Shelldance Gardens

Shelldance Gardens is an orchid nursery and public botanical environment that grows orchids, bromeliads and other neotropical plants. It specializes in cool-growing orchids from the cloud forests of Central and South America, especially miniature Pleurothallid orchids, and keeps a collection of over 3,000 plants representing hundreds of species and hybrids. The nursery is run by partners Michael Rothenberg and Nancy Davis, who focus on propagating rare and at-risk species.

The greenhouses sit in historic buildings dating to 1949 within the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, about two miles from the Pacific in Pacifica. Greenhouse temperatures are kept between 45 and 65 degrees year-round to match high-altitude cloud forest conditions. Visitors can see the garden rooms, and the nursery also runs education and conservation programs. Check the contact page for current visiting arrangements.