Ames' Reiman Gardens named a Top 10 garden worth traveling for in North America

Ronna Faaborg, Ames Tribune
·4 min read
The RG Express chugs past a replica of Beardshear Hall, which is made of natural materials like birch bark, monkey face pods, mung beans and peppercorns, in a past year's display. The RG Express is running now through Jan. 20 at Reiman Gardens.
The RG Express chugs past a replica of Beardshear Hall, which is made of natural materials like birch bark, monkey face pods, mung beans and peppercorns, in a past year's display. The RG Express is running now through Jan. 20 at Reiman Gardens.

The beauty of Iowa State's Reiman Gardens has earned a spot on a prestigious Top 10 list that could increase tourism in Ames — and Iowa, as well.

Already one of the most popular attractions in the state, Reiman Gardens was named to the “Top 10 North American Gardens Worth Traveling For” on Nov. 3.

Reiman Garden’s director, Ed Lyon, received the award at the International Garden Tourism Conference in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.

“Reiman Gardens is humbled and pleased to be awarded this recognition,” Lyon said in a news release. “It is my hope that our members, volunteers, donors, and community take great pride in their involvement and support with the Gardens, a true community asset.”

A news release from the Canadian Garden Council noted that the award was “presented to gardens that have excelled in their efforts to cultivate and showcase garden experiences as compelling tourism destinations and truly exemplify the beauty and allure of our continent’s horticultural treasures.”

More than 90 delegates from 40 gardens and 12 countries attended the Canadian conference. The gardens host more than 17  million ticketed visitors each year, which is growing, according to conference officials at the International Garden Tourism Network, which organized the event.

With the theme “Seizing the Moment,” the conference’s purpose was to recognize “the abundant possibilities for gardens and the tourism sector to collaborate to enhance the appeal of gardens as well as destinations, especially post-pandemic, thereby attracting more visitors."

Reiman Gardens has experienced great growth

Reiman Gardens is a botanical garden near the Iowa State Center and Jack Trice Stadium. It opened on five acres in 1995, replacing smaller horticulture gardens on campus since 1914.

Reiman Gardens is named after Roy and Bobbi Reiman, who donated $1.3 million to help fund the creation of the gardens.

Construction began on the Children’s Garden in 1998, followed by the creation of the Town and Country Garden and Lake Helen. Reiman has grown to its current size of 17 acres in less than 30 years.

The Hughes Conservatory and Christina Reiman Butterfly Wing were added in 2002. The butterfly building is home to about 800 live butterflies representing up to 80 different species.

Reiman Gardens added Elwood, the world’s largest concrete gnome, in 2010. Standing 15 feet tall and weighing 3,500 pounds, Elwood is named after the street that runs past the gardens before it was changed to University Boulevard in 2007.

Sycamore Falls was added to the south end of Reiman in 2021. The area features a waterfall, stream and night-lit tower.

Reiman is host each year to numerous events and exhibits. Spirits in the Gardens features more than 1,000 hand-carved jack-‘o-lanterns and trick-or-treating.

Art exhibits, orchid competitions, quilt shows and Winter Wonderscape light display are among the many other events.

More: Bounch to become an 'iconic garden space,' Reiman Gardens' Sycamore Falls is open to visitors

Holiday favorite RG Express is now on exhibit at the gardens

Currently, Reiman Gardens is featuring the RG Express, a garden-size train that makes its way through plants and blooms in the Hughes Conservatory.

The display features several iconic Ames buildings in garden scale, created using natural materials. Among the miniature buildings are the Campanile, Beardshear Hall and Morrill Hall.

The train exhibit will be open until Jan. 20. The exhibit will be open extended hours until 7 p.m. each Tuesday in December to allow for nighttime viewing.

This display is included in the regular price of admission. Admission is free for members and Iowa State University students.

More: Slater museum honors Vietnam veterans on the 50th anniversary of the war's end

More than 1,000 hand-carved jack-'o-lanterns are displayed at the Spirits in the Garden event at Reiman Garden on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023, in Ames, Iowa.
More than 1,000 hand-carved jack-'o-lanterns are displayed at the Spirits in the Garden event at Reiman Garden on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023, in Ames, Iowa.

The complete list of the ‘Top 10 North American Gardens Worth Traveling For,’ in alphabetical order:

  • Atlanta Botanical Gardens, Atlanta, Georgia

  • Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Boothbay, Maine

  • Denver Botanic Gardens, Denver, Colorado

  • Fioli, Woodside, California

  • Gardens of Mexico (Jardines de Mexico), Morelos, Mexico

  • Haraveri Botanical Garden, Jalisco, Mexico

  • Montreal Botanical Garden, Montreal, Quebec

  • Niagara Botanical Gardens, Niagara Falls, Ontario

  • Reiman Gardens, Ames, Iowa

  • The Leaf, Winnipeg, Canada

The award winners were selected by Garden Tourism leaders from the Canadian Garden Council, the American Public Garden Association and the Mexican Association of Botanical Gardens, according to the news release.

Reiman Gardens' Winter Wonderscape, pictured in 2020, features a variety of immersive light displays.
Reiman Gardens' Winter Wonderscape, pictured in 2020, features a variety of immersive light displays.

Ronna Faaborg covers business and the arts for the Ames Tribune. Reach her at rlawless@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: Worth traveling for: Ames' Reiman Gardens named to prestigious list