Las Vegas has three gardens worth a visit on the botanical garden map, and the best time to see one of them starts in two weeks. From November 5, the Ethel M Botanical Cactus Garden in Henderson is lit every night for the holidays, the 33rd year the chocolate maker has done it. The other two are daytime gardens: the Springs Preserve, which counts the largest collection of Mojave Desert cacti and succulents, and the UNLV campus, a state-recognized arboretum anyone can walk. Here is when each is open, what it costs, and one table near each.
We run Botanical Garden Near Me, a directory of public gardens and arboretums across the United States, and we are a guest here. Top of Las Vegas asked for the gardens. They supplied the restaurants.
The plan, in order
Do the two daytime gardens first. The Springs Preserve is open Thursday through Monday, so a weekday visit has to fall on a Thursday or Friday, and tickets are limited each day, so buy them online before you go. UNLV is open to walk any day of the week. Save Ethel M for after dark: the lights start at 5 p.m., and Henderson is about 8 miles southeast of downtown. If you go on Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day, the lights close early, at 8 p.m.
Ethel M Botanical Cactus Garden
The cactus garden sits beside the Ethel M chocolate factory and flagship store at 2 Cactus Garden Drive in Henderson. For most of the year the garden is free to walk. During the holidays and around Valentine’s Day it charges an entry fee, and this is the holiday season it charges for: the 33rd annual Holiday Cactus Garden Lights, which Ethel M says puts a million lights on the garden. It runs every night from November 5 through January 3, 5 to 10 p.m., with shorter hours, 5 to 8 p.m., on Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, and closed on Christmas Day. Entry is $3 a person; children under 2 and seniors 65 and over are free, and no reservation is needed. Santa is there through December 23. Dogs and other pets are not allowed in the garden; service animals are. Park in the Ethel M lots or the Smith’s lot across the street, and not in the business park or Roseman University lots, where cars are towed. The store is open daily 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., and the factory viewing aisle runs weekdays 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Springs Preserve
The botanical garden is part of the Springs Preserve at 333 South Valley View Boulevard. The Preserve says its garden holds the largest collection of Mojave Desert cacti and succulents, across 110 acres of display gardens, natural areas and trails. Cactus Alley shows cacti and succulents from the deserts of North and South America; a palm garden grows ten species, edible date palms among them; an herb garden and a raised-bed vegetable garden show what grows here and when. The garden is reached on a Preserve ticket. The Preserve is open Thursday through Monday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with last entry at 3, and closed Thanksgiving and Christmas. Nevada residents pay $9.95 for adults and $4.95 for children 3 to 17; non-residents pay $18.95 and $10.95; children 2 and under are free. Parking is free. This week only, the Preserve closes at 3 p.m. through October 25 while it sets up Haunted Harvest.
UNLV Arboretum
The whole Maryland Parkway campus at 4505 South Maryland Parkway is the arboretum. The university says it is a state-recognized arboretum and an Arbor Day Foundation Tree Campus USA, with state champion trees, the largest of their species in Nevada, growing on campus. The Xeric Garden by the Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art was planted in 1988 with plants from arid regions around the world and signs throughout; something is usually in bloom, and spring is the peak. You can walk the grounds at your own pace any time, any day of the week. Guided tours are available on request from the Grounds department at 702-895-3392.
The full list
Hours, prices and directions for all three, with the official page for each, are on our side. The botanical gardens near Las Vegas page on Botanical Garden Near Me lists them, closest first.
Where to eat after
One table near each garden, all within a mile, all checked against the hours you would actually be there. They come from Top of Las Vegas lists: miso ramen, American and budget-friendly. The scores are theirs, not ours.
Ramen Ebisu
Insider Score8.0
Ramen · Henderson
After the lights. Under a mile up Green Valley Parkway and open until 11 p.m. every night, so it still works after a late walk. A miso-only ramen room; the spicy miso is the bowl regulars order.
Lou's Diner
Insider Score8.5
American · Spring Valley
Lunch at the Preserve. Less than a mile away on South Decatur, open 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily, so go before or between garden loops. A diner kept to diner food: biscuits and gravy, pancakes, eggs Benedict.
888 Sushi and Robata
Insider Score9.1
Japanese · Paradise
After UNLV. On Paradise Road, under a mile from campus, open noon to 11 p.m. daily. A sushi bar and a robata grill in one room, with an omakase priced well under the Strip.
Scores are Top of Las Vegas Insider Scores. Restaurant photographs from Yelp and Tripadvisor.
Sources. Ethel M Chocolates, Holiday Cactus Garden and Henderson flagship pages, checked October 23, 2026. Springs Preserve, Botanical Garden, Plan Your Visit and Tickets pages, checked October 23, 2026. UNLV Facilities Management, Landscape, Grounds, and Arboretum page, checked October 23, 2026. Restaurant hours from Top of Las Vegas records. Top photo: the Ethel M cactus garden by Acroterion, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0; other photo credits are under each photo.
Botanical Garden Near Me writes for Botanical Garden Near Me. Botanical Garden Near Me lists public botanical gardens, arboretums and conservatories across the United States, with hours, admission and directions taken from each garden's official site. This piece was written for Top of Las Vegas.