Education Center

Explore our gardens

Family Interpretation Experience

Located next to the Gardens & Gore Creek in Ford Park, the Education Center is the best place to start your visit. Discover & learn about the alpine environment and its tough plants through informational displays, drop-in activities and a state-of-the-art alpine house featuring plants from around the world.

Open year round and provides an educational experience for guests of all ages. Spanish translation available.

Current Exhibit

Rocky Mountain High!

November 2023 - March 2024

Are you missing alpine plants while they are covered with snow? Their beauty will be displayed in the juried exhibition Rocky Mountain High, by the Rocky Mountain Society of Botanical Artists. Betty Ford Alpine Gardens has partnered with the RMSBA to illustrate 40 examples of Colorado’s smallest and toughest plants in amazing detail. The exhibit will be on display at the Betty Ford Alpine Gardens Education Center.

Colored pencil drawing of flowering thorny plant

 

 

The exhibit will run until May 2024.

Alpine House: A Cold Greenhouse

The Alpine House is a cold greenhouse which mimics our alpine environment. The House is monitored and regulated through highly sensitive  temperature control and allows Betty Ford Alpine Gardens to house some of the rarest plants 365 days a year.

Learn & Do

Please join us in the Education Center to discover the mountain ecosystem in winter.

Family Winter Scavenger Hunt

Freezing temperatures and deep snow make winters in Vail challenging. Discover how animals have adapted to survive by following the clues!  Children who complete the scavenger hunt get a special prize. The Scavenger Hunt starts at the Education Center, available every day from 10am to 3pm.

Illustration of a Pika - Betty Ford Alpine Gardens

Indoor Bird Watching Activities
Indoor Bird Watching - Betty Ford Alpine Gardens
Family Tabletop Activities

Family Tabletop Activities - Betty Ford Alpine Gardens

Family Exhibit - Betty Ford Alpine Gardens 


Visit our calendar of events for ways to explore and experience our gardens and participate in learning programs.

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