
Garden Week: A Floating National Park
From The Atlas Obscura Podcast by SiriusXM and Atlas Obscura
April 22, 2026 · 17 min
About this episode
The episode explores the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens in Washington, D.C., celebrating unusual gardens and the arrival of spring.
Today we visit a hidden gem of Washington, D.C.: the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, an oasis of ponds filled with lotuses and waterlilies. This unusual National Park – the only aquatic gardens that are a National Park – were first dug in the 1800s by a Civil War veteran. This week, we’re celebrating the arrival of spring with new and classic stories about unusual gardens around the world. This episode is brought to you in partnership with washington.org.
People in this episode
Host: SiriusXM and Atlas Obscura
Topics covered
- gardens
- national parks
- spring
- lotuses
- waterlilies
- Washington D.C.
- history
Keywords
- Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens
- Washington D.C.
- national park
- lotuses
- waterlilies
- spring gardens
- Civil War veteran
Sponsors
washington.org
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: SiriusXM, Atlas Obscura
Places: Washington, D.C., Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens
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