Under a soaring glass dome next door to the aquarium — also an Albert Kahn design from 1904 — the Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory is one of the oldest continually running conservatories in the United States. Inside are a palm house, a fernery, a cactus room, and a show house of seasonal blooms, all warm and green no matter what Michigan is doing outside.
Its orchid collection is a point of pride: it grew from hundreds of plants rescued from England during World War II. Like the aquarium, it’s free, and the two together make an easy, beautiful hour indoors.
The conservatory’s renowned orchid collection traces back to plants shipped over from England during World War II for safekeeping and never reclaimed — a living wartime footnote in the middle of Detroit.
The formal gardens outside the glass house are a favorite for photos, and the grounds tie into the island’s Gilded-Age “pleasure ground” design.
Pro tip: Come in the dead of a Michigan winter. Stepping out of the cold into the humid, blooming palm house is the whole point — and you’ll have it nearly to yourself.
- • Free admission (donations welcome); typically open the same Fri–Sun window as the aquarium.
- • Warm and humid inside — great in winter, and a rain-proof stop any time.
- • Accessible paths throughout the glass houses.
- Is the Belle Isle Conservatory free?
- Yes — the Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory is free to enter (donations welcome). You just need a Recreation Passport on your car to reach the island.
