Garfield Park Conservatory offers a wide range of engaging and fun programs for all ages. Click on the links above to get specific information on upcoming programs and events. Still have questions?
Call us at 317-327-7183 or Call Customer Service at 317-327-PARK
Like us on Facebook or Follow us on Twitter to get more updates on Programs and Events.
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Garfield Park Master Gardener - Guided Conservatory Tours
2nd and 4th Saturdays of each month @ 11 AM - Included in that days admissions fee
Saturday, August 2, 2025 | 11 am
Ages: All | Free | Drop-in
Drop by Blake’s Garden to meet one of our resident critters. No registration needed. Program will be held in classroom if weather is inclement.
​Herb Society: Herbal Harvest
Saturday, August 9, 2025 | 10-11:30 AM
Ages: 16 and up | $6 per person
Join the Herb Society of Central Indiana for all things herbs! Learn about harvesting, drying, storing and cooking with your garden harvest. Registration required.
Friday, August 8, 2025 | 6-7 pm
Ages: All | $5 per person
Did you know that salsa is Spanish for “sauce”? Join us in Blake’s Children’s Garden as we learn about making salsa and other popular Hispanic sauces from easy-to-grow vegetables from our own gardens. We will demonstrate making salsa in various forms and have a taste testing of each. Staff will also answer any questions you have about growing and preparing tomatoes, peppers, and other salsa veggies.
Program will be moved into the classroom in case of inclement weather.
Friday, August 15, 2025 | 10 am
Ages: All (Geared towards ages 2-8) | Free | Drop-in
Join us in Blake’s Children’s Garden as we learn about nature through a story reading. After the reading children are encouraged to stay and explore the garden. This program is free and open to anyone wishing to attend. The target age range is 2-8 years old.
Program will be moved into the classroom in case of inclement weather.
Wednesday, August 20, 2025 | 10-11 am
Ages: 2-5 | $6 per child
Bring your little gardener to get their hands dirty in the Children's Garden. Participants will have the opportunity to plant, care for, and harvest crops in the Garden. Come to one, or come to all. Registration required.
Friday, August 8 – Friday August 22, 2025
Tues-Sat: 10 am – 5 pm | Sunday: 1-5 pm
Ages: All | $6 per person | $14 per family
(2 adults max, 2 and under free)
Come one, come all to the Second Annual Cactus and Succulent Show! We're partnering with the Indianapolis Zoo's Hilbert Conservatory and Newfield's Elder Greenhouse to bring you a whimsical and creative display of some of the coolest cacti and succulents around town!
During the show, admission and hours will remain the same.
This event does not allow for online registration. Admissions collected at the door only.
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Fermentation Station: Pickled Tomatoes
Saturday, August 23, 2025 | 11 am -12 pm
Ages: 10 and up | $10 per person
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We love a good fried green tomato, but have you ever had one pickled? Crunchier and more complex than cucumbers, these Turkish-inspired green tomato pickles will enliven your sandwiches and salads well through the fall.
Saturday, August 2, 2025 | 12-1pm
Ages: All | $2 per person
Make your own caprese salad with garden tomatoes and our astonishing variety of basil! Mozzarella and crackers provided.
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Sunday, August 3, 2025 | 1:30-3:30 pm
Ages: All | Free
Pre-registration strongly suggested, but drop-ins also welcome
Meet our beekeeper and learn about bee biology and why they are important to our gardens and our world. Experience first-hand how honey is harvested and taste a sample. Registration encouraged.
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Wednesday, Aug 6, 20, 2025 | 5:30-6:30 pm
Ages: 2 & Up | Fee: $1 per person eating
Remember the dollar menu days? We’re bringing it back in the children’s garden! Drop by to harvest, prepare, and share a simple garden meal in good company. The menu will vary week by week, based on the garden’s abundance.
Tuesday, August 12, 2025 | 10-11 am
Ages: 2-5 | $6 per child
Bring your preschooler to a program with a focus on the natural world. There will be a story, activities, crafts and so much more. Registration required; space is limited.
Chimney Swifts: An Urban Bird Legacy
Friday, August 15, 2025 | 8:30-9:30 pm
Ages: All | $2 per person
Join a park naturalist at the Pagoda for an evening of learning about and observing the Chimney Swift bird colony that lives at the Art Center. Bring your picnic blankets, chairs and snacks and hang out with us as we watch the colony start their summer evening rituals and learn about conservation efforts for these majestic little birds.
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Fermentation Station: Dilly Beans
Saturday, August 16, 2025 | 11 am -12 pm
Ages: 10 and up | $10 per person
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At this point in the summer, you've probably had all the green beans you can eat. But have you had them pickled? Join us to harvest and prepare dilly beans, a snappy green bean pickle that will brighten the darkest winter days.
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Thursday, August 21, 2025 | 11 am -12 pm
Ages: 6-9 | $10 per child
Are you interested in exposing your child to the wonders of gardening at an early age, but don’t necessarily have the space or time to do it yourself? This is the perfect program for you. Bring your child ages 6-9 years old to a one-hour class, once a month, where they can get their hands dirty and feel accomplished growing and harvesting their own food. Join staff naturalists as they share their love of gardening, from a young age, with your children!​
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Fermentation Station: Basil & Ketchup
Saturday, August 30, 2025 | 11 am -12 pm
Ages: 10 and up | $10 per person
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Live-culture condiments are a hurried cook’s best friend! Fermenting basil leaves add an umami boost to the herb’s fresh flavor for year-round soups and pastas. And fermented ketchup? It takes us back to the sauce’s origin, for a zingy tomato paste that won’t grow mold in the fridge.
Critter Chat
Saturday, September 6, 2025 | 11 am
Ages: All | Free | Drop-in
Drop by Blake’s Garden to meet one of our resident critters. No registration needed. Program will be held in classroom if weather is inclement.
Fermentation Station: Hot Sauce
Saturday, September 6, 2025 | 12 pm
Ages: Older children and adult | Fee: $15
Registration Required, max 15 people
A good hot sauce has fire and culture! Join us to delve into the history of the mighty pepper and create a hot sauce blend tailored to your palate. A jar with an airlock lid is included in the registration cost. Children who attend must be comfortable using a sharp knife.
Jungle Tales
Tuesday, September 9, 2025 | 10-11 am
Ages: 2-5 | Fee: $6 per child
Bring your preschooler to a program with a focus on the natural world. There will be a story, activities, crafts and so much more. Registration required; space is limited.
Bonsai Show
Saturday and Sunday, September 13 & 14
Times: Saturday: 10am-5pm, Sunday: 1-5pm
$6 per person, $14 per family (2 adults max per family)
Join the Indianapolis Bonsai Club as they showcase their unique bonsai specimens throughout the Conservatory. Club members will be available to answer your questions, and vendors will have items for sale.
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Wed, September 3, 17, 2025 | 5:30-6:30 pm
Ages: 2 & Up | Fee: $1 per person eating
Remember the dollar menu days? We’re bringing it back in the children’s garden! Drop by to harvest, prepare, and share a simple garden meal in good company. The menu will vary week by week, based on the garden’s abundance.
​Little Green Thumbs
Wednesday, September 17 | 11 am -12 pm
Ages: 2-5 | Fee: $6 per child
Bring your little gardener to get their hands dirty in the Children's Garden. Participants will have the opportunity to plant, care for, and harvest crops in the Garden. Registration required.
Garden Storytime
Friday, September 19, 2025 | 10 am
Ages: All (Geared towards ages 2-8)
Fee: Free | Drop-in
Join us in Blake’s Children’s Garden as we learn about nature through a story reading. After the reading children are encouraged to stay and explore the garden. This program is free and open to anyone wishing to attend. The target age range is 2-8 years old.
Program will be moved into the classroom in case of inclement weather.
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Apples & Johnny Appleseed: an Indiana Legacy
Saturday, September 20, 2025 | 11-12pm
Ages: All | Fee: Free
Did you know that Johnny Appleseed spent much of his time in Ft. Wayne Indiana and is even buried there?! John Chapman, as he was formally known, was instrumental in establishing apple orchards throughout Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky and much of the Midwest. At the time cider and other fermented beverages were safer to drink than water and everyone was drinking them. Come learn about this legendary Indiana historical figure and see how cider is made on a small-scale cider press. Then sample some cider while exploring the rest of the Children’s Garden and see what other fall favorites might be close to harvest!
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Never Too Much Basil
Saturday, September 20, 2025 | 12-1pm
Ages: Older children and adult | Fee: $10
Is your basil bush boggling you at the end of summer? You should make pesto, of course. But why not also iced tea, jelly, sorbet, or biscotti? Come ready to harvest, cook, and swap your favorite basil recipes.
Critter Chat
Saturday, October 4, 2025 | 11 am
Ages: All | Fee: Free | Drop-in
Drop by Blake’s Garden to meet one of our resident critters. No registration needed. Program will be held in classroom if weather is inclement.
Dandelion Magic: Pain-relieving Salve and Soak
Saturday, October 11, 2025, 2:00-3:00 pm
Ages: Older children and adult| Fee: $10
European colonists brought dandelions to America because they prized the flower’s edible and medicinal qualities. Come learn how to turn this ubiquitous weed into a pain-relieving salve or bath soak! Fee includes all materials; registration required.
Fermentation Station: Kimchi
Saturday, October 18, 2025 | 11:00 am-12:00pm
Ages: Older children and adult | Fee: $10
Come explore the kitchen alchemy of fermentation! Learn how to take cabbage, daikon and carrot from harvest through preparation and lactic acid fermentation, resulting in delicious, spicy kimchi! Fee includes one jar of kimchi, picked up the following week when fermentation is complete. Limit 10 participants; pre-registration required.
Jungle Tales
Tuesday, October 14, 2025 – 10-11 am
Ages: 2-5 – $6 per child
Bring your preschooler to a program with a focus on the natural world. There will be a story, activities, crafts and so much more. Registration required; space is limited.
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Garden Storytime
Friday, October 17, 2025 | 10 am
Ages: All (Geared towards ages 2-8) | Fee: Free | Drop-in
Join us in Blake’s Children’s Garden as we learn about nature through a story reading. After the reading children are encouraged to stay and explore the garden. This program is free and open to anyone wishing to attend. The target age range is 2-8 years old.
Program will be moved into the classroom in case of inclement weather.
Creepy Creatures
Thursday, October 30, 2025 | 10-11 am
Fee: $6 per child | Ages: 2-8
Put on your Halloween costume and come learn about some creepy and not-so-creepy creatures. Have fun meeting live critters and doing a craft. Registration required.
​Fair-trade Fun
Saturday, October 18, 2025 | 2:00-3:00 pm
Ages: 14 and up | Fee: $20 per person
Supporting fair-trade artisans and businesses may be fun, but it’s also serious business! It is a trading partnership based on dialogue, transparency, and respect, that seeks greater equity in international trade. It aims to ensure better prices, decent working conditions, and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers in developing countries, while also promoting environmental sustainability. It's a way of shopping and doing business that prioritizes people and the planet alongside profit.
During this program we are going to spend a brief time discussing the importance of fair-trade, while sipping on fair-trade coffee with snacks. Then we are going to finish up by making a piece of jewelry out of plant seed beads, much like fair-trade artisans do in many countries (similar to pieces you might find at Global Gifts). The beads will be fair-trade, too!
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Haunted Conservatory
Wednesday and Thursday, October 22 & 23, 2024
Times: 5:30-7 pm Less Scary | 7-9 pm Scary
Fee: $5 per person | Ages: All (5-7 Less Scary- 2-10 | 7-9 Scary- 10+)
5:30 - 7:00 PM | Less Haunted Conservatory. Bring the little ones in their costumes for Halloween fun during our less scary daylight hours of the Haunted Conservatory. There will be no scarers. Just tropical plants all decked out for Halloween.
7:00 - 9:00 PM | Get spooked as you walk through the Haunted Conservatory, complete with scary music, decoration and ghouls! (recommended for ages 8+)
No pre-registration; admission is paid at the door.
Note: Event includes the use of strobe lights and artificial fog.
Central Indiana Herb Society
Soapmaking with Herbs
Saturday, October 25, 2025 | 10-11:30 am
Fee: $6 | Ages: 16 and up
Join the Herb Society of Central Indiana for an opportunity to learn more about soap making. Program will include recipes, handouts and a hands-on workshop. Registration is required.​
