In 1930, King George V sent a Royal Charter to the gardens, after which they were opened for public viewing. The Royal Botanical Gardens in Toronto is the largest botanical garden in Canada. Spanning over 300 acres, the garden attracts over 400,000 visitors every year. Apart from the tours around the gardens, there are over two dozen 25 annual events, festivals, musical entertainments, and activities for children. Some of them are the Autumn Herb Festival, The Orchid Society Show, and the Ontario Garden Show. Admission into the garden is free of charge and it is open during the daylight hours.

It’s also a popular venue for special occasions, weddings, annual meetings and business functions. Two large spaces with open courtyards have been designated for this purpose. There are even conference rooms and studios for meetings that need to be conducted indoors.

The Royal Botanical Gardens focuses on science and conservation. It is an instructional garden where visitors can get hands on experience on various aspects of gardening. The 12 themed gardens that were opened in 2006 provide demonstration gardens and educational experience. Since these gardens are designed to reflect a typical urban set up, visitors will find it easier to use the ideas in their own gardens.

Apart from the real life learning experience, there are also several workshops and classes that you can sign up for. In fact, there are close to 250 programs that are run by the institution and it covers various subjects, from environmental education to arts classes, and from horticultural therapy, to nature photography.

Toronto’s Royal Botanical Gardens has four ‘Nature Sanctuaries’ that comprises of fields, forests, and wetlands. These sanctuaries include the Niagara Escarpment, complete with ravines and meadows, Cootes Paradise, and Hendire Valley. There are even walking trails that cover 30 kilometers of the park.  An arboretum showcases 600 cultivars of lilac and 120 different types of hedges and more than 600 cultivars of lilac.

There are several conservation projects run by the park, including the Project Paradise, a one-of-its-kind restoration project in North America, and probably the biggest too.  Other projects worth a mention are The Fishway Project, and the Aquatic Nursery Project.

Walking about the garden may make you feel slightly peckish. Head towards the Turner Pavilion Tea House or the Rock Garden Tea House for a light bite. In case you are looking to take back some gardening implements for your home, step into the garden shop for all those essential supplies.

Don’t miss out on the Royal Botanical Gardens is spring when you can see the world's largest collection of lilac in bloom along with 100,000 tulips, and 250,000 blooming iris. And that’s not even the beginning. It has more than 8000 different kinds of bushes, plants, and trees, making it a veritable paradise on earth.