Education
Guided Tours
What is the ZMD?
The Garden receives support from property taxes levied through the Zoo-Museum Tax District (ZMD) and can therefore provide free admission to schools within St. Louis County and St. Louis City. For schools outside the ZMD, additional fees apply. To find out if your school is within the ZMD, call (314) 577-5140.
Guided Tours for school groups are led by trained Garden Docents and cover a variety of topics. Tours can be adapted for groups based on grade, curriculum focus, and for those with special needs. Please let us know of your requests when scheduling.
Tours are available between the hours of 10 a.m and 1 p.m., and can be scheduled to begin on the hour or half hour.
Guided Tours must be scheduled at least 6 weeks in advance. Minimum 10 students; maximum varies. Find out how to request a program.
For more information please email schoolprograms@mobot.org or call (314) 577-5140.
Required chaperones:
Grades PK–3
1 adult per 5 students
Grades 4–12
1 adult per 8 students
Fees for Guided Tours:
Schools within the St. Louis Zoo-Museum Tax District (ZMD):
Students and their required chaperones
free
Extra chaperones
$4 per extra chaperone
Schools outside of the ZMD:
Grades PK–8
$2 per student
Grades 9–12
$4 per student
Required chaperones
free
Extra chaperones
$8 per extra chaperone
Tours
Discover the Missouri Botanical Garden (year-round)
Grades PK–college / tour runs 1 hour
The Garden is always beautiful, no matter the season. Discover the diversity of plants and the influence of cultures on garden design.
Tropical Rain Forest (year-round)
Grades PK–college / tour runs 1 hour
A tour of the Climatron® transports students to a lush lowland rain forest complete with waterfalls, tropical birds, and some 1,500 plants. Students see first hand the structure of the rain forest, plant adaptations, and the diversity of tropical plants.
Pollination Pals (May, September, October)
Grades 1–6 / tour runs 1 hour
Identify the main parts of a flower and discover how shape, color, and fragrance determine whether a flower’s “pollination pal” is a hummingbird, butterfly, bee, fly, or beetle. Students observe pollinators in action.
Ecosystems (September–May)
Grades 4–8 / tour runs 1½ hour
Students compare three major ecosystems: the tropical rain forest, the temperate deciduous forest, and the desert. Emphasis is on discovering how plants have adapted to these challenging environments.
Seiwa-En: Japanese Garden (year-round)
Grades 4–12 / tour runs 1½ hours
Cherry blossoms, chrysanthemums, or snow—whatever the season, the Japanese Garden is always offers a lovely tour. Students discover how the design of this traditional “wet strolling garden” is influenced by the cultural traditions of asymmetry, symbolism, simplicity, and love of nature. (For further study of Japanese Culture and garden design, teachers may borrow “Tickets To TaikoBashi” Action Packs from the Stupp Teacher Resource Center.)
Tree Tour (March–November)
Grades 4–12 / tour runs 1 hour
The Garden is an excellent place to learn about trees! Discover what trees do, how they can be identified, and their historical uses.
Sculptures, Fountains, Pools, and Ponds (year-round)
Grades 6–college / tour runs 1 hour
Hear the stories, history, and meaning of some of the sculptures and water features found in the Garden.
Climatron® is a registered servicemark of the Missouri Botanical Garden.
Other Climatron® Educational Services include:
- Self-guided tropical rain forest tour
- Plant Studies
- Educational materials regarding the rain forest
- Docent led tours for people of all ages
- Teacher training workshops focusing on the rain forest and comparative ecosystem studies
- Exhibits focusing on the rain forest and related issues
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