Opened in 1900, Buffalo Botanical Gardens is the gateway into the Frederick Law Olmsted-designed South Park, which is on the Emerald Necklace. The fine Victorian conservatory was designed by Lord & Burnham and was part of Olmsted's final plan for South Park. It was designed to offer a collection of exotic plants from around the world. The tri-domed glass, wood and steel design was based on Crystal Palace and Kew Gardens Palm House in England. When built (1897-1899), it was the third largest public greenhouse in the United States and ninth largest in the world. Today, The Gardens is one of only three remaining Lord & Burnham conservatories in the United States and the only conservatory in the eastern United States incorporated into a park designed by Olmsted. Indoor gardens include: The Palm Dome, Dinosaur Gardens, Rainforest Garden, Koi fish pond, Desert Garden, Tropical Flower Garden, Bromeliad and Begonia Garden, Orchid Garden, Victorian Garden and The Herb Garden. Outdoors there is a Shrub Garden with hundreds of varieties of rare and unusual plants.
