Botanical gardens, sprawling across 28 acres of south Belfast, were first opened in 1828 as a private park. Later in the century, they were opened to public on a daily basis and till date remain one of the major attractions for locals and tourists alike. The gardens are famous for the Palm House conservatory, which is one of the earliest examples of cast iron glasshouses in the world. Tourists flock to see the lily that bloomed in 2005 after a 23-year wait as well as the 400 year old xanthorrhoea.

The Botanical Gardens also house the tropical ravine that contains some of the oldest seed plants found today. Visitors to the gardens can see how technology enabled us to plant unusual species in a greenhouse environment.

The gardens not only hold thousands of species of plants and flowers, but are also popular for concerts and festivals that are held at the Stranmillis embankment end of the gardens, some of the popular ones being U2 who played at the gardens in 1997.