Brookside Gardens

Beautiful and expansive botanic gardens. Visit the butterfly pavilion in the summer months—otherwise just take the opportunity for a romantic stroll.

Listing from Wikivoyage: Wheaton, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Updated 28 Sept 2026. Something wrong? Tell us.

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Do
Wheaton Regional Park
Established in 1958, this is a 538-acre regional park with a playground, picnic areas, miniature train rides, carousel rides, stocked lake for fishing, botanical gardens, nature center, hiking trails, riding stables, campground, ice skating (year-round), tennis courts, covered fields, and a dog park.
Free
Drink
Kefa Cafe
Delightful coffee shop with excellent coffee and a few snacks, run by two Ethiopian sisters.
Mon-Thu 9AM–6PM, Fri-Sat 10AM–5PM, Sun 10am–6PM
Eat
Ruan Thai
Trying to decide whether to eat at Nava or Ruan is best decided by a coin flip—they are both fantastic, small, and as authentic as they come. Aside from walking distance, Ruan is a little divier and marginally less expensive, which is either a plus or minus depending on your outlook. It also serves an incredible smoked eggplant salad, a fiery crispy whole red snapper, and killer larb.
Mon-Sat 11:30AM-10PM, Sun 4-10PM$6-18
Eat
Ren's Ramen
D.C.'s ramen scene is not as well-developed as New York, but this place comes pretty close. Very flavorful broth and delicious chewy noodles, no matter which variant of ramen you choose. The dumplings are also tasty.
$10