Texas Discovery Gardens and the State Fair of Texas: A Partnership Rooted in History

When you walk through the doors of Texas Discovery Gardens, you’re stepping into more than seven acres of living history. Our story is deeply intertwined with Fair Park itself, dating back to the Texas Centennial World Exposition in 1936.

That year, Dallas hosted the world to celebrate Texas’s 100th birthday. Among the many marvels built for the fair was the Hall of Horticulture, now home to Texas Discovery Gardens. Its Art Deco design featured dramatic terrazzo floors, towering bas-relief panels, and—most importantly—the very first public conservatory in the Southwestern United States. Known then as the “Garden Room,” the conservatory offered visitors a chance to experience exotic plants in a way never before seen in Texas.

Outside the hall, the Centennial Exposition showcased the Model Homes Area, including four “Houses of the Future.” The only one still standing today is the Portland Cement House, also known as “Centennial House,” a striking cement home that has withstood the test of time while its neighbors have been lost to history.

In the decades that followed, the Hall of Horticulture evolved in response to the city’s and its citizens’ changing needs. It became the Dallas Garden Center in the 1940s, hosted garden shows and educational programs in the 1960s and ’70s. Eventually, it took on the name Texas Discovery Gardens in 2000, reflecting its expanded mission to inspire environmental stewardship.

Through all these changes, the connection to the State Fair of Texas has remained constant. During World War II, the building even served as the ration stamp distribution center for Dallas residents. Later, it became known as the “Women’s Building” during the Stare Fair, hosting exhibitions of creative arts and horticulture.

In 1995, the first live tropical butterfly immersion exhibit in North Texas was established, quickly becoming a favorite at the fair. For nearly a decade, families returned year after year to marvel at butterflies swirling overhead inside the conservatory. This tradition laid the foundation for today’s Rosine Smith Sammons Butterfly House and Insectarium, which opened in 2009 and offers year-round butterflies, botanic garden strolls, garden trains, and even snakes and reptiles.

From our beginnings as a Centennial showcase, Texas Discovery Gardens has always been an integral part of the Texas State Fair story. Every fall, when millions of visitors pour into Fair Park, we’re proud to open our doors and continue a tradition nearly ninety years in the making: connecting Texans to the beauty, wonder, and importance of the natural world.