Honolulu (KHON2) – National Tropical Botanical Gardens is excited to welcome back guest to explore the beauty of Kauai, in person or digitally with the help of virtual reality.

“National Tropical Botanical Gardens or NTBG strives to be a sanctuary, a place of relaxation and respite, for both visitors and staff,” says Tobias Koehler, Director of South Shore Gardens. “We’ve invested in keeping our social media channels more up to date to make sure “there’s something for everyone” and launched an online store. 

Our virtual reality app is on the Apple app store and on the google play store as “NTBG Kauai Gardens.”  Taking advantage of our open spaces, we’ve also started offering outdoor programming, such as yoga in the garden.”

NTBG is also open for private tours.

Pivoted during the pandemic. “As government regulations changed, we implemented layered reopening plans, including all the additional health and safety protocols that we’ve come to expect,” says Koehler. “ As a non-profit botanical garden, NTBG serves as a resource to residents and visitors alike, we also felt it important to stay open for as long as we could safely do so, operating at a loss much of the time.”

2019 was a record year for NTBG by many standards.  Koehler adds, “Our Limahuli Garden & Preserve reopened following a year-long closure due to the April 2018 floods, and our visitor programs were going strong.  The start to 2020 did not appear any different.  This afforded us the resources to be investing in things like staff development and improving the quality and messaging we shared with our visitors.  Most importantly, we were in a position to support and grow our research, conservation and education programs.”

Safety is a priority. “For example, we were amongst the first on the island to start operating buses once we implemented a hydrostatic disinfection sprayer program,” adds Koehler. “There is a sort of trust, or social contract that needs to be established for us to be open for business, and it starts with everyone, staff, volunteers and visitors alike, knowing and understanding the ground rules and knowing what to expect.”


Website: www.ntbg.org