Enjoy a relaxing nature-inspired guided imagery and sound healing meditation with Dorit Brauer. She is the founder and owner of the Brauer Institute for Holistic Medicine, Award-Winning Artist and Author.

Meditation will help you to:

• Learn to relax and deal in a better way with stressful situations of everyday life
• Learn how your thinking influences the quality of your life
• Learn how to achieve positive changes in your body through the power of your mind
• Strengthen your immune health
• Build your resilience
• Experience inner peace and clarity

The guided meditation is accompanied by the relaxing sound of Quartz Crystal Singing Bowls, which induce alpha wave level activity of the brain, balance the hemispheres of the brain and resonate within every cell of your body, creating health, balance and harmony.

Please bring a mat, blanket, and pillow or a folding chair and wear comfortable clothing.

Program fee:

$15 Member | $20 Nonmember

Pittsburgh Botanic Garden Members: To receive your discount, make sure that you have registered for our website. Then Sign In (located in the upper right-hand corner) so that you receive your Membership discount when you check out.

For your safety and the safety of our instructors, class sizes are limited and physical distancing and other precautions will be taken during all education programs.

Young Artists in the Garden will provide activities like coloring, reading books, making a craft and playing games. Each week, a new garden-related theme will be explored. Join the fun in the Weisbrod Learning Pavilion, located in the Garden of the Five Senses.

Book: Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt by Kate Messner

Activity: Make a handprint lily craft, read a book or color lily coloring pages.

Program Fee:

Member Free | Nonmember Included with Admission

Pittsburgh Botanic Garden Members: To receive your discount, make sure that you have registered for our website. Then Sign In (located in the upper right-hand corner) so that you receive your Membership discount when you check out.

Developed in Japan during the 1980s, Forest Bathing or Forest Therapy (“shinrin-yoku” in Japanese) is an immersive experience where you consciously take in the sights, sounds, and smells of the forest. It’s not about doing anything strenuous or getting your heart rate up — rather, the point is to slow down and fully experience in your own individual way what the forest has to offer.

According to the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy Guides and Programs, Forest Therapy offers scientifically documented health benefits, including reduced stress, improved mental clarity, and boosted immune function. Your walk will last from two to two and a half hours. Your guide, Dr. Doug Jones, will stop you every so often along the trail for invitations designed to maximize being present and deepen your connection with nature.

Come as you are. No advance preparation is needed other than arriving ten minutes early for the walk and dressing appropriately for the weather. We will walk rain or shine, except when there is lightning or an extended downpour. The paths are well groomed on rolling terrain.

Program fee:

$35 Member | $45 Nonmember

Includes daily admission to the Garden on the day of the class

Pittsburgh Botanic Garden Members: To receive your discount, make sure that you have registered for our website. Then Sign In (located in the upper right-hand corner) so that you receive your Membership discount when you check out.

As a recipient of funding from the Allegheny Regional Asset District (RAD), Pittsburgh Botanic Garden is proud to participate in RADical Days Fall 2021!

RADical Days is an annual thank you to Allegheny County taxpayers with free events, programming, and activities at our regional assets.

This year, the Garden is proud to partner with two local musical groups to celebrate. Performing at the Garden will be:

2 – 2:45 pm: Tuesday Musical Club Ensemble, Weisbrod Learning Pavilion.

5 – 5:45 pm: Tuba/Euphonium quartet from River City Brass, Weisbrod Learning Pavilion.

The Garden will be open from 9 am – 7 pm. Reserve your free ticket(s) by clicking the Register Now button below. You can select your arrival time, and then explore the gardens and woodlands. A typical visit takes an hour and a half, so plan to arrive by 5:30 pm to enjoy areas such as Garden of the Five Senses and the Lotus Pond.

For more information about RADical Days, and see the other organizations offerings, which includes a mix of virtual and in-person opportunities all throughout the fall, visit radworkshere.org for details.

Enjoy a relaxing nature-inspired guided imagery and sound healing meditation with Dorit Brauer. She is the founder and owner of the Brauer Institute for Holistic Medicine, Award-Winning Artist and Author.

Meditation will help you to:

• Learn to relax and deal in a better way with stressful situations of everyday life
• Learn how your thinking influences the quality of your life
• Learn how to achieve positive changes in your body through the power of your mind
• Strengthen your immune health
• Build your resilience
• Experience inner peace and clarity

The guided meditation is accompanied by the relaxing sound of Quartz Crystal Singing Bowls, which induce alpha wave level activity of the brain, balance the hemispheres of the brain and resonate within every cell of your body, creating health, balance and harmony.

Please bring a mat, blanket, and pillow or a folding chair and wear comfortable clothing.

Program fee:

$15 Member | $20 Nonmember

Pittsburgh Botanic Garden Members: To receive your discount, make sure that you have registered for our website. Then Sign In (located in the upper right-hand corner) so that you receive your Membership discount when you check out.

For your safety and the safety of our instructors, class sizes are limited and physical distancing and other precautions will be taken during all education programs.

Developed in Japan during the 1980s, Forest Bathing or Forest Therapy (“shinrin-yoku” in Japanese) is an immersive experience where you consciously take in the sights, sounds, and smells of the forest. It’s not about doing anything strenuous or getting your heart rate up — rather, the point is to slow down and fully experience in your own individual way what the forest has to offer.

According to the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy Guides and Programs, Forest Therapy offers scientifically documented health benefits, including reduced stress, improved mental clarity, and boosted immune function. Your walk will last from two to two and a half hours. Your guide, Dr. Doug Jones, will stop you every so often along the trail for invitations designed to maximize being present and deepen your connection with nature.

Come as you are. No advance preparation is needed other than arriving ten minutes early for the walk and dressing appropriately for the weather. We will walk rain or shine, except when there is lightning or an extended downpour. The paths are well groomed on rolling terrain.

Program fee:

$35 Member | $45 Nonmember

Includes daily admission to the Garden on the day of the class

Pittsburgh Botanic Garden Members: To receive your discount, make sure that you have registered for our website. Then Sign In (located in the upper right-hand corner) so that you receive your Membership discount when you check out.

Young Artists in the Garden will provide activities like coloring, reading books, making a craft and playing games. Each week, a new garden-related theme will be explored. Join the fun in the Weisbrod Learning Pavilion, located in the Garden of the Five Senses.

Book: In the Garden: Who’s Been Here? by Lindsay Barrett George

Activity: Make a lavender flower craft, read a book or color lavender coloring pages.

Program Fee:

Member Free | Nonmember Included with Admission

Pittsburgh Botanic Garden Members: To receive your discount, make sure that you have registered for our website. Then Sign In (located in the upper right-hand corner) so that you receive your Membership discount when you check out.

Tai Chi is known as meditation in motion. Its gently flowing rhythms reflect the patterns of nature. Tai Chi is part of a broad family of health practices called Qigong (“chee gong”) which have been done in China for thousands of years. Millions of people around the world practice Tai Chi and Qigong daily to sustain health, mobility, and vitality. Tai Chi is rooted in the Taoist philosophy of living in harmony with nature. It teaches us to feel the support of the earth beneath our feet and open our hearts and minds to the boundless space surrounding us. We learn to transform stress into serenity, clarity, confidence and joy.

Practicing Tai Chi at the Garden allows us to connect with the beauty and power of the natural world and to feel our place among the trees, birds, clouds, and water lilies. We learn to slow down and listen to ourselves to integrate and enliven body, mind, and spirit. We explore stillness and motion to find balance, resilience, strength, and grace.

Classes are led by Gurney Bolster, MA, founder of Tai Chi for Health Pittsburgh, assisted by Sharif Zyhier. No equipment or experience is needed. Classes are done standing.

$12 Member | $18 Nonmember

For your safety and the safety of our instructors, class sizes are limited and physical distancing and other precautions will be taken during all education programs.

Pittsburgh Botanic Garden Members: To receive your discount, make sure that you have registered for our website. Then Sign In (located in the upper right-hand corner) so that you receive your Membership discount when you check out.

Join our horticulture staff and fellow volunteers as we work to maintain our gardens and woodlands. All levels of gardening experience are welcome.

Registration is required and can be done by emailing Moira Aulbach, Volunteer Coordinator, at maulbach@pittsburghbotanicgarden.org, or call 412-444-4464.

Suitable for volunteers 14 years of age and older if each 14 year old is accompanied by an adult.

It may seem counterintuitive but you need to plant your spring-blooming bulbs in the fall for the spectacular display you want in spring. Join us as Education Director, Dr. Mark Miller, takes a deeper look at geophytes (bulbs, corms, tubers and rhizomes) that delight the eyes after a hard winter spell. Interesting characters that you may not be familiar with will be detailed, as well as the ones that are more resistant to deer and other marauding critters. Many of the bulbs covered in the lecture will be available for sale in the Forage & Finds gift shop.

Program Fee

Member $10 | Nonmember $15

Pittsburgh Botanic Garden Members: To receive your discount, make sure that you have registered for our website. Then Sign In (located in the upper right-hand corner) so that you receive your Membership discount when you check out.

Since 1937, the Greater Pittsburgh Dahlia Society has existed to promote the growing and showing of the most excellent of flowers. As a local chapter of the American Dahlia Society, their members have gathered every autumn for 84 years to compete and showcase their most perfect blooms for the public.

Come join the Society for their Annual Show that will be held at Pittsburgh Botanic Garden on October 2-3, 2021 in the Pierce Education Rooms. The show includes Growers of all skill and experience levels.

Secretly, their members are always looking to be asked about dahlias and will gladly spend whatever time you have to discuss their colors, forms, sizes and faults that only they may be able to see.

Show Hours:

Saturday, October 2 | 9am – 5pm

Sunday, October 3 | 9am – 3pm

(Free with admission)

Certified instructors, from Yoga H’Om, will lead sessions aimed at improving flexibility, strength, and mind-body connection. Bring a yoga mat. Suitable for adults, 18 or older. All levels welcome.

Program Fee:

$12 Member | $18 Nonmember

Pittsburgh Botanic Garden Members: To receive your discount, make sure that you have registered for our website. Then Sign In (located in the upper right-hand corner) so that you receive your Membership discount when you check out.

For your safety and the safety of our instructors, class sizes are limited and physical distancing and other precautions will be taken during all education programs.

Visit Pittsburgh Botanic Garden every Sunday this October to celebrate Autumn in the Garden. As the length of daylight shortens and the temperature cools down, the natural beauty around us starts to change. This season is a perfect time to bring the family to the Garden to explore and see nature in action.

Fall flowers, such as mums, asters and goldenrod, come in an astounding range of forms and colors, and bloom late in the season until the first frost. Visit the Garden to learn about autumn flowers and enjoy them displayed throughout the Garden. Create a flower related craft to take home in the Garden of the Five Senses.

Included with Daily Admission. As always, Members receive complimentary Daily Admission.

Activity stations will be open from 11 am – 3 pm. 

Autumn in the Garden sponsored by

For your safety and the safety of our staff and volunteers, physical distancing and other precautions will be taken during all activities. It is recommended that you bring hand sanitizer or wipes. 

Pittsburgh Botanic Garden Members: To receive your discount, make sure that you have Registered for our website. Then Sign In (located in the upper right-hand corner) so that you receive your Membership discount when you check out.

Developed in Japan during the 1980s, Forest Bathing or Forest Therapy (“shinrin-yoku” in Japanese) is an immersive experience where you consciously take in the sights, sounds, and smells of the forest. It’s not about doing anything strenuous or getting your heart rate up — rather, the point is to slow down and fully experience in your own individual way what the forest has to offer.

According to the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy Guides and Programs, Forest Therapy offers scientifically documented health benefits, including reduced stress, improved mental clarity, and boosted immune function. Your walk will last from two to two and a half hours. Your guide, Dr. Doug Jones, will stop you every so often along the trail for invitations designed to maximize being present and deepen your connection with nature.

Come as you are. No advance preparation is needed other than arriving ten minutes early for the walk and dressing appropriately for the weather. We will walk rain or shine, except when there is lightning or an extended downpour. The paths are well groomed on rolling terrain.

Program fee:

$35 Member | $45 Nonmember

Includes daily admission to the Garden on the day of the class

Pittsburgh Botanic Garden Members: To receive your discount, make sure that you have registered for our website. Then Sign In (located in the upper right-hand corner) so that you receive your Membership discount when you check out.

Explore the joys and challenges of plein air painting over a six-week series with master painter, Robert Bowden. Weekly themes of the classes will include understanding and painting nature’s colors, representing outdoor space and composing an inviting work – all painted in the varied and extraordinary venues on the grounds of the Pittsburgh Botanic Garden. Experience in painting is not a prerequisite. The specific topics and techniques of the series will cover materials, set-ups, drawing, color understanding and spatial representation. Watercolor, acrylics or oils are all acceptable. All participants are responsible for bringing their own [familiar] supplies and materials. A list of required materials/supplies for each medium (watercolor, acrylic, oil) is available upon request.

6-Week Series:

Thursdays, October 7, 14, 21 & 28, November 4 & 11

9:30am – 12:30pm

Program Fee:

$200 Non-Member, $150 Member

Program fee includes full 6-week series. Participants must register for the full series to reserve their spot in the course.

Attendance of each weekly session is highly encouraged, but not required to participate.

About Robert Bowden:

Robert Bowden’s work is in four museum permanent collections, three in the Carnegie Museum of Art. He has had four books of his watercolors published and he has produced over 20 solo exhibitions. He has taught watercolor for over 20 years. This includes 12 years at Carnegie Museum of Art, ten at Carnegie Mellon University Adult Education programs and most recently at the JCC. He operated his own graphic design office in Pittsburgh for 40 years.

Certified instructors, from Yoga H’Om, will lead sessions aimed at improving flexibility, strength, and mind-body connection. Bring a yoga mat. Suitable for adults, 18 or older. All levels welcome.

Program Fee:

$12 Member | $18 Nonmember

Pittsburgh Botanic Garden Members: To receive your discount, make sure that you have registered for our website. Then Sign In (located in the upper right-hand corner) so that you receive your Membership discount when you check out.

For your safety and the safety of our instructors, class sizes are limited and physical distancing and other precautions will be taken during all education programs.

Visit Pittsburgh Botanic Garden every Sunday this October to celebrate Autumn in the Garden. As the length of daylight shortens and the temperature cools down, the natural beauty around us starts to change. This season is a perfect time to bring the family to the Garden to explore and see nature in action.

Visit the Heritage Homestead and learn about the heritage apple trees growing in the orchard. Enjoy delicious apple cider and learn about the process of making apple cider. Make an apple-themed craft to take home and remember your visit!

Included with Daily Admission. As always, Members receive complimentary Daily Admission.

Activity stations will be open from 11 am – 3 pm. 

Autumn in the Garden sponsored by

For your safety and the safety of our staff and volunteers, physical distancing and other precautions will be taken during all activities. It is recommended that you bring hand sanitizer or wipes. 

Pittsburgh Botanic Garden Members: To receive your discount, make sure that you have Registered for our website. Then Sign In (located in the upper right-hand corner) so that you receive your Membership discount when you check out.

Tai Chi is known as meditation in motion. Its gently flowing rhythms reflect the patterns of nature. Tai Chi is part of a broad family of health practices called Qigong (“chee gong”) which have been done in China for thousands of years. Millions of people around the world practice Tai Chi and Qigong daily to sustain health, mobility, and vitality. Tai Chi is rooted in the Taoist philosophy of living in harmony with nature. It teaches us to feel the support of the earth beneath our feet and open our hearts and minds to the boundless space surrounding us. We learn to transform stress into serenity, clarity, confidence and joy.

Practicing Tai Chi at the Garden allows us to connect with the beauty and power of the natural world and to feel our place among the trees, birds, clouds, and water lilies. We learn to slow down and listen to ourselves to integrate and enliven body, mind, and spirit. We explore stillness and motion to find balance, resilience, strength, and grace.

Classes are led by Gurney Bolster, MA, founder of Tai Chi for Health Pittsburgh, assisted by Sharif Zyhier. No equipment or experience is needed. Classes are done standing.

$12 Member | $18 Nonmember

For your safety and the safety of our instructors, class sizes are limited and physical distancing and other precautions will be taken during all education programs.

Pittsburgh Botanic Garden Members: To receive your discount, make sure that you have registered for our website. Then Sign In (located in the upper right-hand corner) so that you receive your Membership discount when you check out.

Developed in Japan during the 1980s, Forest Bathing or Forest Therapy (“shinrin-yoku” in Japanese) is an immersive experience where you consciously take in the sights, sounds, and smells of the forest. It’s not about doing anything strenuous or getting your heart rate up — rather, the point is to slow down and fully experience in your own individual way what the forest has to offer.

According to the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy Guides and Programs, Forest Therapy offers scientifically documented health benefits, including reduced stress, improved mental clarity, and boosted immune function. Your walk will last from two to two and a half hours. Your guide, Dr. Doug Jones, will stop you every so often along the trail for invitations designed to maximize being present and deepen your connection with nature.

Come as you are. No advance preparation is needed other than arriving ten minutes early for the walk and dressing appropriately for the weather. We will walk rain or shine, except when there is lightning or an extended downpour. The paths are well groomed on rolling terrain.

Program fee:

$35 Member | $45 Nonmember

Includes daily admission to the Garden on the day of the class

Pittsburgh Botanic Garden Members: To receive your discount, make sure that you have registered for our website. Then Sign In (located in the upper right-hand corner) so that you receive your Membership discount when you check out.

What makes a good nature photo and what makes a good nature photo better? This is the basic question that renowned photographer, Scott Goldsmith, will explore in the gardens and woodlands of Pittsburgh Botanic Garden during peak fall-color splendor. Techniques described will include working in a blind and remote camera work. Using your mind as an important tool will be emphasized over technical/equipment topics. Geared toward intermediate and advanced photographers. All attendees must bring a camera with a removable compact flash card or SD card (no smartphones). Dress for the weather as the class includes indoor instruction, outdoor field work and class critique.

Program Fee:

Members $65  |  Nonmembers $80

Pittsburgh Botanic Garden Members: To receive your discount, make sure that you have registered for our website. Then Sign In (located in the upper right-hand corner) so that you receive your Membership discount when you check out.

Explore the joys and challenges of plein air painting over a six-week series with master painter, Robert Bowden. Weekly themes of the classes will include understanding and painting nature’s colors, representing outdoor space and composing an inviting work – all painted in the varied and extraordinary venues on the grounds of the Pittsburgh Botanic Garden. Experience in painting is not a prerequisite. The specific topics and techniques of the series will cover materials, set-ups, drawing, color understanding and spatial representation. Watercolor, acrylics or oils are all acceptable. All participants are responsible for bringing their own [familiar] supplies and materials. A list of required materials/supplies for each medium (watercolor, acrylic, oil) is available upon request.

6-Week Series:

Thursdays, October 7, 14, 21 & 28, November 4 & 11

9:30am – 12:30pm

Program Fee:

$200 Non-Member, $150 Member

Program fee includes full 6-week series. Participants must register for the full series to reserve their spot in the course.

Attendance of each weekly session is highly encouraged, but not required to participate.

About Robert Bowden:

Robert Bowden’s work is in four museum permanent collections, three in the Carnegie Museum of Art. He has had four books of his watercolors published and he has produced over 20 solo exhibitions. He has taught watercolor for over 20 years. This includes 12 years at Carnegie Museum of Art, ten at Carnegie Mellon University Adult Education programs and most recently at the JCC. He operated his own graphic design office in Pittsburgh for 40 years.