Knoxville Botanical Gardens And Arboretum

What Knoxville Botanical Gardens And Arboretum does

Knoxville Botanical Garden and Arboretum is a nonprofit public garden operating on 44 acres of the former Howell Nurseries property in Knoxville, Tennessee, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Garden features 16 historic structures, over two miles of distinctive stone walls, walking trails, and display gardens including The Secret Garden, Pollinator Garden, and Native Fern Garden. It is free and open to the public every day of the year from dawn to dusk, with the Howell House Visitors Center and Gift Shop operating daily from 9am to 5pm.

The organization's revenue model is heavily donor- and fundraising-driven, with approximately 85% of operating funding sourced from members, donors, and annual fundraising events. Secondary revenue streams include seasonal plant sales (perennials, native plants, ornamental shrubs), venue rentals for weddings and corporate events in historic garden settings, a gift shop offering garden-related merchandise, and a tiered Garden Sponsorship program at $5,000, $10,000, and $15,000 levels. Annual signature fundraisers include the Green Thumb Gala, Summer Solstice Celebration, and Hats in Bloom event.

The Garden serves a regional Southeast Tennessee audience across multiple segments: general public visitors seeking free green space, donors and members supporting preservation, private event hosts, plant sale customers, and an active volunteer base. Programming includes educational offerings such as the Sightseers Drawing Club and Story Thyme Birthday Parties for children. A Board-approved 2025-2028 Strategic Plan guides current organizational direction, and the organization maintains a small staff (1-10 employees) supplemented by volunteers and community partners including the Knoxville Symphony.

Name

Knoxville Botanical Gardens And Arboretum

Legal name

Knoxville Botanical Garden and Arboretum

Website

https://knoxgarden.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Knoxville Botanical Garden and Arboretum is a nonprofit public garden on 44 historic acres in Knoxville, Tennessee, offering free year-round access, educational programs, seasonal plant sales, venue rentals, and signature fundraising events funded primarily by donors and members.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Botanical Garden Services

NAICS

Zoos and Botanical Gardens (71213), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (712190)

akta.pro primary industry

Zoos, Aquariums & Botanical Gardens (Educational Collections) (THAJADAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Parks, Gardens & Botanical Attractions (THAJACAH)

Keywords

• Public botanical gardens
• Nonprofit garden operations
• Venue rental services
• Horticultural education programs
• Community garden events

Headquarters

HQ city

Knoxville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Membership: Primary funding source representing approximately 85% of operational funding. Members and donors provide free, year-round access to the public.
2. Fundraising Events: Annual special events including Green Thumb Gala (largest fundraiser), Summer Solstice Celebration, and Hats in Bloom generate significant revenue through ticket sales and sponsorships.
3. Plant Sales: Seasonal plant sales featuring perennials propagated at the Garden, native perennials, ornamental shrubs, and herbaceous plants from local partners.
4. Venue Rental: Private event rentals including weddings, celebrations, and corporate events held in distinctive historic settings with stone walls and garden spaces.
5. Gift Shop: Visitors Center Gift Shop offering garden-related merchandise, open daily 9am to 5pm.
6. Garden Sponsorship: Annual sponsorship of specific gardens with honorary signage. Tiers at $5,000, $10,000, and $15,000 for named gardens including The Secret Garden, Martha Ashe Garden, and Pollinator Garden.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Knoxville Botanical Garden and Arboretum operates a 44-acre public botanical garden on the former Howell Nurseries property, providing free year-round access to historic gardens, walking trails, and educational programs. The Garden sells memberships, sponsorships, venue rentals for private events, seasonal plant sales, and gift shop merchandise, and hosts annual fundraising events including the Green Thumb Gala, Summer Solstice Celebration, and Hats in Bloom.

Product overview

Knoxville Botanical Garden and Arboretum operates as a nonprofit public garden offering free, year-round access to 44 acres of historic grounds. The organization provides multiple services including: public garden access, a gift shop within the Howell House Visitors Center, seasonal plant sales, venue rentals for private events and weddings, and membership programs. Educational and community engagement is delivered through programs like the Sightseers Drawing Club and Story Thyme birthday parties. The Garden hosts major annual fundraising events including the Green Thumb Gala, Summer Solstice Celebration, and Hats in Bloom. A Garden Sponsorship program allows donors to support specific gardens at tiered levels ($5,000-$15,000) with honorary signage recognition.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Public Garden Access Free, year-round access to 44 acres of botanical gardens and arboretum grounds, open daily from dawn to dusk. Available to all visitors at no cost, supported by memberships and donations.
• Venue Rental Rental of historic garden spaces including the Great Lawn, Carriage House, Secret Garden, and Dogwood Center for private events, weddings, corporate events, and celebrations. Serves couples, event planners, and corporate event organizers.
• Membership Program Annual membership program providing ongoing support for the Garden's operations and benefits to members. Available to individual community members and households seeking to preserve the Garden's horticultural legacy.
• Plant Sales Seasonal plant sales featuring perennials propagated by the Garden's horticulture team, native perennials, ornamental shrubs, and herbaceous plants. Available to home gardeners, horticulture enthusiasts, and landscape professionals.
• Garden Gift Shop Visitors Center Gift Shop offering garden-related merchandise, open daily 9am to 5pm at the Howell House Visitors Center. Available to Garden visitors and community members.
• Garden Sponsorship Annual sponsorship program with tiered pricing at $5,000, $10,000, and $15,000 levels, including honorary signage in sponsored gardens such as The Secret Garden, Martha Ashe Garden, Pollinator Garden, and others. Available to donors, corporations, and community benefactors.
• Green Thumb Gala The Garden's largest annual fundraiser held in September, featuring cocktails, dinner, silent and live auctions, and live entertainment on the Great Lawn. Ticketed event for Garden supporters and donors.
• Summer Solstice Celebration Annual summer celebration featuring cocktails, jazz, seasonal supper, and sunset toast held at the Dogwood Center and terrace. Ticketed event including $200 per person tickets.
• Hats in Bloom Springtime event featuring cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, seated lunch, and designer hats from milliner Patricia Frankum, held in April. Ticketed event serving as annual spring fundraiser.
• Sightseers: Drawing Club En plein air drawing club meeting every third Thursday, focusing on observing light, form, color, and scale in the garden setting. Available to art enthusiasts and community members.
• Story Thyme Birthday Party Private nature-themed birthday parties for children ages 3-7, held in the Every Child Outdoors (ECO) Garden with garden activities, crafts, pizza, and cake. Available to families seeking children's party venues.

Quantifiable outcome

• Free access 365 days per year
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Knoxville SymphonycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual Knoxville Symphony in the Garden event bringing community together through music throughout the Garden grounds. Symphony performances take place in the Garden with volunteer support needed for parking and wayfinding.
• Patricia Frankum (Milliner)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeatured designer for Hats in Bloom event, providing exclusive designer hat collections for the annual spring fundraiser.
• Gourmet MarketminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCatering partner for Hats in Bloom event, providing seated lunch for the annual spring fundraising event.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Memphis Botanic Garden: Tennessee-based nonprofit public garden with member-supported operations, free/affordable public access, and educational programming. Comparable Tennessee regional positioning and nonprofit operating model.
• Huntsville Botanical Garden: Southeast US regional nonprofit public garden with similar scale of programming, signature events, plant sales, and donor-supported operations. Closely comparable in mission, governance model, and revenue mix.
• University of Tennessee Gardens: Knoxville-area public garden institution operating within the same local market with comparable plant collections, educational programming, and visitor access. Most direct geographic peer.
• Reflection Riding Arboretum & Nature Center: Tennessee arboretum and nature center combining trails, plant collections, and public programming. Directly comparable arboretum/nature-center hybrid model in the same state with similar nonprofit funding structure.
• Cheekwood Estate & Gardens: Nashville, TN-based nonprofit public garden on a historic estate offering similar programming, seasonal events, weddings, and educational activities. Closely comparable nonprofit model and Tennessee regional positioning with overlapping event and donor-fundraising mechanics.

Broad incumbents

• Missouri Botanical Garden: Major US public botanical garden and nonprofit operating extensive research, education, and visitor programming. Benchmark for nonprofit garden scale and institutional programming depth.
• Biltmore: Asheville, NC historic estate with formal gardens and visitor programming on a comparable scale. Comparable in combining historic estate assets with public-facing horticultural and event experiences.
• New York Botanical Garden: Major US public botanical garden and nonprofit operating at the largest scale with extensive collections, education, and visitor programming. National-scale benchmark for nonprofit garden operations.
• Atlanta Botanical Garden: Major Southeast US public botanical garden and nonprofit operating at significantly larger scale with ticketed admission and extensive programming. Benchmark for organizational scaling and Southeast regional positioning.
• Longwood Gardens: Major US public garden and nonprofit with ticketed admission, extensive programming, and diversified revenue streams. Industry benchmark for nonprofit garden monetization models at scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/knoxgarden
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/knoxville-botanical-garden-and-arboretum

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Knoxville Botanical Gardens And Arboretum