Explorers Garden
👉Book for 4pm and enjoy all day access. 10-5pm (last entry 4pm).
Scotland has produced some of the world’s most successful plant hunters and this truly unique Garden celebrates their contribution to the way our gardens look today.
Conceived as a Theatricum Botanicum, and built in conjunction with the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh in the late 1990s, the Explorers Garden offers stunning spaces for art performance including the Pagoda, the Pavilion and the Amphitheatre.
The Explorers Garden is home to many rare varieties of meconopsis which bloom in the month of May. We even have our own version that is unique to us, the Himalayan blue Poppy GSG Explorers.
This predominantly woodland garden is a rare opportunity to experience art in nature, in a stunning Highland location and definitely one for your theatre to-do list. The Garden is also available for private events and makes a breath-taking wedding venue.
We sell beautiful seasonal flowers and plants for you to take home. Browse the selection on display by the Theatre entrance.
RHS Members – 1 free ticket per member on Tuesdays or Wednesdays. Book at Box Office.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Dates: 1 Apr – 31 Oct, Tue – Sun
Times: 10am – 5pm (last entry 4pm)
Venue: from the car park to the left of the Theatre building
Tickets: £7, U16s £3.50, U5s FREE
(book for 4pm for all day access)
Season ticket: £27.50 (contact box office)
RHS Members: 1 free ticket per member on Tuesdays/Wednesdays. Book at Box Office.
Access: the majority of the Garden is wheelchair accessible. Some paths may be steep for those with a wheelchair, walker or buggy/pram.
Dogs: welcome on a lead
RSPB
Our friends at the RSPB will be visiting the Garden throughout May and June to tell you all about the work of the RSPB and how you can become involved in helping support nature. They love meeting people, so please do come and say hello!
Dates: May 1st, 11th, 31st, Jun 26th and 27th


Monthly Tour
Location: Explorers Garden
Dates: Last Thu, Apr – Sep
Time: 11am for 1 hour
Price: £14

Group Tour
Location: Explorers Garden
Price: £20 per person (min 15 people)
Duration: 2 to 2.5 hours
Book: call box office 01796 484626

Private Tour
Amphitheatre
An outdoor space that makes the most of the spectacular setting, the Amphitheatre is nestled in the Explorers Garden. It has been designed to mimic both the shape and the dimensions of the Auditorium, and was conceived and built as part of the original design at the start of the 2000s.
We’ve shared opera and musicals, drama, comedy and some truly magical experiences under the sun and the stars, surrounded by stunning views of Ben-y-Vrackie.
With a maximum audience of 120, including wheelchair spaces, the space is fully accessible.

Explorers Garden Donations
Pitlochry Festival Theatre is a charity and your support is vital to help the Explorers Garden flourish. We are grateful for all donations however large or small.
Amount to donate: £
News

Cultivating the Art of Noticing
Made with waste materials donated by Scottish Civil engineers Balfour Beatty including dozens of steel rivets from their on-going North Bridge restoration in Edinburgh the sculptures made by ecological artist Russell Beard celebrate the resilience and resourcefulness of fungi as ‘natures recyclers’.