mccrory gardens

McCrory Gardens is a botanical garden associated with South Dakota State University. During the summertime, it is absolutely exploding with color: dozens of varieties of flowers, virtually every type of tree that will grow in Brookings SD, and wide lawn spaces for walking and enjoying. It's maintained by SDSU students, and every time I have been there (which is well into the dozens) it's been beautiful. There is a bush maze for the kids (they usually trim it about 3' high, so young kids get the true maze experience but their parents can still find them) and a number of interesting exhibits about history and sustainable architecture. There is a brand-new and very nice visitor center with further exhibits and facilities to handle various gatherings. McCrory has traditionally been a favorite place for couples to marry and has many locations suitable for this, but beware of South Dakota's finicky weather. One final note: McCrory Gardens has not had an admission fee in the past, but within the past few months the University erected a fence around the entire property and my understanding is that there will soon be an admission fee charged.

When you need some inspiration and quiet this is a great place to go from May through Oct. especially if you love gardening, flowers, trees, landscaping ideas. The welcome center has lots of great events and workshops.

These gardens were spectacular this summer due to lots of rain & great plant choices by the students/staff. There is a wide variety of flowering & green plants as well as some fun features like the cottage & waterfall. The new Visitor's Center is gorgeous. There are weddings going on every weekend. It's a very peaceful place to walk around & enjoy. There are plenty of benches if you want to bring a book & read.

We visited the gardens the first week of July, 2014 and thought it was a lovely place to take a stroll and enjoy the beauty of flowers, butterflies, birds and dragonflies. Since the 3 of us are seniors, all over 75, we really appreciated the many benches scattered around at frequent intervals. We took a lot of breaks and just enjoyed the beauty. I did think some of the flowers could have been better tended, like watering. But overall, this was a nice treat and I would definitely return and recommend it to anyone who can walk it.

I love the variety of flowers and it is well kept, many places to sit down and enjoy the beauty, and there is a lovely new visitor center that has rooms for rent for various events.

If you're in brookings in the summer or late fall when the gardens are in bloom this is a must see! Definitely one of the best landscaped gardens I've been to.

Practically anytime of the year you visit this site you will be rewarded. Easy to access just off I29 on the East side of Brookings.

We went to the McCory Gardens open house in early August, and we were amazed at how much bigger and more beautiful it is. Many plantings have been added, and more structures have been installed. There was also a beautiful new fountain. Worth a stop if you enjoy the natural beauty of the Gardens.

We live in Brookings and visit MG every so often. There is the "main" part, and then more area in back for a longer walk. Nothing stunning, just a nice place for a walk away from people and traffic.

McCrory Garden is a peaceful landscape with excellent example of trees, shrubs, native grasses and flowers that will grow in the upper midwest. it is well laid out and easily accessible with wonderful color combinations.

Well labelled plants, tastefully designed, used to try new varieties of plants & shrubs, showcase All-American selections. Great way to see if the glowing seed catalog descriptions grow like that in SD

A big, beautiful garden in the middle of the cornfield that is eastern South Dakota. Stop by, it's right off of 6th St.

Growing up in Brookings, McCrory Gardens has a lot of sentimental value. Every time I go back to visit, weather permitting, I take a walk through the gardens. The horticulturists and planners go a great job arranging the plants/flowers so that there's something to look at every season. There are beautiful grassy areas where people can just sit and relax, pack a picnic, or whatever else. It's long been a popular place to get married and have pictures taken. It's a free garden to walk through, but if you enjoyed your trip, there's a freewill donation box.

Beautiful! My daughter and I loved walking around looking at all the beauty! It is great that your town has something like this! It is nicely kept up!

McCrory Gardens is wonderful in any season. They have a straw bale house and visitor center that emphasizes sustainability. End of August ice cream social features SDSU ice cream, creator of "cookies and cream" ice cream.