A Little More of Tucson: Tucson Nights

One of my few complaints about Tucson is that it seems to go to bed early, complicating the wanderings of a business traveler busy doing, well, business by day.  A young person I met explained this phenomenon as associated with the service-oriented nature of the town -- many people are working multiple jobs and perhaps the employees of tourist-focused attractions are headed off to jobs in restaurants.  And Tucson does have the restaurants to boast about.  These two activities, however, made my evenings because of their availability.

First, I discovered that Tucson Botanical Gardens was open late til 8 PM on Thursdays and Fridays. Smaller than some botanical gardens, Tucson's is full of surprises and fun to wander nonetheless.  My favorite was the locally-themed Barrio Garden, truly making one feel at home. 

As always, it's spectacularly relaxing to visit gardens when the day ends and the gentle lights come on.  The staff?  Sincerely friendly.  The gift shop?  Fun to browse.

Then, I ventured out to Tumamoc Hill for a popular hike (actually as suggested by that friendly staff at the gardens).  Yes, it is steep, and yes, parking, while free, is limited.  In fact, parking was a bit anxiety-provoking near sunset, but I found a great place near some bike racks across from the hospital. As many a TripAdvisor reviewer has warned, do not park at the hospital.  Get past that, and you have a hike that is a paved, gorgeous, challenging ( = uphill) walk that is well-populated by locals, fitness enthusiasts, and tourists.  Did I go all the way to the top?  No, but just because I ran out of time.  It was still joyous exercise.  Gorgeous cacti, gorgeous city view.

While learning more about the Sonoran Desert, I heard some people there have historically found cacti a beautiful way to remember the dead, noting that the saguaro actually resemble people.  Hiking this hill as the day ends, I get it.

Things to Know

• For other area botanical gardens that are much larger, try Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, AZ -- it's not that far between Phoenix and Tucson if you have access to a car.
• I was travelling without workout clothes and shoes -- and staying at the Westin La Paloma, I took advantage of the Westin workout gear lending program. And by the way, this hotel is gorgeous -- and quite inexpensive in the off season.  If you stay, check out the sunrise from the end of the I (like iguana) building.  

See, I told you so.

For Further Exploration

• Tumamoc Hill is actually a laboratory for the University of Arizona, just like Biosphere 2.  A little reading about both sites, and you'll be prompted to think about how science and culture intersect.

Happy Colors: Norfolk Botanical Garden for LanternAsia

It's back!  There's an updated LanternAsia exhibit at Norfolk Botanical Gardens!  A few years ago, Kim, G, and Nana were able to visit the previous LanternAsia display on a whim after reading a brief "blurb" about it in AAA World.  It was so much more spectacular than expected!  This year, Justin, Kim, E and G returned to experience this exhibit while on a mini-vacation in Williamsburg.  This display is mainly new, so do consider going again even if you have been before.

It's hard to describe Asian lantern exhibits.  They are immersive art experiences; they are cultural learning opportunities; they are delightful places to take walks.  Most people seem to find them "bigger" than expected.  LanternAsia is a great place to spend a few hours walking around, especially if you arrive just before dusk and stay til after dark. This way, you can experience the lanterns both in the light of day as well as after dark.   Some of the lanterns have moving parts, and this particular display has lots of information about Asian culture and related exhibits, including information about Buddhist symbols, the Chinese zodiac, and similar concepts.  Many displays also have lighting that changes colors, so pay attention.

If you go, arrive early for the best parking and the best visual experience, seeing the lantern before and after nightfall.  Bring your camera and dress for the weather (rain or shine event).  Take your time as you stroll around--we made two laps with the kids across about 2.5 hours.  Check out our previous visit to LanternAsia at Norfolk Botanical Gardens here; we also visited Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden for their Chinese Lantern Festival.  In our humble opinion, lantern installations are a great way to attract new audiences to botanical gardens.  Even if you don't think you are interested in visiting a garden, try it--you will probably like it!  This particular installation runs through May 13.

Simple and Delightful: Holiday Lights at the Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden

If you follow this blog, you know Kim and E, age 8, traveled south in the early fall to see the Great American Eclipse.  On our way, we saw signs for the Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden.  Kim checked them out online and decided having a membership would inspire a few trips to the Charlotte, North Carolina, area over the course of the year.  The rest is history.

This winter, we took a trip to Holidays at the Garden, an enchanting Christmas light display with fun features like model trains.  Lights can be enjoyed by walking about as well as by taking a short tram ride for a different view.  Kids can move station-to-station enjoying simple activities that further engage them--at one stop, we played color bells; at another, we learned about the seasons of the year, for instance.  The orchid building at the holidays is a little oasis complete with an imaginative fairy village also featuring model trains.  Don't miss the gloaming--arrive early and enjoy watching the lights come alive.  You'll get improved parking this way, too.  We've enjoyed similar enchantment at these gardens at their Chinese lantern display earlier in the fall.

If you go, consider getting tickets for the week between Christmas and New Years. Everyone is still in a festive mood, and crowds aren't too large.  Dress in layers for the weather and bring your camera--there will be outstanding photo ops, even for unskilled photographers like me.  Food and drink is available for purchase, although our traveling family also found nearby fast food and a relatively close supermarket for snacks.  It's a perfectly "sized" adventure for an evening out with the family in the Charlotte area, and for us, it paired very well for a trip to Winterfest at Carowinds.  And by the way, we are pretty pleased with Kim's membership--member guests receive discounts, so even given that visitors pay for some special events like the Holidays, the value is solid when you consider reciprocity to other gardens including the Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens in Richmond, Virginia--it's on the to-visit list.

Based on recommendations from a colleague, we drove about 20 minutes to McAdenville (say Mc-Add-enville) after our visit to enjoy this town's delightful light displays.  Almost every home and business is decorated with particularly beautiful lights in trees and festive set ups of carolers, nativities, and the like at homes and churches.  We visited on a cold night, so we drove instead of parking and walking, but walking the town is an option and will afford you some nifty photo ops.  There's no charge and the atmosphere is very community and family oriented (picture kids riding hayride style, passengers making videos from their sunroofs, etc.).  We had a relatively long wait in our car, so have a full tank of gas for your own peace of mind. By 9ish, crowds were dying down, so perhaps time your visit for later as well. Check the dates and times at the website--we caught the lights on December 26, which may have been the last "official" night!  How fortunate.

Chinese Lanterns are Tremendous: Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens

Having seen a Chinese Lantern botanical garden installation at Norfolk Botanical Garden a few years ago, Kim became quite excited passing a billboard for a similar installation at the Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden while on a road trip to see the Great American Eclipse.  K, G, and Nana Lana were inspired to make the trip to see the lantern display in October, enjoying delightful weather for roaming outside in the Charlotte, North Carolina, area evenings.

The Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden's installation featured a ton of animal displays and some pieces that were animated, delighting G.  This garden has several fountains, which made for gorgeous reflections. This type of exhibit encourages you to walk, talk, and stare, being equal parts art, culture, and simple delight.  The lanterns are illuminated as the name implies, of course; what is less obvious is how sculptural the displays actually are.  K adored the construction of the immense, tall jellyfish; G was unusually fascinated by the dinosaurs; and Nana liked the birds placed on the fountain ponds. This garden also highlighted Chinese culture, putting on shadow plays and hosting a more elaborate marketplace than we'd seen at similar events.  G was so enchanted by the shadow plays we even bought a handmade duck puppet.

If you go, know that the gardens are still beautiful but the installation at this location has moved on.  However, you might check out LanternAsia, a similar temporary display in spring 2018 at Norfolk Botanical Garden.  Expect crowds--these exhibits are amazing!  Go early, including early in the "life" of the exhibit and early in the evening to catch the twilight if you can.  Buy tickets in advance--try not to take the risk on a sellout.  You'll need a camera that takes good pictures at night, like the one on your phone, and take your time--plan to stay for most of the duration of the evening.  These exhibits are high interest and certainly help new audiences connect to art and botanical gardens, and you could even get a membership for a discount and return for next year's Garden of Lights at a discount as well. Check out our prior visit to LanternAsia for inspiration!

Naturally Magical: Boxerwood Garden in Lexington, VA

Labor Day weekend always thwarts us in some regard.  This year, we had planned a trip in the direction of Richmond, VA, and then, Hurricane Hermione made the weather in that direction too unpredictable for our easy day trip liking.  We wanted to be outside; we wanted to walk around; we wanted to keep it simple.  We heard Lexington's Boxerwood Gardens, a place we'd seen pitched in the window of the Lexington Visitor's Center some time back, calling.

Boxerwood, billed as a park and nature center, is a little chunk of paradise for outdoor exploring.  An outgrowth of industrious citizenship if you will, Boxerwood was a family collection of plants and now serves the greater good as a private recreation ground, giving it quite the history.  It's a little bit hippie and a lot magical, especially for young kid explorers.  There's a fantastical children's "trail" that is reasonably confined and includes fun tightropes of repurposed fire hoses, a giant birdhouse-shaped tree house, a mud pie restaurant, "doorways" between trees, and similar places for imaginative play. Beyond these gates, there are acres for the wandering along simple trails.  Seemingly random metal sculptures "pop up" and pathways bend off across swampy lands and near small ponds throughout the more-wild-than-manicured botanical garden setting. Don't expect a ton of signage or staff--this is a mainly volunteer, community-supported enterprise, and that is part of the charm.  We were a bit frustrated we never found the Fairy Garden, but we met some happy travelers who couldn't find it either and will simply have to return.

If you go, venture out in pleasant weather--and be dressed for it.  Consider bringing a picnic--or do what we did and work up a hunger for nearby Niko's Grille for an interesting combination of Greek food and all-day breakfast.  Wear clothes you don't mind getting dirty and take along extra shoes--there's a creek in the children's area. There are no fees, but you can leave a donation in the box at the front.  GPS Boxerwood (963 Ross Road) knowing you will be entering a slightly-off-downtown residential section to get there. Visit dawn to dusk--Google told us it was "closed" weekends, but this definitely wasn't true.  They do host special events, and the best way to find out about those may very well be their Facebook page.  We easily combined this trip with pleasant walking in Lexington...

...to Stonewall Jackson Cemetery, also open dawn to dusk...

...to Lee Chapel at Washington and Lee University, a site with outstanding docents and a great glimpse into the school...

...to Virginia Military Institute, where K always stops to find the memorial plaques to fallen Alleghany High School classmate Josh Hurley...

...E even walked the Labyrinth at Robert E Lee Episcopal Church.  Maybe not prayerfully yet, but he walked it.

So, go wander.  For our young roadschoolers and afterschoolers, this was a pretty perfect outdoor classroom.

See Rock City: You Really Should

One of the Southern Highlands Attractions, Rock City is just plain can't miss.  Part nature walk and part adventure in American tourism, Rock City is an outside adventure that will bring you more thrills than most gentle hikes as you amble along a well-constructed path between large boulders and up rock staircases.  Rock City treats you to nature, including breathtaking views from Lookout Mountain, and to little roadside attraction surprises, like cute gnomes in the fields.  Yes, it's a garden--but it is qualitatively different from most botanical gardens.

Along the walk, you'll see the iconic "See Seven States" lookout, view a beautiful (if human-made) waterfall at Lover's Leap, and cross two very narrow passages between large boulders--an experience hard to come by outside of a non-commercialized cave. Your walk will lead to Fairyland Caverns, a constructed cave full of sculpted, black lit scenes from childhood tales--unique and very cool.  Don't expect to navigate the park easily with a stroller, but there is an ADA-compliant pathway option.  Keep an eye on the kids--and a close hand on your most adventurous small ones--but we've found that this is a great place to let young ones, curious about the walkways themselves, enjoy a well-supervised adventure.

If you go, dress for the weather (including a few degrees more cool because of the mountain breeze) and check the special events schedule, which now includes springtime Fairytale Nights, the Christmas Enchanted Garden of Lights,and more.  Allow enough time to enjoy your surroundings,walking slowly, sitting and taking in views, stopping to take pictures.  This isn't designed to be a rushed experience--although we saw plenty of people just tearing through. There's no reason not to bring along a picnic in a backpack, too, and slow down even more. Gift shops sell great See Rock City souvenirs--and we recommend you check out their own history book See Rock City: The History of Rock City Gardens by Tim Hollis, one of our favorite authors. It's easy to combine your Rock City adventure with other Lookout Mountain and Chattanooga attractions--look for discount combo tickets as you plan.

Airlie Gardens: Simple Splendor Near Wimington/Wrightsville

On a quick weekend family trip to the Wilmington area, G and Kim found themselves with some free time.  They chose to spend two hours at Airlie Gardens, a very short (eight minute) drive from Wrightsville Beach.   Airlie is a relatively small garden with sculptures and wildlife.  Smaller than Brookgreen Gardens, it was easy and enjoyable to cover Airlie in a few hours on an overcast afternoon.   There are manicured and "wild" areas, and while the paths are a bit confusing to follow at times, it's fun to meander.  Plus,  there are plenty of trees with hanging moss, giving you the splendor of anywhere in the deeper south.

Kim will tell you not to miss the Bottle Chapel, an incredible (and large) folk art installation that's simply stunning in detail and color.  Made from repurposed glass and including some shells, old colorful mugs, and similar hidden delights, the Bottle Chapel can engage you for a while.   Nearby,  find a small butterfly garden (included in the admission price), and keep your eye out for animals in general (spiders, swans, squirrels, etc.). G enjoyed a temporary exhibit of Guardians of the Garden, various metal creatures lurking throughout.

Airlie is an inexpensive way to spend a few hours (Kim paid $9, G was free--the garden is "public" but there are entry fees).  There's a small gift shop, a nature trail we didn't explore with our stroller, and even an old Episcopalian cemetery on property.  There's a small pier, some fountains, and scattered benches throughout.   We hear the special events, including Christmas lights, are quite nice.  If you go,  you are extremely close to Wrightsville Beach, a wide strand beach with a mix of rental, resident, and hotel properties.  Not an urban beach but not a fully quiet one, the views of small craft and ocean are stunning.  Stop by.