Over the Memorial Day weekend we ventured out to The Morton Arboretum or what some affectionately call, The Tree Museum. And boy were we lucky! First, it only rained for a few minutes and second David Rogers' Big Bugs exhibit was on show.
Once we paid our entry fee I started to read the "Bug Detective" notebook that outlines which bugs are on display. The first thing out of my daughter's mouth? "Oh...J loves ants! Those are his favorite. I like lady bugs. They aren't disgusting, don't bite, and they are beautiful!" I laughed but agreed that yes, lady bugs are beautiful. After finding parking we met up with J and his family for a day of bug hunting at the tree museum.
This was our first trip to the Arboretum. I've wanted to go for years, but didn't think it would have enough to keep a kid entertained, not to mention my not-so-tree-hugging husband. I was waaaay wrong!
First, there are plenty of things for the kids to do. Climb, climb, and more climbing. There's an entire children's garden, a maze, and a few tree houses to enjoy. While you can still hear the hum of the cars driving by at times, most of the visit was spent in this weird quiet bliss that us city-dwellers are quite unfamiliar with. Add to that the sweet smell after a real spring rain and well, we had a pretty perfect day.
The Big Bugs exhibits were awesome. The kids insisted that we find all of the bugs and we did. Obviously my favorite was the bumble bee. They are breath-taking in their beauty. Apparently there are also signs that tell you about each bug, but the kids kept us moving so outside of learning what we were looking at, I couldn't tell you anything else.
The best part of the Arboretum is that while you can't climb on the trees none of the grass is off limits. You can picnic just about anywhere on the grounds or just sit and enjoy the sights. Which as you can guess with 2 pre-schoolers and 1 toddler in tow, wide open spaces are welcomed!
I can't wait for us to get back and I contemplated buying a membership. While the drive is a bit long it was well worth it. But first we need to get a bike rack so when we come back we can get lost in the trees without towing the car everywhere.
When Veronica isn't hugging trees, she blogs at Viva La Feminista, WIMN's Voices, and Work it, Mom!
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