A labor of love by wealthy merchant Henry Shaw, the 79-acre garden opened in 1859. Paths wind through a variety of gardens, representing different historic styles, groupings of related plants, and theories of garden design. Highlights include the Climatron®, a geodesic dome that houses an impressive tropical rain forest, and the Japanese Gardena, at 14 acres the largest of its kind in the US. Tower Grove House (1849), Shaw's country estate, forms the centerpiece of the Victorian Area. The 1882 Linnean House has exhibited camellias for over a century.