Adventuring Week 6: Nature in the City
- priscillawrites
- Mar 23, 2015
- 2 min read
Well, Spring officially began this week! It's been a long winter for most of us, so my sister and I welcomed the warmer weather by visiting the cutest little nature center this week. It's an arboretum/botanical garden full of every kind of tree, flower, and plant you can think of.
Here are some of my favorite spots:
1. Bamboo at the Japanese Pond
One of the things I loved about this place is that it doesn't just make for a nice nature walk- it also allows you to see some plants you may not have even known existed and learn their names. Some plant species aren't even local to the area. For example, we found a beautiful Japanese-inspired pond surrounded with Asian bamboo. It makes a beautiful backdrop for pictures (though you should never carve your name into it like people apparently love to do)!
Here's some more of the beautiful bamboo:
2. The Tulip Garden
Tulips are one of my favorite flowers, and they are especially beautiful in white. We found this little tulip garden on one of the arboretum's trails. It was also so beautiful for pictures or just to sit and admire the flowers. :) Aren't they lovely?
3. Pink Trees
Though I've been to other arboretums before, this one was different because of how many plants it had! The plants along the trails were labeled with their names, and we saw everything from spices and vegetables to these beautiful pink trees, which I became a little obsessed with. They were so vibrant, and the perfect representation of Spring.
This was definitely one of my favorite adventures so far! I love that even though my city often feels like a concrete jungle, if you look hard enough you can find secret corners full of nature. Walking through these little gardens felt like taking a mini-vacation in the middle of my busy week. It was a place to get away from the busyness of the city.
The funny thing is that I'd originally planned to spend the day at the beach because I wanted to get away from the city. But even in the middle of the highways and buildings, there are little oases like these waiting to be discovered.
Be a tourist in your city, no matter where you are. It's always worth it. :)
P.S. For those of you wondering, this place is called Mercer Arboretum and Botanical Gardens. I definitely recommend it if you're in the area!