Self-Guided Exploration

Self-Guided Explorations provide the freedom to explore the Fort Worth Botanic Garden at your own pace. GROW Educators will not be present during this experience. 

Available: Year-Round,  Monday - Friday 9 am - 3 pm 

$6 /participant (students & registered adults)

Minimum of 20 participants to qualify. 

Any unregistered adult joining on the day of a Self-Guided Exploration will pay the regular garden admission of $12.

Self-Guided Exploration pricing is available for schools, homeschool groups, and after-school programs for children Pre-K-12th grade only. If you want to register a college class or an adult group to visit the garden, please contact Stephanie Sellers for group rates: stephanie.sellers@fortworthtexas.gov

Fill out our quick inquiry form to request a date for your exploration!

Please contact Michelle Schmidlkofer at mschmidlkofer@brit.org with any questions or concerns about self-Guided Explorations. 

Do you wish you had a greenhouse in your backyard? Join the Advanced Master Gardener Greenhouse Management Team to explore the joys and concerns of maintaining a greenhouse. You will learn options available to you, from types and uses of greenhouses to placement in the landscape and the costs based on your wants and needs.

Instructor: Tarrant County Master Gardeners

Saturday, January 4 (10 am – noon)

Registration Deadline: January 2        

$25/$20 member

A brief introduction to the fascinating subject of permaculture, a sustainable, permanent growing system. You’ll learn how to begin to apply basic concepts to your own property such as optimal placement of buildings, gardens, and pathways. You’ll learn about creating self-sustaining eco-systems, water saving techniques, and creating abundance on your property. 

Instructor: Kim Martin, Barking Cat Farms

Saturday, January 4 (10 am – noon)

Registration Deadline: January 2        

$30/$25 member

Learn all about using raised beds to jump-start your garden. You’ll learn about different designs, soil considerations, and drip irrigation. The class includes a hands-on portion where we look at commonly available kits, other designs, and drip irrigation parts.

Instructor: Kim Martin, Barking Cat Farms

Saturday, January 4 (1 – 3 pm)

Registration Deadline: January 2

$30/$25 member

Meeting the first Saturday of each month, our Mindfulness Meditation classes invite you to slow down, release the stresses of everyday life, and tune in to the serenity of the natural world. With plants all around, explore the grounds of BRIT and the Fort Worth Botanic Garden as you learn mindfulness practices and techniques from meditation instructor Lisa November, M.A. Ed. Lisa leads her students in unique, hour-long mindfulness meditations, always attuned to the surrounding natural world. Classes often take place outdoors, weather permitting.   

Instructor: Lisa November

Saturday, January 4 (2 pm – 3 pm)

Registration Deadline: January 2

$10/$8 member

Capturing Wanderlust is a course in painting contemporary landscapes in watercolor inspired by a love of scenery and travel. Created for those with some experience in watercolor, the course will still include a review of materials and basic techniques in watercolor, and will engage students in an ongoing discussion of the unique qualities of this luminous, serendipitous medium. In this 4-week course, students will harness watercolor to paint a different landscape each week, including one of their choosing, guided by the instructor through demonstration and experimentation. The subject matter will touch upon themes of natural beauty and light as manifested in clouds, land, and water. Materials not included, but a supply list is provided.

Instructor: Brenda Ciardiello

Wednesday, January 8, 15, 22 & 29 (6 pm – 9 pm)

Registration Deadline: January 6

$215/$200 member

Supply List: www.dickblick.com/lists/wishlist/RS1PFTPXGIEFJ/publicview/  (you will receive a short list of additional supplies before the first class)

Register here!

The Botanical Research Institute of Texas is proud to host an exhibition of paintings by Fort Worth-based artists, Dennis and Daniel Blagg. Subjective Terrain showcases the grandeur of the Texas landscape through two unique artistic visions. Both contemporary landscape painters, Dennis Blagg paints the Big Bend region of West Texas and Daniel Blagg captures predominantly urban landscapes. Both painters look to the rich tradition of landscape painting for inspiration, while adding their concern for the safeguarding of the land that inspires them. 

Dennis Blagg’s painted vistas of the remote mountain desert of Big Bend, void of human presence, pulse with the vibrancy of mountains, flora, clouds, and sunlight. Due to the harsh climate of his chosen muse, he paints from photographs; an undeniable sense of place emerges from his canvases, at once subjective and universal. Daniel Blagg’s compositions of large-scale, old-fashioned neon signs set against sweeping views of open land and sky elicit curiosity – what is this place and what happened here? These vast, and by turns foreboding and sublime, views of the Texas landscape call to mind the relationship between humans and their environment. The viewer is left to make sense of just what that relationship might be. What has humankind subjected its environment to, and what stories do we tell ourselves about it?

Daniel Blagg, Fatherland, 2017, oil on panel, 24" x 48"

Come learn the earliest method of forming clay with local artist Kendall Davis.  This method starts with a ball of clay and pinching the walls of the pot into a cup form. There will be the option to turn the cup into a planter with a drainage hole. Supplies and clay will be provided. Finished pieces will be taken to Kendall’s studio to be fired and glazed; they can then picked up from her store.

Instructor: Kendall Davis, Kendall Davis Clay

Saturday, January 11, 2020 (10 am – noon)

Registration Deadline: January 9       

$65/$55 member

Register here!

Click here to learn more about the series. 

What are medicinal plants?

• January 11: 1:30 - 3:30 PM
• February 8: 1:30 - 3:30 PM

Complete Girl Scout badge work while discovering a variety of purposes for plants and how you can grow them at home. Learners will take home a garden starter at both sessions! (Program takes place both indoors and outdoors)

**Please note, petals or badges are not available on site; they can be purchased at the GS store or online.** 

Event Details: 

• Location: BRIT (1700 University Drive Fort Worth, TX 76107)
• Parking: BRIT (Free)
• Cost: $10/Scout
• Age: Brownies - Ambassadors

You can complete work towards these badges:

• Brownies: Bugs, Senses, Hiker, & Outdoor Art Creator part 2
• Juniors: Animal Habitat, Digital Photographer, Eco Camper, Flowers, Gardening, & Outdoor Art Explorer part 2
• Cadettes: Trees, Eco Trekker, Digital Movie Maker, & Outdoor Art Apprentice part 2
• Seniors: Eco Explore & Outdoor Art Expert part 2
• Ambassadors: Photographer, Outdoor Art Master Part 2, & Eco Advocate part 2

Click here to register! 

Contact rlincoln@brit.org with any questions or concerns. 

Take a walk around the BRIT campus with Dr. Grace Bascopé, BRIT Resident Research Associate and Medical and Environmental Anthropologist. You will learn about which and how plants were used by the First Peoples of the North Central Texas area. Dr. Bascopé will also discuss archaeological research carried out right around BRIT and the Fort Worth Botanic Garden. Explore the First Peoples Demonstration Garden and discuss how Native Americans and others optimize water conservation in their gardens in this dry region.

Instructor: Grace Bascopé, PhD, BRIT

Saturday, January 25, 2020 (10 am – noon)

Registration Deadline: January 23                 

$25/$20 member

Learn from the Advanced Master Gardener Plant Propagation team in this hands-on class where you will discover how seeds develop in flowers, sow seeds into pots, and learn how to “bump-up” the seedlings for your garden.  You will leave with pots of potential plants and seedlings, which can be planted in your home garden.

Instructor: Tarrant County Master Gardeners

Saturday, January 25 (10 am – noon)

Registration Deadline: January 23      

$25/$20 member

Have you always wanted to learn to draw the natural world in color? Then this Beginner's Class is for you! This is an introduction to colored pencil appropriate to beginner and intermediate artists; students will learn techniques for colored pencil success including layering, color theory, and special considerations for various colored subjects. Materials not included, but a supply list will be provided.

Instructor: Samantha Peters

Saturday, February 1, 2020 (10 am – 3 pm)

Registration Deadline: January 30      

$95/$85 member

Register here!

Join Master Gardener Harold Annis to discover the essential elements of vegetable gardening in North Texas. A special emphasis will be given to the planting site (in ground, raised beds, and containers) and vegetable varieties for our locale will be recommended.

Instructor: Harold Annis, Tarrant County Master Gardeners

Saturday, February 1, 2020 (10 am – noon)

Registration Deadline: January 30      

$25/$20 member

Nick Esthus, Senior Gardener at Fort Worth Japanese Garden, will present information on pruning in the garden. Topics will include best pruning practices for small trees, shrubs, and other materials and how pruned plants impact your garden design. Plant biology and physiology, and how it pertains to pruning, will also be discussed. You will also learn tips on sharpening your pruning tools and see a pruning demonstration on trees in the garden.

Instructor: Nick Esthus, Fort Worth Botanic Garden

Saturday, February 1, 2020 (1 pm – 3 pm)

Registration Deadline: January 30      

$25/$20 member

Meeting the first Saturday of each month, our Mindfulness Meditation classes invite you to slow down, release the stresses of everyday life, and tune in to the serenity of the natural world. With plants all around, explore the grounds of BRIT and the Fort Worth Botanic Garden as you learn mindfulness practices and techniques from meditation instructor Lisa November, M.A. Ed. Lisa leads her students in unique, hour-long mindfulness meditations, always attuned to the surrounding natural world. Classes often take place outdoors, weather permitting.   

Instructor: Lisa November

Saturday, February 1, 2020 (2 pm – 3 pm)

Registration Deadline: January 30      

$10/$8 member

In this four-week course we will focus on four different Texas landscapes (Hill Country, West Texas desert, swamp, and the coast) and the plant life that inhabits each region. Participants will draw from photographs, live plants, and plant specimens from BRIT’s herbarium. We will learn basic drawing and watercolor skills, as well as some techniques to paint with acrylic. Each class will start with a brief lecture about the day’s subject followed by a live demonstration. You will leave each class with a beautiful scientific illustration of a Texas native plant. Materials not included, but a supply list is provided.

Instructor: Erika Duque 

Wednesday, February 5, 12, 19 & 26, 2020 (6 – 8 pm)

Registration Deadline: February 3      

$165/$150 member

Register here!

Everyone loves a terrarium, and now you can create your own using begonias from the internationally recognized Begonia Species Collection at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden. You'll learn how to create and care for your miniature tropical habitat for rare and exotic species and hybrids, taking home your beautiful glass terrarium for future enjoyment. 

Instructor: Deborah Garrett, Fort Worth Botanic Garden

Saturday, February 8, 2020 (10 – noon)

Registration Deadline: February 6      

$35/$30 member

Join rosarian Jeffrey Myers for a class on rose pruning, selection, and rose rosette. You will learn tips for pruning your roses, then move to the Rose Garden for a hands-on experience where Jeff will share the joy and care of various types of roses, especially those represented in the Garden.  You will be encouraged to practice techniques that will enable you to have the most beautiful roses on the block and will leave with handouts reinforcing the pruning techniques you've learned.

Instructor: Jeffrey Myers, Fort Worth Botanic Garden

Saturday, February 8, 2020 (1 – 3 pm)

Registration Deadline: February 6      

$25/$20 member

"Altogether beautiful in the power of its feeling. . . . As beautiful as anything in Thoreau or Hemingway." Alfred Kazin Chicago Tribune Book World

When Norman Maclean sent the manuscript of A River Runs through It and Other Stories to New York publishers, he received a slew of rejections. One editor, so the story goes, replied, “it has trees in it.” Forty years later, the title novella is recognized as one of the great American tales of the twentieth century, and Maclean as one of the most beloved writers of our time. The finely distilled product of a long life of often surprising rapture—for fly-fishing, for the woods, for the interlocked beauty of life and art—A River Runs through It has established itself as a classic of the American West.  Based on Maclean’s own experiences as a young man, the book’s two novellas and short story are set in the small towns and mountains of western Montana. It is a world populated with drunks, loggers, card sharks, and whores, but also one rich in the pleasures of fly-fishing, logging, cribbage, and family. These superb tales express, in Maclean’s own words, “a little of the love I have for the earth as it goes by.”

What's happening around me? 

Click here to learn more about the series. 

Girl Scouts earn badge work while exploring natural systems and their needs. Scouts also get to investigate and create their very own take-home terrariums! 

**Please note, petals or badges are not available on site; they can be purchased at the GS store or online.** 

Event Details: 

• Location: BRIT (1700 University Drive Fort Worth, TX 76107)
• Parking: BRIT (Free)
• Cost: $10/Scout
• Age: Brownies - Ambassadors

You can complete work towards these badges:

• Brownies: Bugs, Senses, Hiker, & Outdoor Art Creator part 2
• Juniors: Animal Habitat, Digital Photographer, Eco Camper, Flowers, Gardening, & Outdoor Art Explorer part 2
• Cadettes: Trees, Eco Trekker, Digital Movie Maker, & Outdoor Art Apprentice part 2
• Seniors: Eco Explore & Outdoor Art Expert part 2
• Ambassadors: Photographer, Outdoor Art Master Part 2, & Eco Advocate part 2

Click here to register! 

Contact rlincoln@brit.org with any questions or concerns. 

Butterflies in the Garden Field Study Trips are two-hour, immersive experiences led by our amazing GROW educators. Students enjoy TEKS based, nature-inspired activities at the Botanical Research Institute of Texas and explore the Fort Worth Botanic Garden's Conservatory with live butterflies! 

Available March 3rd through April 10th, Tuesdays through Fridays.

This Spring season we are offering: 

• Pre-K - 2nd Grade: Skippers
• 3rd - 5th Grade: Swallowtails
• Middle/High School: Blue Morphos

Available Time Slots:

• 10:00 AM (120 Participant Maximum)
• 12:30 PM (60 Participant Maximum)

$8/ participant (Students and Adults)    $2/ participant Garden admission add-on

$160 minimum for groups of 20 or fewer

Click here to download our Butterflies Field Study Trip Guide for further details on experiences and pricing. 

Fill out our quick inquiry form to request a date for your Field Study Trip!

Registration for GROW-Guided Field Study Trips at the Botanic Garden is also available! Learn more here!

Please contact Michelle Schmidlkofer at mschmidlkofer@brit.org with any questions or concerns about Field Study Trips.

GROW-Guided Field Study Trips are two-hour, immersive experiences available at both BRIT* and the Fort Worth Botanic Garden campuses, led by our amazing GROW educators. Students can become scientists in our herbarium of over 1.5 million plant species, explore the many areas of the gardens, and learn about botany in TEKS based, nature-inspired field study trips! 

FWBG Experiences:

• Pre-K - 2nd: Super Seeds
• 3rd - 5th: Texas Ecoregion Roundup
• Middle & High School: Spectacular Systems

* Because the activities for Butterflies in the Garden take place on the BRIT campus, there is not a separate GROW-Guided experience available at BRIT during this time. BRIT experiences will resume in May, with more information available soon.

Available : Tuesdays-Fridays, 10 am – 12 noon (exceptions upon request)

$7 /student and $5 /registered adult

$140 minimum for groups of 20 or fewer.

Any unregistered adult joining on the day of a Field Study Trip at the Garden will pay the regular garden admission of $12.

Click here to download our Spring 2020 Field Study Trip Guide for further details on experiences and pricing. 

Submit an inquiry form to request a date for your Field Study Trip!

Registration for Butterflies in the Garden Field Study Trips is also available! Learn more here!

Please contact Michelle Schmidlkofer at mschmidlkofer@brit.org with any questions or concerns about Field Study Trips.

Butterflies in the Garden Field Study Trips are two-hour, immersive experiences led by our amazing GROW educators. Students enjoy TEKS based, nature-inspired activities at the Botanical Research Institute of Texas and explore the Fort Worth Botanic Garden's Conservatory with live butterflies! 

Available March 3rd through April 10th, Tuesdays through Fridays.

This Spring season we are offering: 

• Pre-K - 2nd Grade: Skippers
• 3rd - 5th Grade: Swallowtails
• Middle/High School: Blue Morphos

Available Time Slots:

• 10:00 AM (120 Participant Maximum)
• 12:30 PM (60 Participant Maximum)

$8/ participant (Students and Adults)    $2/ participant Garden admission add-on

$160 minimum for groups of 20 or fewer

Click here to download our Butterflies Field Study Trip Guide for further details on experiences and pricing. 

Fill out our quick inquiry form to request a date for your Field Study Trip!

Registration for GROW-Guided Field Study Trips at the Botanic Garden is also available! Learn more here!

Please contact Michelle Schmidlkofer at mschmidlkofer@brit.org with any questions or concerns about Field Study Trips.

Meet professional photographer and educator Edgar Miller in the Fort Worth Botanic Garden Conservatory to photograph Butterflies in the Garden!  We begin in the classroom, where you will learn the techniques and settings that will allow you to capture these ephemeral beauties in both the controlled environment of the conservatory and in open local flowerbeds.  Afterward, you’ll enjoy a full hour of private time in the exhibit, allowing you to practice what you have learned without worrying about the crowds. You will leave with amazing photos and knowledge to use on future butterfly “catching” expeditions! Bring your cameras, lenses, and tripods to create lasting memories. This workshop takes place both indoors and out. Comfortable clothes are recommended. Participants are encouraged to share their photos by using #britAdultEducation.

Instructor: Edgar Miller, Edgar Miller Images

Saturday, March 4, 2020 (8:30 – 10 am)

Registration Deadline: March 2          

$38/$28 member

Register here!

Butterflies in the Garden is back!

Join us for this special event as we explore the Fort Worth Botanic Garden's beautiful conservatory full of live, tropical butterflies! Students will spend half of this program in the conservatory, and the other half at BRIT participating in engaging pollinator activities. All grade levels welcome. We have a limited number of spots open for this event so register quickly!

** Due to the limited capacity of the conservatory, all participating individuals must register. This includes all students, adults, and younger siblings. **

• Price: $7 Participant (All participating individuals, includes adults and younger siblings)
• Time: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
• Date: March 4, 2020
• Age: All ages welcome
• Registration Deadline: 9 days prior to event

Register here! 

Butterflies in the Garden is back!

Join us for this special event as we explore the Fort Worth Botanic Garden's beautiful conservatory full of live, tropical butterflies! Students will spend half of this program in the conservatory, and the other half at BRIT participating in engaging pollinator activities. All grade levels welcome. We have a limited number of spots open for this event so register quickly!

** Due to the limited capacity of the conservatory, all participating individuals must register. This includes all students, adults, and younger siblings. **

• Price: $7 Participant (All participating individuals, includes adults and younger siblings)
• Time: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
• Date: March 4, 2020

Register here! 

In this imaginative watercolor class, butterflies are the inspiration for unique paintings informed by a variety of styles. Discover your own approach to capturing this beloved pollinator in color. Each student will take home a unique piece of butterfly-inspired art, as well as inspiration to carry them to their next watercolor project. Materials not included, but a supply list is provided.

Instructor: Swetha Kalluri

Saturday, March 7, 2020 (10 am – noon)

Registration Deadline: March 5          

$40/$35 member

Register here!

Do you have a garden, but want to strengthen your vegetable gardening skills? You’ll learn how to be successful this season in your garden with this mix of presentation and hands on seminar. A wide range of topics will be covered including site selection, irrigation, soil biology, specialty gardens like herb, salad and salsa gardens, and much more!

Instructor: Kim Martin, Barking Cat Farms

Saturday, March 7, 2020 (10 am – 3 pm)

Registration Deadline: March 5          

$75/$65 member

Explore the pollination dance of bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds in this hands-on photography class on Fort Worth Botanic Garden and BRIT grounds. Pollinators are both a calming and enlivening sight and capturing their dance brings new challenges to many photographers. Join professional photographer and educator Edgar Miller to learn tools to photograph the variety of pollinators visiting our gardens. Starting in the classroom, you will learn the techniques, settings, and equipment needed to capture the vibrant promenade of winged friends. Afterward, venture into the gardens to practice what you’ve learned. You will leave with exceptional photographs and knowledge to use on your solo adventures! Bring your cameras, lenses, and tripods and create lasting memories. This workshop takes place both indoors and out. Comfortable clothes are recommended. Participants are encouraged to share their photos by using #britAdultEducation.

Instructor: Edgar Miller, Edgar Miller Images

Saturday, March 7, 2020 (10:30 am – 12:30 pm)

Registration Deadline: March 5          

$35/$30 member

Register here!

Meeting the first Saturday of each month, our Mindfulness Meditation classes invite you to slow down, release the stresses of everyday life, and tune in to the serenity of the natural world. With plants all around, explore the grounds of BRIT and the Fort Worth Botanic Garden as you learn mindfulness practices and techniques from meditation instructor Lisa November, M.A. Ed. Lisa leads her students in unique, hour-long mindfulness meditations, always attuned to the surrounding natural world. Classes often take place outdoors, weather permitting.   

Instructor: Lisa November

Saturday, March 7, 2020 (2 pm – 3 pm)

Registration Deadline: March 5         

$10/$8 member