Along Beargrass Creek, in the Butchertown neighborhood east of Downtown Louisville, Kentucky, the Waterfront Botanical Gardens cover 23 acres. This site was planned in phases, and the first phase opened on October 4, 2019, bringing the Graeser Family Education Center and the Mary Lee Duthie Gardens to life; Phase 1 was completed in 2021. A plant survey conducted by Botanica in 2014, led by botanist Patricia Haragan, documented 133 species on the site, including 57 native plants.
In October 2024 local and state funding was announced for expansion of Phase 2A, which will include a Japanese Garden, a Bonsai garden, a tree allée and the Beargrass Creek Overlook among other projects. In March 2026 Phase 2A was slated to begin in the spring of 2026, and with a grant of $500,000 from the James Graham Brown Foundation the Waterfront Botanical Gardens has raised $9.3 million toward its $10.5 million goal, leaving $1.2 million to raise for the next expansion. In May 2026 the expansion broke ground on Phase 2A.
Notice the 23 acres stretching toward Beargrass Creek and the new construction unfolding there.