BootsnAll Travel Community

This summer, I will again be hitting the road for a 5-6 week Camp-a-thon Jamboree. While I won't have the chance, this time, to head into Mexico, all of the rest of North America is my potential play ground.

I'm interested to know of the gardens and parks that are worth a visit in North America. I'm well familiar with the National and State/Provincial parks -- I'm more interested in the smaller cousins of these behemoths.

Maybe you love the tiny park that is just down the street in your own neighborhood because of the daily bocce game. Or you've been wowed by the assortment of African Violets at a certain botanical garden. Or you particularly liked the aviary of a garden, or the awesome hedge maze that is right in the middle of town. Maybe you know of the best Japanese Garden to visit because of their koi ponds or their white rock arrangements. Perhaps you have had the loveliest of picnics in a certain park and have a spot to recommend.

Tell me about these places, please.

Well, let me mention two here in my home town, from completely opposite ends of the spectrum. Fort Worth Botanical Gardens is neither small nor secret, but it's beautiful, varied and inexpensive. There are festivals and events most of the year. This weekend, I'll visit the spring festival in the Japanese Gardens. They also have symphonies and plays in the park, plant shows, a butterfly convention, and a number of seasonal celebrations. It's also nice to just wander in - there are quite a few little pocket gardens and I still occasionaly am surprised by a new one.

On the opposite end of the spectrum Tandy Hills Natural Area is unfunded, untended and completely unmanicured, but from March until June or so, it is full of eye-poppingly gorgeous wild flowers. This is a tiny unspoiled prairie remnant, and definitly worth a look.

La

In St. Louis, you just can't beat Forest Park, a former worlds' fair site that's been wonderfully restored to much of its former style. Or, down the street is Tower Grove Park, the oldest Victorian walking park west of the Miss.

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I won't have the chance, this time, to head into Mexico

Eh? No entiendo...

If you're looking for some wilderness in an unexpected place, check out southern New Jersey. Brendan Byrne State Forest, whose name I can't accept, having grown up in Lebanon State Forest, and Wharton State Forest are remarkably remote areas in the most densely populated state in the country.

If you're lucky, you'll see the elusive Pine Barrens' tree frog:

Hey there! Well, if you happen to be in Southern California, I love the Huntington Gardens in Pasadena. I havent been to many places like that around the states so I dont know how it compares, but it is a wonderful grounds in Pasadena with garden settings from everywhere in the world. The desert, Japanese, rose gardens...etc. It also contains the Huntington Library, which has copies of the dead sea scrolls and a museum of art and historical American documents which are pretty cool. The best part, though, is the tea house! Its a traditional English teahouse, and you have to make reservations, but they serve traditional scones, teas, and its right on the estate of the gardens. Really, its a lovely day trip. http://www.huntington.org/

I hope this is helpful!

These are all fantastic responses -- exactly what I was hoping for -- keep it coming!



In Tucson, my favorite place for a stroll during any time of year other than the summer, is the Rose Garden in Reid Park. Gazillions of roses, all planted in the middle of an urban area. Don't waste your time exploring the duck ponds -- the water is a color not normally found in nature.

However, The Reid Park Zoo, which is a short walk from the Rose Garden, is always beautiful. Though one does feel a bit sorry for the polar bears in July.

In the summer time, Saturday nights in the Sonoran Desert Museum are fun. All of the night time critters are out and the weather is much lovelier in the evening. Docents will help you spot scorpions, who show up against a black light, and coyotes are less shy than usual.

Tohono Chul Park has a tea room and many acres of cacti and a variety of other desert flowers. Depending upon the weather and other conditions, they host a special free event, inviting the community to watch the Night Blooming Cereus open for a few hours. This tremendously beautiful and fragrant flower grows from what appears to be a brown stick. A few times a year, it produces flowers and attracts bats and moths from across the desert. Details can be found on their website.

One afternoon in April some years ago I went to the Atlanta Botanical Garden and really loved it. It had a lot of cool and funky sculptures all over the place.

Where I live, San Mateo, California, has a very nice Japanese Garden, especially beautiful in the fall.

Eureka, California has a cool little acre of redwood forest on the edge of town. It's called Sequoia Park. It has a pond where I used to feed ducks as a child among the redwoods. Plus we used to get inside the big stumps and use them as forts. I went back there last year and it's still a cool place.

The Humboldt Redwoods State Park is amazing for its redwoods. Good as any national park in terms of trees, I'd say. Worth the drive through the Avenue of the Giants at least, which is the old 101 highway.

San Francisco's Golden Gate Park is pretty cool to wander in. I like the tableaux they have made with benches and arches and stuff.

My husband loved Pinnacles (between highway 101 and 5 in California south of SF, north of LA). It's a long drive from nowhere. I didn't get there but he tells me the rock formations are amazing. He says, "The approach from the east side is often overlooked and is worth it. There's a trip up to a little dammed pool which is a charming walk. That aside from the acclaimed falling megaliths, this is an area which shows California chapparal at its most natural."

Point Reyes National Seashore has wonderful sceneary and the tule elk are worth seeing.

That's just the ones that roll out of my mind today.

Besides the Golden Gate Park Arboretum (don't you dare miss that) I recommend the Darlingtonia State Natural Site (in Oregon) and the Pygmy forest in Mendocino County, California.
Rumor has it that Callilucy lurks there.

If I tell you about the Bloedel Reserve for a second time, will you actually go? Fairly certain Callilucy doesn't lurk - reason enough - safety first!

Have fun on tour!!!

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will you actually go?

The first time you told me about Bloedel, I was traveling with my mom, who as awesome as she is, often says things like, 'Just how much nature will we be seeing, exactly?' She then raises her eyebrows and a look of concern crosses her face as she considers whether or not 'this nature' will also be equipped with a small boutique filled with hand-crafted items depicting nature, but in a cuter way.

This trip, though, is alllll me. (Well, me and George Michael...but *that* is another story.)

All the same, George's summer tour does have a stop in Seattle, so odds are good!

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Originally posted by static:
...and the Pygmy forest in Mendocino County, California.
Rumor has it that Callilucy lurks there.

*Ahem* Are you calling me a pygmy? I'll have you know that I am only 2 inches shorter than the average woman in the US of A. Thank you very much.

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only 2 inches shorter

Which, if you take a world view, is over 5 centimeters shorter. And that's pygmy territory.

Back on thread: Dunno if Mr. Michael is heading to NYC, but the Conservatory Garden in upper Central Park is a tasty, quiet treat right in the middle of the big ugly apple.

A crap website usually indicates something worth checking out.

I've searched, many times, and there's no sign of Callilucy. Nevertheless, this is a nice, quiet and rather unique little pocket of very old oak trees. It's worth a look, if you happen to be in the area.

In addition to it's being the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra
Tanglewood



Has some nice gardens to explore as well as great views of the Berkshires.


Nearby is a state campground
October Mountain

There are so many in and around Austin that I don't even know where to start...

Krause Springs is a great summertime swimming hole. Cold water spring fed pools are a nice way to beat the Texas heat. The big swimming hole has a little waterfall and a rope swing as well.

Hamilton Pool is another local swimming hole with a nice waterfall. Beautiful place with some short trails. Call ahead to see the water conditions.

Pedernales Falls State Park - fed by the Pedernales River. Some hiking trails around there as well.

There's the whole Barton Creek Greenbelt that goes through Austin. There are some swimming holes along the way, as well as hiking, rock climbing, and mountian biking.

Obviously, I'm a water lover, so I tend to go to the lakes and whatnot. And there are many, many more around this area!

I just read about Pearl Fryar's Topiary Gardens in Bishopville, SC, in this month's 'Smithsonian' Magazine. I love topiaries. They're just so unnatural yet creative. If I make it out that far east, I'm definitely stopping in for the tour.

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Originally posted by Marisa:
There are so many in and around Austin that I don't even know where to start...

Krause Springs is a great summertime swimming hole. Cold water spring fed pools are a nice way to beat the Texas heat. The big swimming hole has a little waterfall and a rope swing as well.

Hamilton Pool is another local swimming hole with a nice waterfall. Beautiful place with some short trails. Call ahead to see the water conditions.

Pedernales Falls State Park - fed by the Pedernales River. Some hiking trails around there as well.

There's the whole Barton Creek Greenbelt that goes through Austin. There are some swimming holes along the way, as well as hiking, rock climbing, and mountian biking.

Obviously, I'm a water lover, so I tend to go to the lakes and whatnot. And there are many, many more around this area!

Hey Marisa,
My GF is from Austin, and I used to really give her a hard time about being a Texan (3rd generation nonetheless) until I visited her in Austin last year (we met working outside of the U.S.). That's really quite an amazing city...and the places you mentioned are great!

Near Philadelphi, IN Philadelphia, is Fairmount park.

Its sprawling and much like a nature park in the middle of a city, with a great river view.

Theres an 8 mile jogging path if you feel ambtious, and it goes straight, so I suppose you could call it up to 15 miles on a return trip. If you include the river path, the jogging path goes for 15 miles or more.