Water lily growing at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens in Washington, D.C.

Visitors are welcome to tour Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens throughout the year, though hours vary depending on the season. During the summer (June through Labor Day), hours are typically from 8 AM to 8 PM on Wednesdays through Sundays and from 8 AM to 4 PM on Mondays and Tuesdays. For the rest of the year, hours are from 8 AM to 4 PM each day. Keep in mind that times can always change, so be sure to get the latest schedule on the National Park Service’s official Operating Hours and Seasons web page for the park.

There are forty-four different ponds with a maze of paths running between them. The largest are near the park entrance. Most hold the same species of plants (though there are different varieties), so there is no need to visit them all. At the back left corner of the gardens is the entrance to the Marsh Boardwalk that leads out to a marsh, providing visitors with a glimpse of a different type of environment than the manmade ponds that make up the bulk of the park.

Paths through the ponds at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens in Washington, D.C.

Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens began as a hobby for Walter Shaw, who purchased thirty acres along the Anacostia River in the 1880s. He started the gardens by importing a dozen water lilies from his home state of Maine and planting them in an abandoned ice pond on the property. As his hobby grew into a business, he dredged additional ponds, keeping the water from draining back into the marsh by a system of dikes. These dikes are the paths that visitors walk on as they tour the gardens. Each pond is connected to at least two other ponds by underground pipes, and some are connected to the marsh by pipes as well, which keeps the water circulating. The pipes can be opened and closed and can therefore control the water level in the ponds.

Paths through the ponds at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens in Washington, D.C.

There are both lilies and lotuses (or loti) at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, though they bloom at different times. When I visited in early June, lilies were in bloom and there were no lotus flowers to be found. During my mid-August visit, lotuses were in bloom and the lily flowers were pretty much gone. Because of the wide variety of plants in the ponds, visitors are likely to see flowers any time from May through September. The mornings are the best time to visit, for most flowers close up once it gets too hot in the afternoon.

Lotus flower blooming in mid-August at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens in Washington, D.C.

To tell the difference between the two, lilies are the plants with leaves that float on the water, while lotuses have leaves that grow above the water.

Water lilies at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens in Washington, D.C.

Lotuses at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens in Washington, D.C.

There are two types of lilies in the park: hardy and tropical. The hardy lilies are kept in the ponds year-round. The tropical species are removed from the water and stored in the greenhouse for the winter, then transferred back to the ponds once the weather warms, usually in late May. They can be distinguished from each other by their leaves. Hardy lilies have leaves with smooth edges, while the leaves of tropical lilies have serrated edges.

Smooth leaf edges of the hardy lily

Serrated leaf edges of the tropical lily (photo by Kamweti Mutu)

When people think of lilies, they often picture plants with leaves so big that a person could go out in the water and use them as a flotation device. These are Victoria Lilies, named after Queen Victoria of England. Leaves can be up to seven feet wide and have turned-up edges two to eight inches high. Their fifteen-inch flowers typically bloom in August and September, opening at dusk and closing when the sun comes up. When I visited there were none on display because a snapping turtle had eaten the ones from the previous year. The National Park Service had to order new ones from another water lily company.

Victoria Water Lily at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens (photo by Amaury Laporte)

Lotuses have water repellent leaves that grow on stems above the water and have seed pods shaped like shower heads.

Lotus flower, Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens in Washington, D.C.

Lotus seed pods, Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens in Washington, D.C.

Lotus seed pods, Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens in Washington, D.C.

Lotus leaf, Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens in Washington, D.C.

In addition to flowers, various waterfowl make Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens their temporary homes. The park is a popular spot for bird watchers and photographers. Geese with newly born goslings had taken up residence when I visited in June.

Geese at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens in Washington, D.C.

I spent an hour at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, and this included a trip out to the marsh on the Marsh Boardwalk. Altogether, I walked one mile during my visit. The terrain is perfectly flat, and though dirt, even those in wheelchairs can venture out into the gardens unless it has just rained and the paths are muddy. The National Park Service does recommend that those in wheelchairs have help when touring the gardens.

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