The much-anticipated opening of the new visitor center at Missouri Botanical Garden is just days away.
The public is invited to attend the official unveiling of the new Jack C. Taylor Visitor Center on Saturday, Aug. 27, beginning at 10 a.m. In honor of the grand opening, the Garden will offer free admission to all visitors on the 27th and on Sunday, Aug. 28.
Festivities on tap include live music, storytelling and other special performances. Food and drink items from a handful of local vendors, as well as from the on-site Sassafras Restaurant and Café, will be available for purchase.
The new building, funded entirely by private donations to the Garden’s $100-million Gateway to the Garden campaign, includes the William T. Kemper Lobby, which features updated visitor amenities such as a ticketing area, restrooms, dining and the gift shop. The expanded Sassafras Restaurant and Café will now offer two dining options and a larger outdoor seating area. The new Garden Gate Shop will now have an outdoor plant shop. Another plus: All visitor services are accessible on the main floor, with no steps or elevators required.
The new building also offers views of the Garden’s landscapes. In addition, terrazzo flooring with inlaid brass leaves, 10-foot glass panels showcasing plants from the Garden’s collection and other design elements bring the outdoors inside.
Next month, plants will be added to the adjacent Emerson Conservatory, which will house a permanent display of Mediterranean plants and will provide a new home for the Garden’s floral shows, such as the annual Orchid Show.
This fall, the Garden’s horticulture team will begin to plant the new multi-tiered north and south entry gardens. By spring, the Garden will have added more than 30,500 plants to its landscape, including many rare and endangered species.
For more information, visit the Missouri Botanical Garden website.
