non-alcoholic drinks. It's not over run with tourists, people on this tour are actually interested.

We did a docent led tour and continue to be amazed with the generosity of mother nature on this beautiful island.
All four of us enjoyed it greatly !

I enjoy gardens, and don't live near the tropics, so "tropical gardens" was near the top of my to-do list when we visited Hawaii. We went to three places billed as "tropical gardens", plus two others that I think qualify:
Allerton Garden, Kauai (morning tour)
Princeville Garden, Kauai (afternoon tour)
Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden, Big Island (self-guided, morning)
Akaka Falls, Big Island (not billed as a tropical garden, but beautifully groomed tropical glory)
Kilauea Iki loop hike, Big Island (not billed as a tropical garden, but the top part is all tropical, and there are a lot of identifying labels, and it's quite beautiful.)
I did not go to McBryde or Limahuli.

Princeville and Allerton are in some ways very similar, and in some ways very different. They were both built by a rich person who saw a big patch of land and fell in love with it. They both eventually turned to tourists to meet the bills. They both are only accessible with a guided tour, and the tour guides are quite knowledgeable. But they are also quite different.

Allerton bought his garden, and began to develop it, in 1937. He created several "rooms" in the garden, which he used for formal entertaining of the rich and famous. So, for example, there's a tidy contained rectangular space that he used as his formal dining room. The garden was designed with a traditional European garden esthetic, although of course it is grown of tropical plants, and feels a bit old-fashioned in places.

The tour of the garden actually begins with a bus ride from the tourist-gathering-area to the garden itself, and there could be as many as ~20 on the tour. (I'm guessing, based on the size of the bus.) The tour includes a lot of information about the Allertons (the elder Allerton adopted his male partner, and they lived there as a couple) and the garden itself has a lot of notable sculpture. They also showcase the locations where "Jurassic Park" was filmed.
The tour also includes some information on the Breadfruit institute, which is fascinating.

Our guide was actually a retired botanist, but promised not to talk too much about science. I guess that's not what they think the tourists want. We saw a wide variety of enormous trees, palms, bamboo, vines, cactus... the garden itself if quite beautiful, but the structure and history of the garden are the star of the show, not the tropical plants.

Princeville "began as a personal hobby of Bill and Lucinda Robertson in 2001, only to expand in scope and surpass all expectations when they moved to Kauai full time in 2004." It is a monument to tropical bounty in the modern style, with a wide variety of beautiful plants, and a more modern garden esthetic. The tours are small and intimate -- we had 7 people, and there are only two per day.

They pre-arrange to leave fruit, mostly (all?) grown there along the path, and the guide offers you samples. In some cases, you eat the fruit as you look at the plant it grow on, but in others it felt more like "here are some fresh bananas for you to enjoy." The fruit is delicious, though.

Although they did show us a cacao tree loaded with fruit, the chocolate tasting didn't feel especially well-integrated with the garden tour. It was a good chocolate tasting, with a variety of excellent chocolates highlighting different features of the manufacturing process and the terroir of the beans, however.

The garden is beautiful, with a wide variety of plants and the guide was knowledgeable (and willing to say "I don't know" where she wasn't). It's much smaller than Allerton, and more geared to the guests who happen to be there. For instance, when I expressed disappointment at not getting to taste a breadfruit, our guide gave me one, with cooking instructions. Allerton is a more formal and larger tour, and that wouldn't have happened, there.

For sheer tropical exuberance, corralled into a gorgeous garden, I would give the nod to the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden, however. it's a self-guided tour, so you can take it at your own pace. It's well labeled. Various types of plants are featured in different areas, so there's a section with hundreds and hundreds of orchids, for instance. There's also beautiful non-garden scenery for contrast (a waterfall and a shoreline.)

Note that all three of these give you a glimpse of what "unimproved tropical plants" look like -- you need a machete to pass.

Akaka falls was a delightful surprise. I'd been somewhat disappointed by Rainbow Falls and some of the other waterfalls near Hilo, and wasn't really expecting much. But the park actually features two waterfalls (Akaka is by far the more impressive) and the loop connecting them runs through a gorgeously manicured tropical garden. You walk in the midst of a giant banyan tree, and there is a profusion of flowers everywhere.

The highlight of the Kilauea Iki is, of course, the crater itself. But it starts in the midst of a gorgeous tropical forest, and being a park, a lot of the plants are labeled. (although sometimes it's hard to tell which label goes with which plant.) If you just want a taste of "tropical exuberance" this is a great option.

So first, let me start off by saying I'm a plant lover in general. I love gardening and growing fruits and veggies...so that helps. With that being said, I think even if you're not big into plants, you can enjoy this tour for the beauty and history behind the site. Our tour guide was informative and fun. Keeping everyone on our small group (of 12) involved and even gave us some suggested places to eat (when someone on the tour was looking for sushi). Overall, the tour flew by, and we enjoyed everything. Bring bug repellent, comfortable walking shoes, and a hat...it can get warm on some parts of the tour.

A tour through the Allerton Gardens is a lovely way to spend a few hours on vacation. Additionally, the tours help support some important environmental work that they do at the gardens. It's especially fun to stand in the roots of the Jurrasic Park Movie trees.

We are from michigan and grow orchids and some ferns.We were pleasently surprised with our self guided walk through the garden.Spotting and seeing the many varities of orchids and staghorn ferns growing in the wild was a treat.Very well maintained and relaxing environment make this a must stop on our anusl trip to kauai...

Dr. Bob was our guide and was very knowledgeable and funny. Garden was lovely and the view on the route there was also spectacular. Interesting history.

If you like gardens, this is a must do on Kauai. You see really inspiring garden architecture along with lot’s of tropical plants. This is a guided, 2 hour, slow pace tour. Our guide, Soren, was very knowledgable and entertaining. Beside plants, we saw many birds, including Java sparrows, egrets, night herons, a few geckos, and bull frogs at the pond where the tour bus arrives. All in all great fun.
The main visitor center is also nice.

Our guide, Bruce, took us on the first tour since the April floods. While I'm sure he saw destruction, we saw the beauty that remains. In addition to the horticultural specimens he pointed out, Bruce shared the fascinating story of two men's artistic passions expressed through landscape plantings.

The walking isn't long or hard, but you are on your feet for 2-1/2 hours. We visited in the morning and with the ample shade we were fine, but I imagine it might be hot in the afternoon. We didn't see a lot of flowers, but hadn't expected to. The designers used texture and shades of green for their primary palette. Don't forget the bug repellant!!

Note: If you go on Thursdays, the grounds outside the ticket area become the "Aloha Market" where local artisans sell their goods. I found delightfully scented soaps for gifts, another relative bought local honey and handmade baby gifts.

Highly recommended! We loved learning about the incredibly beautiful plants and property, and the important scientific and preservation work done here. Our guide, Paul, was a great story teller, and even treated us to a performance on his harmonica! This tour requires a reservation, and is suitable for both adults and children.

We added this as one of our last things to do during our 2 weeks in Kauai, and I'm glad we did. It's a beautiful property, and the story of how Allerton got it to this point is pretty interesting. Diane was our tour guide, and she did an awesome job. She was very knowledgeable about the property, and I think she was able to answer every question from the group. The tour was only a couple hours and was the perfect thing to do on a day you want to take it a little easy. We followed the directions of the reservation, and I would agree you want comfortable walking shoes and the insect repellent turned out to be a good call. Being very fair skinned, I also brought a wide brim hat and lathered up with sunscreen. But those were both overkill. There were only a couple of instances where we walked out into any sunlight. The tree canopy is so massive, you're pretty much in the shade the whole time.

Beautiful gardens throughout the property. It was fun seeing all the places where Jurassic Park was filmed as well as Pirates of the Caribbean. The guide was knowledgeable and provided interesting details on the history of the gardens.

Well worth the half day off the beach. Absolutely stunning and excellent tour. Take mosquito repellent just in case...we had no problems but at times they are pesky.

The gardens are fantastically beautiful but — at least on the cruise ship shore excursion we took — one doesn’t get to visit the best part: the inlet with the perfect little beach and swaying palms surrounding the house where the gay couple responsible for it all lived from 1938 until their deaths. What a magnificent legacy. There would have been plenty of time had our tour guide not bogged down in the medicinal properties of practically every plant we passed. Best to ask in advance exactly what is included in the tour to avoid disappointment.

I’m always sorry to post an extremely negative review, but three of us who did the Allerton Gardens tour yesterday feel obligated to spare others the ordeal we endured. $60 per person for a 2 1/2 hour tour seems to promise an in-depth botanical experience. Instead, we had about 15 minutes of botany and two hours 15 minutes of dull, pointless anecdote about the tour guide’s personal life and Hollywood movies. The organization kindly refunded our money after we sent a letter of complaint, but they obviously can’t give us back a wasted afternoon.

Absolutely gorgeous and historic grounds, and our guide (who has been there 52 years) was delightful! So good that they are care-taking such important science and historical information.

My husabdn insists on going to the gardens every time we visit the island. The sights and smells of the foilage are quintessential Kauai!

The truth is that a visit to the gardens is worth it. We did it in the morning so we didn't go down to the house. The volunteers who act as guides do a great job, they explain things very well and understand a lot. The history of the place is very interesting and passing through the places where Pirates of the Caribbean and Jurassic Park were filmed is the perfect culmination of the adventure. Yes there are mosquitoes so you have to put on repellent beforehand.

An easy walk around the gardens and lots of little surprises around some corners. Even a dinosaur egg amongst the giant fig trees. The gardens and the history were very well explained by our guide Clayton. Seeing different areas that were created by the Allerton's many years ago it is a credit to them and now the staff that look after the gardens and the home

When I think of botanical gardens, I picture exotic plants in glass houses with lots of little signs describing the exhibits. Allerton is nothing like that. It's an amazing place with an astonishing history and spectacular "rooms" created from plants from around the world. If your guide focuses purely on the botany, be sure to ask about the history of the founders.

Admittedly going to Kauai in December was not the greatest time of the year to go
however we did and made the best of it. One of the more pleasurable places we explored was the Allerton Garden. The tours leave in small groups about every hour.
The tour takes time so plan accordingly. So if you want a specific tour with a group of friends get tickets online.
The cost of the tour I thought was a bit pricey but the money goes to taking care of the gardens.
We left from the gift shop and took a short ride by a small van to the jump off point.
The trails were muddy because it was raining when we arrived and its best to wear shoes with treated soles since it can get slippery there. You might also want to take a poncho or umbrella in case of rain.
Our tour guide gave us the history, the information behind the garden designs, what the plants were, and what movies and famous people have been there.
The area is divided up into garden rooms each with a different theme.
Unfortunately because of the time a year we (me and my GF) went not very much was in bloom.

Beautiful garden and combined tour of both locations. Very knowledgeable and informative guides and a relaxing pace to see the gardens.

While I wouldn't give this tour a "poor" rating, it was certainly not what we expected and a low-point on our two-week vacation to Hawaii. First of all, it was crazy expensive ($60 each) for the "Best of Both Worlds" tour. When something is pricey, my expectations definitely rise (maybe they're trying to make up for the loss of revenue due to Covid). We've been to botanical gardens on other Hawaiian, Tahitian and Caribbean Islands and they have usually been the highlight of our trip. This was surely NOT the case on this tour. While the grounds were impressive, it was more of a tour of trees, movie sets and the Founders rather than tropical flowers. Additionally, our tour guide provided more entertainment, with a little "education" sprinkled in than the educational experience that we were hoping for. We're not "gardeners" and I was actually concerned that this tour might be too "dry" for our limited knowledge/interest. On our tropical vacations, we spend a majority of our time hiking in rain forests, and we were hoping to learn the names of the myriad of plants and flowers that we see on the trails. I think that we saw more flowers in Waimea Canyon (for free) than we saw on this tour. Full disclosure...we are in our 50's and are teachers, so we don't have kids in tow...but now, 2 weeks after we're home, I still wish we had picked another way to spend our day on Kauai.

At first we only wanted to take the tour to see some of the famous movie locations from Jurassic Park, Lost etc., but this tour offers so much more. We learned that because of the ideal plant growing conditions there a lot of endagered plant life is nursed back to health there. We saw some very rare Orchids, magnificent Banyan trees and actually more than "fifty shades of green". The founders of this garden also had a keen sense of art placing beautiful water springs and art pieces throughout the garden. The Jurassic park trees look magnificent - there is just so much to see. Definitively will be back!

We went on the Sunset Tour, the longest they offer which includes a tour of the property, including the gardens and the house, plus a light supper, You take a twenty minute bus ride into the property from the Allerton/McBride Gift Shop. On the property we walked among plants that were totally unfamiliar to us so it was all very interesting. The carefully crafted gardens consist of an area of interesting fruit trees as well as "rooms" that are unique statues and water fixtures surrounded by plantings. When we finished the rooms we walked through the house and had a nice light supper. After supper we were driven back to the parking lot. Our guide was knowledgable about the wide variety of plants on the property but needed help a few times along the way from a botanist on the tour who was kind enough to supply names and origins of some of the plants.

Great tour! The Best of Both Worlds tour was fabulous. Our tour guide Sam was amazing. So informative and very funny. He told us about all the numerous plants, but also the medicinal uses of many of the plants which was really interesting. I highly recommend.

My husband and I went last year to this lovely location. Very peaceful day and a wonderful self guided tour. We highly recommend this walk for a relaxing few hours out of your day.

You MUST buy tickets in advance to be transported via bus to the gardens for a 2.5 hour tour and you MUST wear closed toe shoes to go on that tour. We arrived unprepared for that and so could only come back later OR wander around the visitor center where there are no 'gardens' just a few marked shrubs/trees. The visitor center is across from Spouting Horn so definitely walk over there.

We had a very good time on our Allerton Garden tour. Our guide was Sam who is a local and was very enthusiastic about "his" garden. He not only told us about all the numerous plants, but also the medicinal uses of many of the plants. There are also a lot of sculptures scattered through out the garden and the history behind them was very interesting. We had an enjoyable stroll through a beautiful area.

Probably my favorite thing that we did on Kauai. I would love to spend all day here. I would also love to have time to do the dinner and Polynesian fire show. I did the best of both worlds tour and the Allerton Garden was definitely my favorite.

I love plants, especially tropical, and was looking forward to this tour. There are extensive beautiful gardens which are covered by shuttle bus and on foot. However, this could have been covered in 90 minutes, not 2 1/2 hours. Our well-meaning docent went on and on about Greek mythology and other extraneous topics. Kids will certainly be bored out of their minds. Also, in my opinion, it was overpriced.

Allerton sounded great, but was very expensive for our budget, $50/person, so we opted for the McBryde Garden tour and had a great time. They even had a reciprical agreement with our home gardens, so we got in for free. So, if you're a member of your local gardens, take your card. It will also get you a small discount on the Allerton tour.

Knowledgeable docents drive you to and from the gardens. Once there, you are free to walk around.

We saw so many beautiful plants. We spent about three hours here.

I had a lovely experience with my family and my partner; the land is absolutely stunning!

We love our tour and tour guide, Dr. Bob
Highly recommend on your trip

Pricey (especially for Canadians) but we thought worth it....they are working on obtaining a serving liquor licence so the “beverages” are water and juice. Stephen our guide was informative, entertaining and willing to answer all questions the group threw at him. There were approx. 15-17 on tour - nice little group! Lite dinner was good -albeit a little salty! We spotted a whale on the return back and Stephen allowed us a quick stop....alas some of us stepped into dog poop - humble apologies Stephen ! And why can’t people pick up after their pets.....grrr! A beautiful late afternoon in any case ....

We toured the garden - about a 1 mile leisurely walk - about 1 1/2 hours through a beautifully crafted garden with many hidden artistic features. The tour was fun - tasted several fruits growing. We learned lots or new information.

For anyone interested in plants, a guided tour of the Allerton garden is a must.

The Allerton garden is owned by a trust from the late namesake benefactors and administered by the Botanical garden folks. The only way to visit, due to the trust by-laws, in on a guided educational tour.

How it works/what to expect:
-check in 30 min prior to your tour (we did the noon tour)
-expect it to last 2-2-1/2 hours
-the garden itself is just down the road from the botanical garden and they will take you on a little mini bus-only 20 people per tour-with a guide
-our guide, Soren, a former journalist, drove us the short distance to the actual garden property explaining the history along the way
-once at the garden your guide takes you on a very leisurely walk around 40 of the 83 acres explaining plants, sculptures and water features.
-total walking, very easy, about 1 mile so suitable for any interested adult (would not be a good choice for kids)
-95% of the time we were in the shade and had no issues with bugs.

Really interesting to hear all the history and learn about so many plants and trees. Soren did a great job. If you’ve got a couple hours or it’s a cool day, do this.

Our tour was a 1 1/2 hour amble through lush flora lead by a knowledge and personable guide. The enormous fig trees are famous and the sculptures and fountains were a surprise. There were 10 in our group.

Wonderful tour guide, Jo Ann. She made our tour very enjoyable. However, Wished we would have been offered time to roam around afterwards without a guide to see a bit more.

The property is beautiful. The guided tour provided some fascinating history. One of the primary objectives of the garden now is conservation of rare and endangered species of plants from all over the world. Our guide let us sample some edible flowers. My favorite part (and the reason I went there) was to see the famous Moreton Bay Fig Trees that were in the original "Jurassic Park" movie. Tip: Bring strong bug spray. Mosquitoes LOVE me and I can't imagine how many more bites I would have gotten had I not been coated in bug spray.

We were very disappointed by this tour. It’s is scheduled for 2.5 hours and could easily have been less than an hour. Our tour guide knew little about botany and went off script for most of tour talking about Costco or other random things. It is also quite expensive at $60/person.

Don't waste your money on the dinner tour
The garden tour was excellent as was our guide. The dinner tour was $40 more than the regular tour, but all you get a box dinner and no dessert. We did not get what we pre-orderd which added to the disappointment.

It is an interesting garden, but it is very long and the tour is SLOW, gets boring after an hour. If you like standing around, it is fine, but it was just too long.

This was an informative and beautiful experience with a guide that was a plethora of facts and maybe a little fiction about the families that were owners of the Allerton Garden from the beginning to the present. Very beautiful... take the guided tour!

Full disclosure: I have a short attention span and am not a "plant person." I also suspect the tourists whom I joined on this tour have shrines to botanists on their walls at home.

One of the many reasons Kauai is my favorite place on Earth is the beautiful, rich plant life that grows there. I went to Allerton Gardens for two reasons: (1) to see the JURASSIC PARK "Life Finds a Way" Tree; and (2) to learn the basics about the plants on Kauai as a bonus.

This visit was definitely more tree, less bonus, but most plants. There were a lot of official species names being thrown around, and the information on the plants was not particularly accessible to someone with my apparently embarrassing knowledge base. Again, my crowd seemed oddly informed, so your results may vary, but even if they don't, this is still a great walk through a beautiful and enormous garden with plenty to see and photograph.

When you arrive at Allerton Gardens, you check in and then take a short bus ride to the walking tour. The tour is structured enough to have consistent information flow if you want it and relaxed enough to let you wander a bit if you're more interested in the scenery or are creeped out by standing in a circle of people speaking Latin.

I also recommend putting on a lot of bug spray. If you forget, there are bug spray wipes available for purchase at check-in.

Overall, I enjoyed the experience. I'd label it "good," but TripAdvisor jumps from "average" to "very good," so "very good" it is.

I'm so glad that I decided to splurge on the admission to Allerton Garden. I was a bit hesitant about the walking tour but it was truly amazing. Our tour guide was Paul and he is a dynamic and patient fellow, especially with my parents who are in their late 60's and walk very slowly and like to sit down to rest often. I felt like we had the garden to ourselves and I really liked that their were only 5 of us on the tour. Paul was happy to take our pictures and I found the history of the garden to be quirky and fascinating. This was truly a highlight for us!

We are in Poipu Beach in Kauai Hawaii for a couple of weeks. we made a reservation online to tour the Allerton Garden. It cost about $51.00 each, I think we used a coupon for 15% off that we got online. We arrived the recommended 30 minutes prior to the tour. Went through the associated gift shop which was the usual "gift shop". Nothing special. We sat and awaited our tour and were quickly greeted by Paul, a very vivacious gentleman who over the course of the next 2 hours guided us through the garden and entertained and informed us. He recommended a lot of photo ops and graciously took pictures of our group. The 2 hours passed very quickly. We had a lot of fun and we highly recommend the tour.

We did the Allerton at Sunset Tour this year and were amazed with our outstanding guide, Ron! He was extremely knowledgeable, kind, and entertaining! The grounds were beautiful as usual, despite the recent flooding that had occurred. Loved the way Ron told entertaining stories explaining the local history of the Allertons, Queen Emma, plants, flowers, buildings, garden “rooms”, animals, and grounds. The bento dinner was great! We’ll be back again next year with extended family and will definitely take the sunset tour again. Thanks to Ron for a fabulous tour!

This is a beautiful spot and it would be beautiful to see but the botanical garden people have made it into a "cruise ship like" cattle herding experience.

We would never have done this tour if we hadn't have brought our 70 some year old aunt on vacation. So glad we did as we learned so much about the previous owners of this land and island history. Our tour guide was fantastic and this is now one of our most recommended things to do on Kauai. Beauty and history!

With many 4 and 5 star reviews and a price of $65 each, we expected this to be a fantastic tour. Instead, our female guide led a painfully slow walk through the gardens, identified perhaps 10 of the hundreds of plants, and seemed perplexed when asked about others. We were anxious for it to end halfway though! This was 2 1/2 hours of our trip to Kauai that we will never get back.

We had a fantastic tour with an excellent guide called Mike. The gardens and location are stunning but if you are dreaming of a lovely light meal in a beautiful house whilst watching the sunset, think again!
The reality was a very poor limited meal in a a run down House with all the charm of a school dinner. This tour was 100$ per person 26$ of which is allocated to the meal. We were refunded 26$ for one of us since they had forgotten my partner was vegetarian.
By all means book the garden tour but avoid the Sunset dinner.
It was cloudy by the way and there was no sunset but I don’t hold them responsible for that!

Allerton Gardens has a lot of fantastic plants and a great history. Our guide was amazing! Informative, knowledgeable & friendly. Don't ball at the price. It's worth it and more.

I was lucky to be in a guided tour and we went all the way to the summer house on the beach! It was quiet and magical place.. I wish I wasn't there with a group that everything was rushed and couldn't enjoy it on my pace. I would definitely go back when I am on Kauai again! It is worth the trip to see the garden!!

The guided tour is normally $60USD but this day, it was half price! Our group got a 2.5 hour extensive walking tour of the lower gardens. There is also a twilight tour you can take, which includes some upper garden places, as well as a dinner in the house on site.
The bus takes you down to the lower gardens, and you walk from there. The paths are all well groomed, wide, and gently sloping or level. An easy, meandering, well-placed stroll.
We went on a sunny afternoon, but there was still some mud in spots. This is to be expected, since you are in the tropics! Some people had flip flops on and they got a little muddy, but nothing that couldn't rinse off easily.
The only thing I regret is not buying the $2 packet of bug repellent offered at the gift shop. The mosquitoes weren't too bad, but I did have to keep slapping my legs, and I had about a dozen bite bumps afterwards.
Our guide was extremely knowledgeable, and showed us the features of the plants, as well as the history of the gardens. We sampled some fruits and berries that were offered as well.
Our guide also showed us the places where Hollywood movies such as Jurassic Park, and Pirates of the Carribean were filmed.
Our guide was also great at showing us the various outdoor "rooms" and the many water features and wildlife in the gardens. He also engaged us with trivia "contests" and numerous fascinating facts from the moment we boarded the bus, to the drive down, and all the way to the end of the tour!
Highly recommend as a gentle walking tour for all ages.

A literally lovely place to spend a few hours. We just made the morning tour, and were pleasantly surprised that we didn't need mosquito repellent this time (unlike our previous visit 10 years ago). I know, mosquitoes in a lush, tropical setting shouldn't be a surprise. The gardens are laid out in rooms, or themed areas, which the tour guides explain rather well. As Allerton Gardens is rather large, there are several different tours, and I suppose they may change things up (in terms of what they show you) from time to time to keep things fresh, for both visitors and tour guides. For example, we did not go to the beach, nor see the Queen's house, on this p[articular tour; apparently, that is part of the sunset tour now. We did, however, have a rooster (feral chickens on Kauai, what a shock ;P) follow our group through three of the rooms, which made my daughter's day. Our guide informed our group that the staff had named this particular chicken Alfredo. Anyway, our tour guide both visits (10 years ago and August 2018) were both very informative and pleasant. In one of those "it's a small world" twists, our guide this year was born in the same town and hospital I was born at in NJ, went to the same high school one of my brothers did, and did his undergrad studies at the same university my wife did (though not at the same time).

Wow! Such a treasure. So thankful that Robert Allerton had the vision to preserve and now share this treasured property with the world! Our guide, Ron, made this visit!!! His enthusiasm and zest for life and the property was palpable. AMAZING visit!

It was our first visit. We signed up for the afternoon tour which was a mistake. Choose the first morning tour if possible especially if it is going to be a HOT day. We found the place just fine and discovered a nice quiet area of the island en route so that was a nice discovery. Parking not a problem. We arrived early and went straight to the “Tour Departures” area and waited on the benches for tour to begin. I saw the Tour Bus just arrived so went to ask the Tour guide if I was just to wait at the Tour Departures area for the next tour and with no friendly welcome, he just said Yes so that’s what my sister/I did. Come to find out just before the bus is to leave (we were already on with everyone else), the same Tour guide jumps in and calls out my last name. Apparently they were looking for us. Well, if he had told me where to checkin the first time, I would have checked in at the right place. So a bit disorganized to start. The instructions didn’t say exactly where the checkin place is located. Checking in at the “Tour Departures” sign makes sense enough to me so I would make that more clearer in the instructions.

Onto to the tour…The Garden is nice. Just beware of those MOSQUITOS especially after a RAINY day. They apparently had a downpour the day before which brought out the mosquitos BIGTIME the day after which was our tour day and boy did they get us. My sister/I got bit ALOT all over our legs/arms, we were almost eaten alive!

It REALLY would have been nice if on their website, they would WARN folks in advance to cover up well and wear long clothing (pants/long sleeved shirts)/hats/socks/trail shoes and highlight MOSQUITOS. There was NO mention of mosquitos and we came SO unprepared as did others on our tour scratching their legs already at the start. It is NOT a tour for the faint especially on a HOT day. The tour is actually a bit too long for my liking. I was already done after an hour and wished I had the rest of the time to just venture on my own or head out. The heat and the mosquitos had gotten to me by then and I was no longer in an ALOHA mood!

Nice tour for those who REALLY want to see/learn about ALL the tropical plants of the islands, but if you’re looking for ALOT of the beautiful flowers of the island, there wasn’t much of that.

A bit TOO long, too HOT and way TOO MANY mosquitos for a nice day in paradise.

My wife and I enjoyed hiking around the gardens with a knowledgeable guide. There were many types of tropical plants and flowers.

The Allerton Garden tour is a positive experience that you will never forget!! My wife and I participated in an Allerton Garden tour at the conclusion of a 7-day trip on Kaua...and we were glad that we did. Welcomed by the informative and delightful tour guide, Sam, we were guided on a fascinating journey through the garden. He combined interesting insights about the plants along with information about the background, ongoing efforts, various movie shots at the garden, and personal experiences of having grown up nearby. The care and love put into establishing and maintaining this garden is extraordinary. We had a great time indeed.

This was just fine- but not what I was expecting so I thought it would be helpful to others to explain what to expect.

We did the “best of both gardens” guided tour.

You pay at the gift shop if you haven’t already online- then get on a bus to have the guide drive you into the gardens.

Once there- you get out twice. Once in both gardens- for a short walk through.

The grounds are very nice. But not at all what I was expecting. If you like old statutes and old water features and trees- then you’ll love it.

If you were expecting manicured gardens and lots of flowers. You’ll be disappointed. There’s hardly a flowering anything -anywhere.

I didn’t personally feel it was worth the money. I suggest you walk through on the self guided option that costs like half price.

The guide did tell us what things were and seemed to know all the ugly statues histories- just not my cup of tea.

The Jurassic park trees where the best part :)

This was our second visit to the Gardens taking friends who hadn’t visited before. The tour was focused on the plantings as Bobby who had been a gardener did our tour. The last time we did have a bit more history but nice to have a different perspective. The bus ride to and from the Gardens offers fantastic views of the ocean and grounds leading to the Allerton home.

We enjoyed our tour and hearing about the Allertons. Our guide was very nice but a bit long winded. He had lots of stories, maybe too many. However we would highly recommend.

We have visited many botanical gardens, including others in Hawaii, plus several in Florida and in the Caribbean. We were expecting the Allerton Garden to be far superior, based on what we had read. We were actually quite disappointed. The garden is in a more "natural" state, and it seemed rather neglected to us. There were some lovely areas, but very few awe inspiring plants, other than the "Jurassic Park trees" that are pictured on the brochures and website. Overall, we were not impressed by the tour guide and there were not nearly as many blooming plants and trees as are usually featured in botanical gardens. We really ddidn't feel it was worth the high admission fee. In our drives around Kauai, we saw absolutely amazing and much lovelier vegetation around every turn!

I highly recommend the #SUNSET Guided Tour. Did this tour last month in Sept and loved every minute! It is such an amazing place. The guide -- can't remember his name; but attached a pic [hope he doesn't mind] :) -- was very knowledgeable about the gardens and was so much FUN! The Giant Moreton Bay Fig trees were so cool to finally see (big Jurassic Park fan here). And the gardens (the whole [massive] grounds) are so well maintained that I must say a massive shout out to everyone @ Allerton Gardens! This place is a natural treasure. And unbeknown to most play a massive part (amongst other things) in medical research! Nice work guys and gals! Keep up the great work! Cheers, MattJ

I recommend that you book this early so you have your choice of tours. We took the 'Best of Both Worlds' tour of both the Allerton and McBryde gardens, which gave us a good overview of both gardens. You take a shuttle from the parking lot to the start of the garden, which is about a 15 minute drive, and which is part of the guided tour. Our tour guide was extremely knowledgeable and yet approachable. I especially enjoyed the scientific research part of the gardens and how some plants were saved from extinction by extremely heroic efforts. Take the tour to find out how!

I go to this garden ever time I go to Kauai. It is a lovely tour, full of culture, history and beauty. If you can and it is still offered, I would recommend having dinner in the house on the beach. The dinner is so-so but the beauty of the location is unmatched for beauty and untouched by tourism.

Bobby N was an excellent guide. He identified every plant I asked about and knew the areas of origin as well. If you expect to be on island awhile, buy a membership at the entrance for discounts to various US gardens and free admissions to McBryde Garden next door.

What a beautiful space for a morning tour. The property was developed 100 yeas ago as a valley/stream oasis for friends, with each section of the garden set up as a "room" to enjoy and relax. Sculptures, water features (to channel the old water flows from the previous sugar cane farming which previously created a marsh), and a well-curated variety of plants and trees. They have very active programs to preserve threatened species. The walk is pleasant and fairly flat, but there are a couple of slippery spots, so do bring comfortable walking shoes and hold hand rails when available. The guides were informative and friendly.

This is a great complimentary property to Lemahuli gardens up past Princeville, which has stunning views from a hillside. Both are absolutely worth seeing!

We had an afternoon to spare, it was sprinkling so we thought why not check out the gardens. Glad we did. It's another wonderful tour supporting the local community, agriculture, and precious land. We toured in the winter so missed a few of the more seasonally flowers, still did not disappoint. Takes a couple of hours to get into the garden and walk the trails. Worthy of the time.

This is a historical garden that has been restored and maintained in its near original layout and plant selection. It is a guided tour, and was full of botanical information. You catch a shuttle bus to and from the garden. If you give advance notice they can arrange separate buggy tour for older folk who have trouble walking. Great for our 80yr old parents. Be warned. It is not full of colourful and blooming flowers, as are some other tropical gardens. We selected the tour which included dinner at Allerton House, and a view of sunset after a very simple but tasty meal. This certainly made our visit a different experience which we will not forget. It is relatively expensive, but is unique.

We did the Best of Both Worlds Tour with Ron. Let me first say that looking at plants etc. is not my cup of tea but it something that my wife likes so I want along with it. That being said, Ron really made this tour something interesting. Not only is he a very outgoing person, his knowledge and ability to make the tour personal really something special. I learned a lot about the history of the parks but also about Polynesian culture.

Amazing gardens. I’d recommend it to everyone. Jurrasic Park was filmed in an area here. The sculptures and unusual varieties of plants are so unique. A nice walk.

Grounds are well maintained, and the cost of your guided tour ($50/person) is one way this non-profit sustains itself. Our guide obviously loves what he does, which aides the enjoyment. He also, however, spent far too much time on minutiae of the lives of the founders of the garden. The level of detail was overwhelming.
This tour is 2.5 hours, and you are advised to arrive 30 mins before departure. This is a 3hr investment of time that could easily be completed in 90 without sacrificing quality. You could walk these grounds unaccompanied in 40 minutes even if you lingered in spots.
The price of the tour is also prohibitively expensive. While I understand where the money is spent, and believe conservation to be important, $50 each for a tour that is mostly a historical lecture is too much. Perhaps a reduction in tour length (to cut the fat) could allow for less costly tours, AND allow the garden to run extra tours to make up the gap in revenue.
There is some beautiful flora in the garden. The giant fig trees are the best part, of course. While perhaps not quite justification for the cost of the tour, they are a sight to behold.

This was our second time to the Allerton Gardens. It did not disappoint at all! Our boys were 8 and 10 when we first went and now they are 14 and 16 and they definitely wanted to go back. Why? Because if you have a great tour guide, you have a great tour, and that we had! He was super fun, kind, knowledgable, and talked with us and not at us. He explained about the history, the celebrity status of the Allertons, their fascinating life style, their beloved gardens and best of all, you learned about Hawaii. The water fountains, falls, rivers and ocean views were stunning. We would go back again in a heartbeat.

This review is for the customer service or I should say lack thereof of the person(sounded like an older woman) who called us 10 minutes prior to the beginning of our reservation asking where we were, and when we told her we were 20 minutes away since we had hit some traffic on the way, she told us to not even bother coming since the bus that takes you in would be leaving at 4 sharp. I can understand that part since I don’t expect other people to wait for me due to my own misfortunes. What really shocked me was the lack of customer service in not even attempting to ask; if I would like to try coming on a different day, or perhaps telling us that we would miss the bus, but we could walk in and try to catch up with the tour, it really shocked me since:
1.this place is pretty expensive, you can visit Limahuli Gardens for $25 or Na Aina Kai for $30.
2. I paid for the Allerton By Fire experience, which was even more that their standard admission, and cost almost $400 for the two of us.
When you pay that much money, you expect some level of customer service or an attempt at problem resolution, which we did not receive. So to quote the lovely lady who called us yesterday; “don’t bother coming”

This area is beautiful. With all the varieties of trees, plants, and interesting statues, and structures. Our guide Michael was awesome. He is very informed, and really knows what the group wanted to know, and see. He knows scientific names for flora, and trees, and even knows where the movie industry used in various films, like "Donavan's Reef", "Jurassic Park", and "Pirates of the Caribbean". As well as others. It was a beautiful evening, and even the Bento Boxes were very good. We were very impressed with the entire experience, and will go back again, the next visit to Kauai. We want to Thank Michael for the experience!

The organization wouldn't give us a refund even though we were within their cancelation period.

We were too exhausted from another hike and didn't want to hold back the tour by being too exhausted.

Very rude service at the front desk and over the phone, they clearly don't like tourists.

I wouldn't waste my time bringing my family here.

Go on a tubing tour or a waterfall hike instead where they aren't rude to you and might honor a refund if you needed to cancel.

A tour of these gardens was a top highlight of our trip. There is a diverse range of plants. Our tour guide, John, was engaging and informative. A must-see!

We did the "Best of Both Worlds Tour" to Allerton and McBryde Gardens. Our guide, Ron, was great. He was super enthusiastic, entertaining, and knowledgable. The whole area is nice, but other than the novelty of seeing the Jurassic Park trees, a lot of it wasn't as exciting for me as other landscapes. I love the outdoors but am less of a garden and plant facts person; that's why I gave this 4 out of 5 stars. But if you like to learn about plants and history of the gardens, this is a good tour for you.

We had signed up for the Sunset tour and dinner for a monday, but due to a rescheduled boat tour (happens alot in Kauai, tours being shuffled around), we changed our Sunset reservation to Saturday. The office called us on Saturday to tell us that the minimum number for this tour was not met, so they needed to cancel. We went to the gardens on Sunday and signed up for the general tour in the afternoon. When we arrived, we found out that we were the only two people on the tour! Roseanna was our tour guide, and she treated us to a customized, special tour. Normally on the regular tours, the Allerton house is not included - but Roseanna knew we wanted to see it, so she arranged to take us down to the house in a golf cart. We felt like celebrities! We learned so much from Roseanna who is so passionate and knowledgable, about native Hawaiian plants, animals, and history of Hawaiian people - as well as the Allerton family story. We highly recommend touring Allerton gardens if these topics are of interest to you.

I took a guided tour of Allerton Gardens in June 2018 and it was a wonderful experience. The guide was friendly and knowledgable and the gardens themselves are stunning. Robert Allerton and his partner John Greg used their fortune to create a beautiful escape and an homage to nature's grandeur. I look forward to another tour on my next visit.

My wife and I join two other people on the 9 am Tour on a Thursday. My wife is a master gardener and I love anything outdoors so the tour was very interesting. Slow pace as we walked through the gardens and “rooms” created there. Everything is beautiful. I really enjoyed seeing the huge trees and learning about the facts surrounding the the place and all that has happened there. Probably not for younger children or anyone not interest in botanical gardens. The 2.5 hours went by fast.

We signed up for the guided tour and it was the best move we have made since coming to Kauai. Ron was our tour guide and he was very knowledgeable and highly entertaining. The 2.5 hour tour went by quickly with a mixture of viewing from the bus and walking through beautiful trails. I did end up using some insect repellant as there were some mosquitos but no big deal. So many spectacular views, interesting history, and fruit to sample.

For my final day in Kaua’i, I happened to stumble upon the Allerton Garden Tour in one of my official guide maps, which also mapped out movie filming locations all over the island. In the case of these gardens, a lot of movies were filmed there, including Pirates of the Caribbean 4: On Stranger Tides and Jurassic Park. Being the total movie geek I am, I booked the tour online before I went (which is recommended).

I had about a 40 minutes before the tour was to begin, so I decided to walk the grounds (which are free). It’s mating season… and spiders are precious to the ecosystem there… so they’re everywhere… and if I had a choice between running through a zombie-infested haunted house (also a massive fear) or walking under and next to spiderwebs with 4-5-inch-long spiders, I’d choose the house.

After twenty minutes of (what felt like) immersive fear-conquering conditioning (I failed), I walked through the gift shop and to the outdoor waiting area, which in my manic state, checked under the bench before sitting on it. Soon after, the tour guide was there to greet our group.

We pile into the small tour bus and head up into the mountain to reach the private property where the Allerton Gardens are located. On the way there, we see some of the most spectacular hidden alcoves and learn so much amazing history.

After 20 minutes of driving along the ridge line and into the valley, we arrived at the starting point for our tour, which is named “Pump 6”. It’s here that the waterfalls are controlled and unfortunately, it was broken the day we arrived. It’s also the location of the late Queen’s modest house.

In addition to these two landmarks on the property, it also houses a conservation center that protects rare plants from all over the world (including five rare orchids, valued at $50,000 a piece). Impressively, it’s designed to withstand a category 5 hurricane.

After the overview of this area, we began our two-mile trek around the gardens and it was one of the most magical, fairy-tale-like tours we could have taken.

If you’re going to visit the botanical gardens, I highly recommend the Sunset Tour which includes a visit to the Allerton House along with the extensive gardens. Sabrina, our guide was very knowledgeable with both the history of the home, its owners and the various plants throughout the grounds. She also regaled is with some Hawaiian history, including the life of Queen Emmalani. The evening concluded with a nice dinner at the Allerton house after a short tour of the various rooms. We really enjoyed this tour, easy walking and full of information. Thanks also to Sabrina for making it so enjoyable.

Beautiful gardens lots of bugs use bug spray if rainy and wear shoes that you will not mind getting dirty asvtherevisca lot offered mud!!

I absolutely have to start with amazing, dedicated and passionate group of folks who take care of this unique place. Thank you making our tour so special and interesting.
Here are some logical details:
- start at visitor center and purchase your tickets for next tour. $60 per adult
- this is the only way to view botanical gardens (and it’s more like botanical jungle)
- shuttle takes you to the valley and that’s the only way to get there.
- tour guide will walk you through the property and the tour would last around 2.5 hours.
It’s a lovely place and we really enjoyed the experience

Excellent and informative tour with Soren as guide. 2.5 hours with slow pace. Lots to see. Recommended.

We toured the Allerton garden and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the tour. Our guide - I can’t remember his name but he is Brazilian - was great!!! He was very knowledgeable and funny! The garden is absolutely beautiful! We saw the famous jurassic park trees and so much more. Honestly I was very concerned about the tour and if it was worth the $60 per person ... however I can say that it definitely was worth it. If you get the chance I highly recommend the guided tour.

Very informative shuttle-based tour of the beautiful grounds and the flora therein. Our guide was knowledgeable, friendly, and funny. There were several stopping points to get out and walk around and see things. There is also a special treat for Jurassic Park fans near the end!

We enjoyed a small group misty day tour. Our guide was very knowledgeable and super patient with the plethora of questions from the children on the tour. We saw beautiful garden features, fointains and sculptures. The gardens are extensive and beautifully laid out. Really feel like I learned a lot about Hawaiian flora.

The evening tour and dinner at Allerton Garden was one of the highlights of our wonderful vacation in Kauai. The absolutely breathtaking gardens made us feel that we were on the set of a movie. My daughter was able to find the exact part in Jurassic Park that was filmed at the garden. The guides knowledge of the breathtaking biological diversity along stories of Allerton made it a very special evening. Eating dinner at Allerton's home was also fun. We would highly recommend taking the tour in the evening because it completes the magical experience.

Allerton Garden is so beautiful and imaginative. The guide was highly informative. A high point of my time in Kauai. Don’t miss!

Unbelievable collection of plants, get advance reservations
Tour guides give you great insight to the history of the island and plant life.

Your started slow but after 20 minutes the gardens came to life. We had a great tour guide. The gardens are amazing. Well worth visiting. Beautiful grounds. You feel like you are in Jurassic Park

Such a beautiful place. We did the luau which I very much recommend - much smaller and more intimate than other luaus I've been to and on a gorgeous private beach backdrop. They even had some small children in the fire dance portion (they werent using fire yet but were adorable). Our guide was an absolute sweetheart and so much fun.

Our family wanted to visit the jurassic trees and Allerton Gardens and our tour did not disappoint. Such beauty and wonderful information.

The Moreton Fig trees were amazing in addition to how the garden was set up into "rooms." We liked learning some of the history of the area.

$60 a pop to walk a mile is spendy. Is it worth it? Well, if Dr. Bob is your guide, he is the best. Very knowledgeable and engaging. You'll learn about the plant names, origins, and kings & queens of the island, and the history of some of the early developers. It's a mini-rain-forest; you won't see waterfalls or caves here.

If you're into botany and it's beauty, or just nature in general, this is a good tour. It's meant to be EDUCATIONAL primarily. There's a lot of slow walking and talking. If you need faster paced activity, you might not enjoy this. You could take kids, but if they won't enjoy the lecture, then neither will you or the rest of your group if the kids are bored and distracted.

I rather enjoyed this, I love learning about agriculture and history. And $60 per person seems very high given other activities to choose from. But remember it is a nonprofit and goes to a good cause.

We have been here twice and love this place. Such beautiful gardens. Bob was such an educational tour guide. Very passionate about the gardens and could answer all questions. Don’t forget bug spray and it will be a delightful tour for you too. If the wind it blowing when you go through the bamboo room it’s an awesome sound! We will maybe try the sunset tour next time.

Take the Sunset Tour - it is AMAZING!
Dinner, tropical gardens, movie location sites, private beach!

Hawaii at its best. Make a reservation and enjoy the tropical beauty of the woods and flowers. Kauai is the garden island, and this just proves it.

This was an incredible tour!! Our tour guide Becky and bus driver were so knowledgeable. The gardens are spectacular!!

Looking at all the beautiful plants and flowers was wonderful. It is a big area. We did the McBryde tour. Self guided tour. Enjoyed 2 hours walking and enjoying the outdoors.

Overall the Best of Both Worlds tour was interesting but not a must see/do in Kauai. Probably would have rather had that money back to do/experience something else.

My husband and I did the Allerton Garden Sunset Tour with Ron and it was AMAZING!!! Ever since I read Jules Verne’s “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” I have wanted to try ripe breadfruit and see how delicious it really was — 30 years later, Ron helped me achieve that dream! He showed me how to dip a finger in breadfruit that had ripened and dropped to the ground. It tastes like guava pudding! I could eat bowls and bowls of it!! The rest of the tour was breathtakingly beautiful with these lush outdoor garden rooms. We had a sunset dinner while watching the sun set on the beach. I can’t think of a better way to spend your last night in Kauai.

We have been coming to the Poipu area for sixteen years and while aware of its existence never considered visiting. WHAT a mistake! The gardens are breathtaking! The guides are extremely knowledgeable. This was the best 2 1/2 hours we spent on this trip.

Pop for the Best of Both Worlds. You will not regret it! If you go on Thursday you will also enjoy a hula show and a small, but very enjoyable, market.

Did the "Best of" tour for 2 1/2 hours. Randy was fantastic! Garden is beautiful. Great way to learn about different gardens, legends and locals. Could have stayed for hours more!

At the end of Lawaii road on the north/right side of the road,up a short drive to free parking lot under beautiful trees called “rainbow trees” .Short winding walk to ticket window and gift shop. You need to reserve a tour ahead of arrival. If you arrive early there is a short loop in a small garden area. There is a friendly greeter here who can answer questions about the small garden . The ticket window is part of the large, gorgeous gift shop-you could spend an hour in the shop.At the back of the shop is a small cafe and they have specialty iced items like lilikoi and pumpkin frozen cake and various iced bottled drinks.You will need something cold after the tour. There is a hades eating area with a few tables just outside the cafe. There is shaded benched seating area while you wait for the shuttle. If you want ocean views on the way down to the garden, sit on the left side of the shuttle-there will be some great dramatic shots coming up. the shuttle ride is short. Your guide has already started providing garden history and pointing out plants. The walking is on level ground but can be slippery. Many movies have been shot here and they will point out the spots.The garden is themed so each section has something unusual and show they were built/designed at the whim of a wealthy person.The tour guides are excellent, knowledgeable on plants and Hawaii horticultural history.There is a rare high altitude greenhouse and a seed research station. Parts are very jungle like but other part clearly a landscaped designed garden. There will be plants,nuts,seeds you can smell or touch.There are a few interesting sculptures throughout the garden. Very detailed and interesting information, chance to ask questions at anytime ,a nice ,slow, quiet stroll. Afterwards If they suggest you go to the Koloa fresh market for lunch just a tip-it does not serve fish.

This tour was recommended by my brother and glad we did it. A beautifully planned garden lush with plants, trees, fountains and so peaceful and serene. Our guide was great and passionate as he talked about the founders of Allentown and interesting information about what we were seeing. I’d recommend this to all who visit Kauai. The ticket price may seem steep but this is needed to maintain the historic aspect of Hawai and what the island is about.
Think about it as a worthy donation to a worthy cause.

These gardens are spectacular and we have visited them 3 times now. This visit we did the 'behind the scenes' tour and had a great guide, a 3d generation fellow who knew a lot about the plants as well as history. I learned a great deal and loved the walks and views.

We did the combined tour at the Botanical Garden that allowed entry into the horticultural center as well as part of both McBryde and Allerton gardens. It was terrific, especially if you are a gardener! David was our guide and provided a ton of information. I would love to come back and do the sunset Allerton tour and see more of the garden rooms in this specific garden. The combined tour really only got you to the big fig trees. Mostly, I left with a profound respect for the gardens, their mission, and the need to have remarkable places like this in our world. It seemed expensive to me at the outset, but afterwards I would have dropped more coin to support this organization. Next time, sunset tour!

My mother-in-law loves botanical gardens and such so this was a Mother’s Day gift we got for her. She loved it and enjoyed the views and many photo opportunities. My husband, son, and I thought it was ok. Dinner was great; however, the advertising is deceiving. You do not get to sit on the patio and watch the sunset. 😢 Definitely bring mosquito repellant!!!!

We really enjoyed our guided tour with Amanda. She was informative and encouraged us to touch plants, taste pomelo, and helped the group all get good photos of highlights without getting in each other’s way. Would have loved to stay for hours more and explore further.

Bring bug spray and hit the bathroom before getting on the shuttle bus. Sit on the driver’s side on the way into the gardens for wonderful views of the beach and bay.

First off our guide Clayton and the lady that helped with the dinner were both super nice and did a great job. I appreciate all they are doing for plants, nature and art. That being said, we did the Sunset Tour with dinner. The gardens were interesting but the food was terrible and the whole thing was way over priced, We could have gone to a super nice restaurant and spent less.The food was overcooked. Dessert was good. I gave it a 3 because the staff was so nice. I would not do it again or recommend it.

We've visited Kauai many times, but have never visited the botanical gardens before this year. We both loved our tour! Joann was a great guide; she was fun and sociable and kept up a running commentary on the lush gardens all around us. We never expected a garden to be laid out in "rooms" as is the case in Allerton. Each garden room seemed to be even better than the last, but our favorite was the Mermaid room which contains a unique fountain that claims to have the power to change the beat of one's own heart. If we only had the room to ourselves to just sit and listen, feel the power of the healing greenery around us and the sound of the water flowing through the fountain... then I can believe that my heartbeat would become calm and in tune with the fountain.
Thanks so much for sharing that with us, Joann! We'll certainly be back to visit the gardens next time we stay on Kauai. Mahalo!

I went on the Allerton Tour for the first time (I didn't leave enough time for both garden tours) before Thanksgiving 2018 and absolutely loved everything I saw and learned. I was so happy to be able to tip our guide. He was definitely worth an extra bill. I got so many amazing pictures! I do wish I had brought a portable charger for my phone (my low tech camera) b/c mine died. That's on the list for next time, as well as leaving way more time for the estate & McKenna Beach tour too! Thank you so much to all of the staff at the gardens - they do such an amazing job!!

This was our 3rd visit to this enchanting garden. We took our friends so they could see this treasure. It does not disappoint.

The Allerton gardens are stunning. The tour covers the history of the gardens and explains the various flowers, plants and trees. The various 'rooms' are beautifully curated and the tour itself is so calm and serene. You get to see the 'Jurassic Park trees' but the highlight was trying various fruits I had never even heard of before.

We were fascinated by the mix of tropical plants and trees, many not natives of the islands, and the classical 'hard landscape' features of ponds, statues and rills all set in this historic garden in the Lawai Valley. A knowledgeable tour guide escorts a small group through the various garden rooms and also fills you in on the garden's history. The tour must be booked ahead but is great value for money. Take bug spray, wear comfortable shoes and a shady hat, and look forward to sampling exotic fruits in the orchard area. This is one for garden lovers.

We took the Best of Both Worlds Tour today with Randy. The tour was very interesting learning about the history of the gardens. We took a bus into the garden then took a walking tour through the two gardens. We really enjoyed our afternoon here.

Really a hidden gem. didn‘t expect such a beautiful garden in the middle of nowhere. Very nice tour with Paul. Thanks again!
Also especially intersting was the history of the garden and thus the Robertson family. Read about it upfront!

I love gardens and garden tours, but this one was way too long. Our guide dispensed a lot of information, but it was random and disorganized. We walked so slowly I could hardly stand it. With organization and determination, we could have covered the same amount of territory with the same amount of information in half the time. Vacation time is too precious to be as bored as I was.