Poipu’s Allerton Botanical Gardens: a Beautiful, Historic Place to Explore

Botanical gardens are such space special places to visit, and the Allerton Gardens in Poipu (Koloa) are unique and beautiful to explore. Whether you are doing a self-guided visit or are taking the tour, the Allerton Gardens are a great addition to a trip to Kauai, and a must if you are staying in Poipu. Pair it with the neighboring McBryde Gardens (the scientific side of the complex) and you have a wonderful Kauai experience.

Have you visited the Allerton or the McBryde gardens before? Part of the National Tropical Botanical Gardens, this is a great place to learn about both horticulture and Hawaiian history. We’ve got the full scoop so that you can plan and prepare for a beautiful day here at the Allerton Gardens. If you have any other questions, please leave a comment or send us a note so that we can help you plan. a wonderful Aloha trip.

Highlights of the Allerton Tropical Botanical Garden

What I really enjoyed about the Allerton Gardens was how they felt very intentional in the grandeur that would become of them. You have to think about what plants are going to do far down the road when you’re planting any sort of garden, so when you’re working with a huge property and you want to honor the land and the history, you build a garden that is both timeless and ages into itself, and I think that’s really what you see when you visit the Allerton Gardens.

Wandering through the heliconia trails, you can see that they’ve been years in growth turning into a colorful forest. And the same with the amazing banyan trees. Ahh, the banyan trees are my favorite part of the Allerton Gardens. These trees are famous for being the setting from the first Jurassic Park movie where Dr. Grant first discovers that the dinosaurs have started to reproduce when they come across a clutch of eggs. Besides this iconic moment in film, these towering banyan trees are a beautiful example of the intentional, long lasting design of the Allerton Botanical Gardens.

All visits to the Allerton Tropical Botanical Garden are guided, so you get to have a leader full of knowledge of both the vegetation and the history of the area. We really appreciated how much our guide shared the history of Queen Emma and her impact on the land and how the Allerton Gardens continue the care and tradition that she brought to the valley. I didn’t expect to get a history lesson along with the beautiful botanical garden visit, but I should’ve known. The Limahuli Gardens on the north shore of Kauai are also a part of the National Tropical Botanical Gardens, and they’re ALL ABOUT history there, so the Allerton Gardens are very much in line with that.

Tips for Visiting Allerton Gardens in Poipu

Unlike other botanical gardens you might visit, and I’m specifically thinking about the Garden of Eden Botanical Gardens on the Road to Hana on Maui, the Allerton Gardens are only accessed as part of a guided tour. Because of this, you’re on your guide’s schedule and you’re not able to wander off on your own and follow your own interests and wild hares. With your Allerton Gardens tour you get fantastic stories and information, so embrace that. If you want to wander on your own, this isn’t the tour for you.

You’ll want to plan your day so you have plenty of time before your tour to both check in and wander the grounds at the Allerton & McBryde Tropical Botanical Gardens visitor center. There are some beautiful plants here as well as art, a wonderful shop, and even a cafe. Allow yourself the chance to relax and not be rushed.

If you’re here for the beautiful Allerton Sunset tour that includes dinner in the gardens, lucky you! This is a very different sort of tour than the normal guided tour with a visit. With the sunset tour you get to enjoy the gardens during golden hour, tour the Allerton House and then enjoy dinner on the oceanfront lanai. This is an extra special tour and if you can add it to your Kauai itinerary, do it!!

Being Prepared for Allerton Gardens

You have to wear close toed shoes when you do the Allerton or McBryde Gardens tours. The tours are not just driving around in a bus, but they are very active as you walk through pathways, gravel garden trails and brick stairs through the vegetation. If you don’t show up in close toed shoes you’ll be turned away and asked to come back with the proper footwear (and yes, this is clearly called out when you book your tour).

Another important thing to keep in mind is that there are bugs here. I feel like Kauai, and most of Hawaii, really isn’t buggy and we don’t often get bothered but the microclimate of the Allerton and McBryde Gardens begets mosquitoes and no-see-ums and they’re very annoying. I recommend wearing long sleeve shirts or applying bug spray before you do your tour. Some people aren’t bothered by bugs, and usually I’m not, but here they are very active. Bring water as well, even though it’s supplied on your tour. It’s nice to have cold water on the hotter days, and yes, there is a refilling station when you’re on your tour.

Don’t forget to bring a camera! The flowers and amazing trees of the Allerton Gardens are impressive and fun to photograph, especially the beautiful banyan trees. Also, there are lots of bird as you go through your tour. We saw amakihi and apapane birds, as well as night herons on our tour.

Which Gardens Should We Visit?

So there are two gardens here in Poipu that you can visit: either the Allerton Gardens or the McBryde Gardens. Yes, they are connected and yes, you can visit both on a tour, or you can visit just one. What’s the difference? The Allerton Gardens are the botanical gardens build and cultured for their beauty and to honor the significance of the valley for the Hawaiian people, specifically Queen Emma who cared for this land. The McBryde Gardens are all about the horticulture and studying the different sorts of tropical plants and the fruits that the produce. They are the science gardens.

Each garden is interesting, but you get a different run of information and stories specific to the style of garden it is. If you’re unsure which garden you want to tour, do the Best of Both Worlds tour that gives a detailed, yet shorter, visit to both the Allerton and McBryde Gardens.

Parking for Allerton and McBryde Botanical Gardens

You’ll get to the Allerton and McBryde Tropical Botanical Gardens as you head towards the famous Spouting Horn on the South Shore of Kauai in Poipu (Koloa). There is plenty of parking here at the gardens’ visitor center, so get parked, grab your water and bug spray, and then check in for your tour. From the visitor center you’ll actually bored a small bus to take you into the Allerton and McBryde Tropical Botanical Gardens. The two different gardens are built side by side, so your guide will go the same route to whichever you’re visiting (don’t worry if you think you’re going to the wrong place; you’re not).