Royal Botanical Gardens, Ontario

From Freepedia

The Royal Botanical Gardens, Ontario (RBG) are headquartered in Burlington and also include lands in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

The RBG was built during the Great Depression in the 1930s as a make work project, under the impetus of Thomas McQuesten. It beautified derelict or undeveloped land in west Hamilton and east Burlington. For instance, an unsightly disused rock quarry was turned into the beautiful Rock Gardens. Other attactions include the Arboretum, the outdoor education centre, a network of trails and outdoor floral arrangements. Some of the trails link to the Bruce Trail, and in fact Raspberry House on RBG grounds is the headquarters of the Bruce Trail Association.

In the early 1990s, as the RBG's budget was slashed, it adopted the controversial policy of fencing off formerly open areas of the grounds and charging admission or membership fees for access.