McCrory Gardens is a botanical garden & arboretum operated and maintained by South Dakota State University. The gardens are funded primarily by donations from the Friends of McCrory Gardens, admission fees, other special gifts and endowment returns.
McCrory Gardens has over 25 acres of formal display gardens and 45 acres of arboretum featuring hundreds of different flowers, trees, shrubs and grasses in harmonious settings to display, educate and further the development of new varieties.
What We Do
Beauty is its own excuse for being. However, the Gardens serve a more practical purpose. Ongoing research continues to provide new information to the scientific community and the public on the introduction, cultivation and arrangement of native and domesticated plants. The testing and evaluation of new woody plant selections and varieties in the climate of the northern Great Plains, initiated by Dr. N.E. Hansen almost three-quarters of a century ago, remains an integral part of our research mission.
Formal Garden Hours
February
Monday – Friday: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m
Closed President's Day
Arboretum Hours
Open Daily
Sunrise to Sunset
Admission
Members: Free
Adults: $6
Senior ages 65 & over: $4
Youth ages 6–7: $4
SDSU Employees: $4 w/SDSU ID
Military personnel: $4 w/valid ID
Children ages 5 & under: Free
SDSU Students: Free w/valid SDSU ID
Holiday Hours
OPEN:
Memorial Day, Labor Day and
Independence Day: noon – 6 p.m.
Native American Day: noon – 5 p.m.
CLOSED:
Thanksgiving Day,
Christmas Eve, Christmas Day,
New Year's Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
and President's Day
Help Us Grow!
We invite you to become a McCrory Gardens member and support this spectacular horticultural resource. Since it was established as a public garden in 1965, McCrory Gardens has long been considered one of the jewels of Brookings and the region. With the recent addition of the McCrory Gardens Education & Visitor Center, the Gardens are now a year-round destination.
We now offer three types of memberships (Friends of McCrory, Photography and Business). Our Friends of McCrory and Business memberships include different levels to choose from and our Photography Membership offers the choice between a Yearly Membership or One-Day Permit.
Your contribution helps to maintain and enhance the gardens. Your membership will support the planting and care of the 41,000+ flowers, trees and shrubs that are planted each year. It also will support the education of our students and the research and outreach programs of our staff.
And remember - a membership to McCrory Gardens makes a wonderful gift for a friend or family member!
Become a member. Help us grow!
Your membership gift supports McCrory Gardens' outreach, research and educational programs.
Click on the links below to learn more about each of the memberships we offer!
Photography Membership
Business Membership
Friends of McCrory Memberships
Individual Group
Family Supporter