The Morton Arboretum

 

We took an unplanned family daytrip on Thursday to Lisle, IL to an AHHHH-MAZING place, The Morton Arboretum!  Their website does it NO justice!  When I was reading some info about the gardens and what it has to offer its visitors, I knew my husband really had very little interest in going, but he said we could “give it a try;” his famous words when he is only going to keep me happy.  (HA!)  I figured the worst thing that could happen would be spending the day outdoors in gorgeous Spring-like weather (finally) as a family of 3.5.  (Our newest sailor makes his appearance in just about 6 weeks- Eek!) 

We were pleasantly surprised when paying at the gate that with my husband’s active duty military ID card both of us received free admission- bonus!  (Our little sailor was free since he is under 2.)  I knew the arboretum was well over a thousand acres, but what I didn’t realize was what it offered for children.  The “Children’s Garden” is absolutely incredible!  In fact, we spent more than 3 hours in just HALF of this area!  Our son went wild in the Sound Garden, playing with the old-fashioned water pumps, exploring the in the Frog Fountain, and so much more!  We had no idea how large the children’s garden was until we were ready to hit the road, loaded up little guy in the wagon and walked through the remaining children’s spot.  There are play areas to climb, run, jump, slide, and simply be a kid among the beauty of plants, trees, water, insects, and anything else part of the natural world!  The toddler garden maze is simply just the cutest activity, but of course our little adventurer was more interested in the large garden maze and getting lost among the tall bushes and shrubs giggling away as he ran along the dirt paths.  While we were following our 16 month old maze guide, we were discussing how taken aback we were with this landmark.  At one point my husband actually made the comment that if we weren’t a good 45 minute drive away we would visit each weekend!  The day of learning, discovery, and enjoyment we had together was truly one we will never forget and hope to recreate again in the near future!