Bute Park, Cardiff (must see)

Bute Park and Arboetum is 53 acres of landscaped gardens and trees that were once the surrounding grounds of Cardiff Castle. The grounds and Castle Green were landscaped in the 1700s by the renowned gardener Capability Brown. The park itself was fashioned by Andrew Pettigrew, Head Gardener to John Patrick Crichton-Stuart, Third Marquess of Bute.

John Crichton Stuart, Fifth Marquess of Bute, donated the park to the Cardiff Council in 1947. The park lies on the east bank of the River Taff, adjunct to Cardiff Castle. It is made up of flower gardens, an arboretum and recreational areas. Most of the area is grass and woods and lanes lined with trees.

Sophia Gardens is on the west bank of the Taff. It is home to Glamorgan County Cricket Ground and the Sport Wales National Centre. Opposite Sophia Gardens on the other side of the river and reached by two footbridges, is Pontcanna Fields, a Grade 2 listed historic park by the Cadw Register of Landscapes.

Starting in 2007 the Council began a restoration project for Bute Park. A Summerhouse Kiosk was built in the style of William Burges' Summerhouse in 2010. The Animal Wall built by William Burges was cleaned and restored. The West Lodge historic gateway was altered to become the Pettigrew Tea Rooms.

The Education Centre, a newly built facility is located in the Bute Park Nursery. Designed on the idea of a "secret garden", it is the heart of the public education program in the city.