Trip to Missouri Botanical Gardens

Trip to Missouri Botanical Gardens

We recently made a spontaneous trip to the Missouri Botanical Gardens in St. Louis, MO. My husband and I had to be in the area for other reasons and had some time to kill. Just the two of us. That doesn’t happen too often. We’ve learned to make dates out of just about any occasion that arises. So we ended up at this beautiful place. My husband had been there before, but it was a first for me. One wouldn’t normally think about going to a garden a couple weeks before winter, but it was unseasonably warm out that day. We of course didn’t see a lot of flowers in bloom, but it was a relaxing time none the less. It wasn’t crowded by any means. We ran into a couple of people every once in awhile, but we were alone for the most part.

Garden Glow

At the time we went the “Garden Glow” was going on. They basically light up the garden and it’s a must attend event for many people during the Christmas season. We had an appointment to get to, so we couldn’t stay to experience it. As we were heading out though, we could start to see some of the lights coming on. I thought of all the work that goes into something of that scale and the work of taking it all down! Anyone would probably enjoy attending this, especially on such an unusually warm day like we had. I definitely thought of taking the kids in the future. Below is a cool drone video I found on youtube.

The Climatron

While there you can visit the Climatron. It is a large dome and greenhouse like structure. It’s like walking into a rain forest. It is humid and warm just like you imagine a jungle would be. Since it is all temperature controlled, it doesn’t matter what time of year you visit. There are tons of diverse plant species here to see. We saw some bananas, but of course there is a sign that says not to pick the fruit. There are waterfalls, bridges and rock walls that add to the jungle theme. It is definitely a neat place to stroll around in. FYI: At an average humidity of 85%, it could be a little hard for some people to breathe inside. To read more details about the Climatron go to: https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/our-garden/gardens-conservatories/conservatories/climatron.aspx

Pics from inside the Climatron

Japanese Garden

Some of the garden was closed due to the season, but it was a beautiful day to walk around none the less. The Children’s Garden was closed but will reopen around March, for more info you can visit: https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/learn-discover/youth-families/just-for-kids/visit-us/doris-i.-schnuck-childrens-garden.aspx. There seems to be several activities for the kiddos.

There’s also a 14 acre Japanese Garden. I learned it was one of the largest in North America. We didn’t get to see it in all it’s glory of course, but I’ll definitely come back. There was a relaxing pond on our walk with plenty of fish, geese and ducks to feed. On Labor Day weekend every year they have a Japanese Festival that celebrates the people and culture of Japan. Apparently it has been going on since 1977. They have Japanese food, art, music, and even Sumo Wrestling. I believe you need to purchase tickets ahead of time for the festival. You can find out more at: https://events.missouribotanicalgarden.org/Japanese_Festival.

A City Oasis

Sometimes you just need time out with nature, it’s good for the soul. We had some stressful moments that day, but our unplanned trip to the Missouri Botanical Gardens turned out to be just what we needed. We are by no means city folk. If we were though, I would be thankful to have a place like this to come to. You can still hear the traffic and noise of the city, more so in some areas than others. However, if you’re not country folk like us, you may not even notice. It’s definitely not the same as being in a raw forest where nature rules itself, but gardens have their place. Being in a beautifully manicured, pristine environment in itself is kind of other worldly, like being in a fairy tale. I’ve always been drawn to gardens. I really look forward to going back when much of it is in full bloom. For anyone who loves photography and nature, it’s a great place to visit. For hours and pricing you can visit https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/.

Happy Traveling!

Check out another one of our travel blogs at: https://backtohomemade.com/?p=850