by Tara D.

AMC's Kids Outdoors Boston and Mommy Poppins Boston are pleased to collaborate on a series of guest blog posts about things to do for families visiting Boston. Mommy Poppins Boston is the ultimate guide to what and where to do, see, read, splash, play, eat, learn, and enjoy in Boston.

If your family needs an escape from winter in New England, you don’t have to travel far – or at all. We’ve found five fabulous indoor garden spaces in the city of Boston and beyond, just a short trip away. From the tropics to the desert, featuring local and exotic plants and animals, these places offer a warm, green respite from the frigid temperatures and leafless trees of winter in Massachusetts. Read on for gardens where you’ll find butterflies, birds of paradise, or fountains – and feel like you’re a world away.  

Isabella Stewart Gardener Museum, Boston 

The plant-lined Evans Way Park lobby entrance of the new wing of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is a wonderful start, but the main attraction is the European courtyard, which truly transports visitors to another time and place. The courtyard can be seen from many of the museum’s rooms, which are packed with art from all over the world. If you’re seeking more green for your garden fix, be sure to check out the Chinese Loggia.

Tropical Forest at Franklin Park Zoo, Boston 

Go on a tropical adventure without leaving Boston: Just head to Franklin Park Zoo’s Tropical Forest. It’s warm and humid and full of plant life (and animals, of course). It’s the perfect antidote to winter’s leafless trees and dry air. 

Margaret C. Ferguson Greenhouses at Wellesley College, Wellesley 

The Margaret C. Ferguson Greenhouses feature the most diverse collection of plants under glass in the greater Boston area, with sixteen interconnected greenhouses. Take a vacation to a desert climate or the tropics without leaving Massachusetts. Other highlights, especially for the kids, are the sensory plant collection and carnivorous plant collection. Call ahead to be sure you'll be able to see all the greenhouse areas.

Tower Hill Botanic Garden, Boylston 

Tower Hill Botanic Garden has plenty to offer visitors during winter months: You’ll want to visit The Orangerie, an 18th century style greenhouse, and The Limonaia, which feature winter blooming, temperate and subtropical plants from October through May. If you’re up for an outdoor adventure, visit the Winter Garden, a showcase for plants that are at their best during the winter months, featuring twin bronze turtle fountains in the center of the courtyard. You can also strap on your snow shoes or skis and explore the Garden’s trails.

The Butterfly Place, Westford

Open February 14 – October 31

The Butterfly Place, a family-owned business, shows the love by opening for the season on Valentine’s Day. In the butterfly flight area, which is kept at temperatures of 80-85 degrees, you can see New England butterflies and tropical species from all over the world, flying freely in a natural habitat. You may also encounter koi fish and quail birds, and there is a staff member always available to answer questions at the “show and tell bench”. There are also exhibits where you can see eggs, caterpillars, cocoons and chrysalides. If your young biologist doesn’t want to leave, you may want to visit the gift shop and pick up a Take home a Butterfly Hatching Kit so that you can hatch and release your own live butterfly together.

Photo: The Limonaia at Tower Hill Botanic Garden

This article originally appeared on Mommy Poppins Boston in January 2014.