Plan A Day Out: National Botanic Garden of Wales

Celebrating almost 20 years since it opened to the public the award-winning National Botanic Garden of Wales is a great day out whatever your age and interests.

Opened in May 2000 near Llanarthe, Carmarthenshire, the most visited garden in Wales has welcomed more than 2.5million people and is recognised as the most influential landscape scheme in Wales over the last 75 years.

Set on land that was once a magnificent Regency water park, the garden has the perfect blend of both modern and historic attractions including lakes, ponds, woods and a licensed restaurant.

You will find an inspiring range of themed gardens, including the Tropical Butterfly House and Aqualab which are ideal for children along with a zip wire in the adventure play park and the fairy wood, complete with pint-sized residents!

You can also learn about the geology of Wales with a history lesson going back 300 million years.

The garden is also a centre for botanical research and conservation, and features the world’s largest single-span glasshouse.

Designed by Foster and Partners, the structure is 95 m (312 ft) long and 55 m (180 ft) wide, with a roof containing 785 panes of glass and houses plants from Childe, Western Australia, South Africa, California, Canary Islands and the Mediterranean.

A double walled garden houses a wide variety of plants, including a modern interpretation of a kitchen garden.

Meanwhile, the hot and steamy Tropical House is now home to a kaleidoscope of hundreds of exotic and colourful butterflies from around the world.

The Garden is host to the British Bird of Prey Centre, offering amazing encounters where you can see eagles fly every day.

Already at home there are 20 native birds of prey including hawks, falcons kites and buzzards, as well as eagles. Owl and red kite taster sessions take place daily, allowing you the opportunity to have these birds fly to your glove.

For further details visit: www.botanicgarden.wales