Step into one of the Garden’s most unforgettable spaces: the Lucile Halsell Conservatory. This internationally celebrated 90,000-square-foot complex features five striking glass houses filled with tropical palms, ancient ferns, desert cacti, and beautiful orchids, all gathered around a courtyard, pond, and orangerie. It is a place where visitors can travel through very different plant worlds without ever leaving San Antonio. Designed by architect Emilio Ambasz, the conservatory reshaped the city’s skyline in 1988 with a design that still feels bold and inspiring today. From the 65-foot height of the Palm and Cycad Pavilion to the sunken Fern Grotto below ground, each space offers a new perspective on how plants live, adapt, and surprise us. Explore the Napier Orchid Pavilion for the Garden’s premier orchid collection along with aroids, bromeliads, and other canopy-loving epiphytes. Discover the bold forms and survival strategies of desert plants from around the world in the Robert and Helen Kleberg Desert Pavilion. Wander into the Gretchen Northrup Tropical Conservatory to learn the many edible and useful plants of the tropics. In the Palm and Cycad Pavilion, encounter ancient plant groups and towering tropical species that have supported people for generations. Then head down into the Fern Grotto, where some of the oldest plant lineages on Earth create a cool, hidden world of deep botanical time.