About the Peace Gardens

A Living Monument to Peace

The International Peace Garden was founded in 1932 to celebrate the longstanding peace and friendship between the United States of America and Canada. Built near the geographic center of North America along the longest undefended international border in the world, the Garden is nestled in the beautiful Turtle Mountains and includes both Canadian and U.S. territory.

At nearly 2,400 acres, the Garden is one of the continent’s most symbolic and scenic attractions—a place to celebrate, promote, and experience peace. At its heart are the magnificent Formal Gardens, featuring more than 80,000 flowering annuals and perennials in displays tucked into terraces and along walkways with a stunning Sunken Garden and an 18-foot floral clock.

The calming sounds of nature can be heard throughout along with the lovely chimes from a Carillon Bell Tower that ring every quarter hour. The breathtaking displays of blooms change each year; the only two that remain constant are the floral representations of the American and Canadian flags.

A centerpiece of the Garden is the Conservatory, home to one of the largest cacti and succulent collections in the world with over 5,000 unique species and cultivars.

Peace is Inclusive

The Peace Garden is located on sacred lands that are the ancestral home to indigenous peoples who were largely displaced. The opportunity and responsibility exist—especially given the IPG’s mission of promoting peace and friendship—to include the rich history and culture of the region’s indigenous peoples in the story of the Garden, and to create a stronger connection with those communities. A new indigenous steering committee comprised of representatives of the indigenous peoples of the U.S. and the First Nations of Canada is working to develop interpretive and cultural content for the Garden that relates their origin stories and traditions and the history of the site as an important trading region.

Conservatory Expansion

Goal: $2,500,000 USD/$3,140,000 CDN

One of the newest and most-visited buildings in the Peace Garden, the Conservatory is home to the Vitko Collection, one of the world’s most diverse indoor collections of cacti and succulents. It is named for longtime Minot resident Don Vitko, who amassed his 5,000+ species collection over 50 years before donating it to the Garden in 2010. The collection, which includes a number of rare and endangered species from all over the world, provides a powerful platform for teaching about the importance of conservation. These lessons align with the mission of the Garden, as conservation is a form of promoting peace – valuing and protecting living things and working to create a sustainable environment so they can thrive. The Conservatory building also houses a horticulture library, a restaurant, and a gift shop featuring local art and collectibles.

Renovating and expanding the Conservatory complex is a top priority for the International Peace Garden campaign.

The planned improvements include:

 ▪ Doubling the exhibit space to display and properly care for the Vitko Collection and offer interpretive features, art exhibits and seasonal shows to enhance the visitor experience.

▪ Providing a beautiful, all-season interior landscape that will make the Conservatory a year-round destination.

▪ Creating an optimal microclimate to maintain and preserve the diverse collection through improvements to the facility’s infrastructure and mechanicals, including a transition to more efficient and sustainable energy sources.

▪ Re-imagining the existing restaurant and patio as a healthy farm-to-table casual dining experience with an upgraded kitchen, direct access to the patio from the restaurant and a take-out window to make customer flow more efficient.

▪ Adding attractive indoor and outdoor rental spaces for weddings, events, meetings and programs, as well as smaller gatherings.

▪ Renovate two outdoor event plazas adjacent to the Conservatory so they can be rented out for large events and enhance the café dining experience for daily visitors.

Children’s Nature Play Area

Goal: $2,500,000 USD/$3,140,000 CDN

Children and families make up a significant portion of the Peace Garden’s visitor base, and a proposed new children’s play area will boost interest in the Garden as a family-friendly destination.

Distinct animal habitat play zones nestled into an existing forest grove will encourage fun and imaginative play while teaching about the animals, plants, history and indigenous culture of the Turtle Mountains through a storytelling approach. Components will include climbing nets in the turtle area; bridges, dams and lodges in the beaver zone; and a wolf-themed gathering circle with a granite boulder fire ring at its center. (Will be five zones in 2022 and six in 2023)

An advisory group from the local indigenous communities is developing interpretive content throughout the play area to engage children with traditional stories and teachings. The project will use locally available natural materials wherever possible and limit synthetic or prefabricated play equipment. The play area will be centrally located near the formal channel and the Conservatory complex, connecting the three attractions as a center for family activity.

Naming Opportunities

You can play a role in transforming the International Peace Garden. Help us to create an expanded And restored cultural icon for the Province and State.

OTHER GARDEN AREAS

View details of each opportunity

• North Plaza $200,000
• South Plaza $200,000
• Entry Drive $100,000

ENDOWED POSITIONS

View details of each opportunity

• Chief Executive Officer $1,000,000
• Director of Horticulture & Conservatory $750,000

International Peace Garden – Conservatory expansion update

The superstructure is up for the Conservatory addition at the International Peace Garden! 

This project represents an exciting collaboration with partners, key stakeholders and community members on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border working together to help shape a sustainable, bright future for the peaceful destination year round. The 15,000 square foot Conservatory expansion is part of the campus-wide redevelopment and is on track to open in the fall of 2022.