Botanical gardens and arboreta differ from nurseries because they're main focus is to educate the public about plants. Arboreta occasionally are affiliated with a university or other scientific institution. This is because there's more research at an arboretum than your standard botanical garden. Sometimes universities also have large greenhouses that might have tours or events for the public to learn what's new in the plant world. Of course most facilities have plants for sale, but it's not their sole reason for being.
You can walk through a botanical garden and get up close (in most cases) to the plants and flowers you're interested in. There are small placards with identifying information right next to the plant or in the vicinity of the planted area. Most of the botanical gardens I've visited are arranged by the kind of plant. For example, the Kanapaha Botanical Garden in Gainesville has sections for bamboo, water plants, a rose garden, an herb garden and another for vines. One advantage to visiting a botanical garden is you'll get a real world idea for what plants will grow in your part of the state.
Good Times to Visit
I think anytime of the year is a great time to visit a botanical garden. There's so much to learn every season. For the novice or experienced gardener, a trip to a botanical garden during the "off season" can yield a wealth of information about a plant you're interested in. For example, visiting during the fall or winter will show you what certain perennials look like as they go dormant. This is useful because you don't want to dig something up by mistake. Also, if you see it in a planted bed you can get an idea about how to camouflage dying foliage. The same holds true for the spring and summer. While there's lush growth during the warm months, some plants "nap" during the heat.
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