Group Tours and Programs

Availability and Bookings

The Garden offers guided tours and customized programs for groups! Please use the form below to let us know you are interested in a tour or a private class program. Please call us at 608-576-2501 or email to AllenCentennialGarden@wisc.edu with any additional questions. Find out more and fill out our inquiry form below.

Full payment and headcount must be received at least 1 week prior to your event. Any additional attendees added after the final payment  must be paid for at the time of the tour.*

*Final payment non-refundable. Refunds will not be granted for changes in attendance.

Pergola

Guided vs. Self-Guided Tours

Guided tours are led by a student intern, Garden staff member or the Executive Director. All guided tours require a reservation.

Self-guided tours do not require a reservation and do not include any docents. However, it is strongly recommended you call ahead of time to ensure your group’s visit doesn’t conflict with any other Garden activities.

People on Bridge
Japanese Garden and Pond

Private Programs

We also offer private programs for groups. These include flower pounding, flower crowns, creating with dried flowers, dyeing with plants, and more!

We highly recommend selecting a program rather than a tour for children under 12. Individual program rates vary from $5-$55. Please reach out using our form below for more information about possible options.

Tour Offerings

Tier 1: General Tours

General Garden tour, given by a student intern or garden staff and includes garden history, stories, and plant highlights.

Duration: 45 minutes–1 hour

Number of participants         Cost*

1-10                                             $50

11-20                                           $100

21-30                                           $150

31-40                                           $200

41-50                                           $250

*Weekend tours require an additional $25 fee per guide. 

Tier 2: Director Tour

Executive Director Tours

Personalized Garden tour with the Garden’s Executive Director for a maximum of 25 people.

Duration: 1–1.5 hours

Number of participants         Cost

1-10                                             $100

11-20                                           $200

21-25                                           $250

 

Student Visits

People and Plants: Art and Science in the Garden 

Visit Allen Centennial Garden to learn about the relationships between people and plants by examining the connections between art and science. Class visits are flexible but may include learning how to identify and eat weeds, harvest flowers and smash them into art, and locate and collect viable seeds from flowers and vegetables. Garden visits are built around rotating through several stations because traditional garden tours are less successful with K – 12 audiences. All tours include a seasonal art project to take home.

(Student visits cost $10 per student per 60 minutes.)

We are unable to host student visits during November and through March due to cold weather and the lack of growing plants.

I’m reaching out to share a heartfelt thank you for hosting such a wonderfully engaging program this week with Grandparent’s University! My daughters and mother couldn’t stop talking about how much they enjoyed exploring the green houses with all the different plants, searching for seeds, and creating art with flowers. My mother is retired teacher and she spoke so highly of the activity and facilitation by your team. Bravo!

Family of Grandparents University participants

Thank you so much for supporting summer camp this year! Our campers and counselor LOVED their visit to Allen Centennial Garden and spoke so highly of how you structured the experience, welcomed and empowered campers, and created an amazing, engaging experience. We are SO grateful.

RecWell Summer Camps

Tour and Program Inquiry

Contact Name(Required)
Are you a UW-Madison Group(Required)
If you are a UW-Madison course, please use the class visit form located here: https://allencentennialgarden.wisc.edu/teachers/classroom-visits-form/
What ages are your group members?(Required)
Please provide your best estimate
MM slash DD slash YYYY
All dates subject to staff availability.
First Choice Time(Required)
:
MM slash DD slash YYYY
Second Choice Time
:
MM slash DD slash YYYY
Third Choice Time
:
What kind of tour are you interested in?(Required)
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Koi in the Pond