In order to ensure the health and safety of our guests and our plant collection, we ask everyone to follow a few simple rules.
The main SDBG parking lot is located on the corner of Quail Gardens Drive and Ecke Ranch Road. Overflow parking is available in the adjacent lot at San Dieguito Heritage Museum. Parking is free for most events.
The Garden entrance, welcome center, gift shop and plant shop are located at the Dickinson Family Education Conservatory. Lost and found is located at the welcome center.
For questions about general information, ticketing, photo shoots, mobility and accessibility, and other visitor services, contact Visitor Services.
San Diego Botanic Garden is situated in the rolling hills of Encinitas, California. The Garden has many trails at various inclines. There is a steep incline through the center of the Garden as well as several dirt pathways throughout our 37 acres that are not considered ADA accessible. Please review our Garden Map for the paved and unpaved pathways. Visitor Services is available daily (except Tuesdays) for more details and are always happy to help you plan your visit.
Available Wheelchairs: The Garden has a limited number of wheelchairs available for loan on a first come, first served basis at our Welcome Center. To borrow a wheelchair please alert our Visitor Services staff by using the “Contact Us” option and select “Visitor Services” or call (760) 436-3036 x 231 and we can confirm if one is available. Wheelchair loans are free. Visitors need to leave a valid government-issued ID at the Welcome Center until the wheelchair is returned.
Garden Shuttle: The Garden offers a shuttle service run by our volunteers. The shuttle provides pick up and drop off at select locations throughout the Garden. Shuttle service varies based on driver availability. Visitors can confirm shuttle service on the day of the visit by using the “Contact Us” option and select “Visitor Services” or call (760) 436-3036 x 231 before arriving or once on site. Foldable mobility aids such as walkers and manual wheelchairs can be loaded onto the shuttle.
The Garden has a strict no pet policy for the safety of your pet, our living plant and wildlife collection, and/or visitors. This also applies to pets that are carried, leashed, caged and/or in a terrarium of any kind.
This policy does not apply to trained Service Animals as defined by the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA). Only service animals, as defined by the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), are welcome in the Garden. A service animal is defined as “a dog that has been individually trained to do work or perform tasks for an individual with a disability. The task(s) performed by the dog must be directly related to the person’s disability. Service animals must be harnessed, leashed or tethered while in public places unless these devices interfere with the service animal’s work or the individual’s disability prevents using these devices. If a service animal is out of control and the handler does not take effective action to control it, staff may request that the animal be removed from the premises.” Emotional support, therapy, comfort or companion animals are not considered service animals under the ADA.
California state law prohibits leaving animals in any unattended motor vehicle that endangers their health or well-being. SDBG will expel all violators and report them to the authorities.
By visiting San Diego Botanic Garden, you acknowledge that you may be photographed or filmed, and you hereby give permission and grant the perpetual right to SDBG to use your likeness, image, photo (collectively, “image”), without compensation, for broadcast or exhibition in any medium and to put the finished pictures/recordings to any legitimate use without limitation or reservation.
A permit is required for any private, professional or staged photo/video/films shoots (e.g., wedding photos, family portraits, business portraits), as well as for commercial photo/video/film shoots (e.g., fashion shoots, product commercials) in the Garden.
San Diego Botanic Garden is a DRONE FREE ZONE. Drones are not permitted in the Garden, unless SDBG authorizes a licensed, insured operator specifically for a paid shoot.
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