“WHAT?!” I exclaimed in bewilderment. “Why wasn’t I told this before?”
The poor girl at the cash register was wide-eyed and surprised but did very well in her response that she was telling me about this now.
I took my wife to see Frogs at Royal Botanical Garden. Canada’s largest botanical space has many gardens, shows, and events throughout the year. We have been to a few, and I discovered how many others I have missed seeing. I decided to get a year-long membership for the RBG. When we travel, we are constantly passing this attraction and will be able to utilize this purchase fully.
The cashier informed me of all benefits. I nodded, but none surprised me. I scoured the website on the membership benefits. She didn’t need to sell me the membership; I was already sold.
Then she mentioned Reciprocal Admissions Program. This program was news to me. I would explain in bewilderment, and she would smartly answer back. This membership would be far more used than I was expecting.
When the day was over, I decided to make a map from the website listing all the gardens and conservatories our membership now gave us access to. The one that caught my attention was Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park. Without hesitation, I started to plan a trip to this park for the Family Day long weekend.
Family Day coincided with President’s Day in the USA. I checked the Meijer Gardens website and saw that it is open. I expected only the conservatory to be available, but the sculpture garden is also open in the winter. For us, this would be a unique experience to visit a sculpture park in the snow; so many times, we would only see it during the summer. A bonus was that the trail system for the viewing of the sculptures was paved and plowed. It was going to be an easy walk and see some fantastic art.
Our long weekend trip had Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park as our first stop. The day was sunny and bright and surprisingly warm for a mid-February day. We stood in line, and when we approached the cashier, I proudly stated that we were reciprocal members and showed our RBG membership.
We got in for free!
HA!
Proudly I strutted to the entry with my free tickets in hand, and then wow.
Just a huge wow!
The faces on the wall had to be the best artwork I had ever witnessed. It captivated me and drew the attention of everyone that passed; I was stunned.
There were smaller rooms featuring temporary and permanent collections. The sad display was the sounds of extinct animals. The faces captured my attention, and the sounds of extinction tore at my heart. That is precisely what art is supposed to do.
These are was the sound of extinct animals look like. A QR code is available on the wall to hear the sounds. Beautifully done and incredibly sad.
Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park marries two impressive forms; art and flowers. In the conservatory, we can find sculptures within the display of flowers and plants. Several themed rooms would lead us to the main greenhouse that displayed its largest plants. We were able to find some butterflies and orchids. Soon, there will be a major display of butterflies in the month of March; thousands will be flying free and is included with admission—such a tempting idea to get us to return.
We left the nice, heated gardens for the outdoors this February morning. We toured the children’s section and admired the creations there. I wished I was a kid again because this section was very well designed. I could see myself spending hours here and asking my parents to come again and again.
We started on the main trail, and our first stop was The American Horse. Rounding the corner, it came into view, and both of us had our breath taken away. The American Horse was large, exceedingly large. It was a grand entrance to the trail, and we were even more eager to see the rest. The snow did provide a new way of looking at sculptures.
It took a leisurely two hours to walk through the park. Checking the map, I made a mental note to return in the summer to see the grounds in their fullest floral attire and enjoy these sculptures again. Best of all, it will be free because of the Reciprocal Admissions Program we are now a part of!
- I have created a map showing the locations of the Reciprocal Admissions Program.
- This location is one of many we have visited. See many of these locations on my Featured Map.
- When I travel, I make a map of all the places I want to see. The map for this road trip shows mural locations, various museums and other attractions.
- There is a large parking lot, which is free. Entry is paid but well worth the money. It is possible to spend much of a day here in summer.
- The trails are all paved and well-maintained. There will be something to see around every corner.
- I have created a Flowers and Trees Map showing this and many other locations that focus on nature’s best.
