Botanical Gardens

Located on the northern outskirts of Kingstown are the Botanical Gardens. Peaceful, lush, green and colourful, the gardens are home to a wealth of tropical plants, flowers, trees and birds.

Occupying 20 acres, the Gardens were created in 1765 by General Robert Melville, governor of the British Caribbean islands, as a plant breeding centre and 'to provide medicinal plants for the military and improve the life and economy of the colony'. They are one of the oldest of their kind in the western hemisphere, and celebrated their 240th anniversary in 2005.

They are famous for being the destination of Captain Bligh’s second visit to the Caribbean in 1798 (his first ended in the infamous mutiny on the Bounty) when he introduced breadfruit to the island. A descendant of one of his original breadfruit trees thrives in today’s gardens.

Promoting the conservation of rare species, the Botanical Gardens aviaries are where visitors can see the beautiful St. Vincent Parrot (Amazona guilingii), our national bird.

Entrance is free, but a friendly guide will take you on an informative tour for a small fee. The Gardens is opened from 6am to 6pm daily.
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