The Botanical Gardens portion of the McConnell Arboretum & Botanical Gardens is the newest addition to Turtle Bay Exploration Park. The Redding Arboretum, one of four organizations that merged to create Turtle Bay Exploration Park, along with its supporters, initially drove the development of a series of gardens. Turtle Bay inherited and embraced the plan to develop the site as seen today. Today the Gardens comprise 20 acres of mediterranean-climate display gardens, a children’s garden, a medicinal garden, and two beautiful and unique water features.

The Arboretum extends over 200 acres with direct links to the award-winning Sacramento River Trail. The Gardens carry Turtle Bay’s sustainability message to another level and express a very positive ethic about a harmonious fit between natural systems and human activity.