The Cleveland Botanical Gardens

What a great day! Today I went on a trip to the Cleveland Botanical Gardens, and had an awesome time. I was lucky enough to share this experience with my Grandma who happens to be in town from Georgia. As a gardener extraordinaire and avid bird watcher, to put it lightly, my Grandma was in heaven at the Botanical Gardens. For those of you who do not know, the greatest appeal of the Botanical Gardens is a series of exotic environments enclosed in a giant glasshouse. A point of reference- if have ever seen the movie Bio-Dome (don’t be embarrassed, I’ve seen it too), the glasshouse is EXACTLY like the dome Bud and Doyle get trapped in. At the CBG, the glasshouse is modeled after two different environments—one is a replica of a Costa Rican rainforest, and the other, a dry desert of Madagascar. When you walk in to “Costa Rica,” you’re senses start running wild; you hear bird calls from all different directions, you feel the touch on your arm as your skin hits the moist air, you see butterflies soaring up and around your head… it is really a cool experience. It really does feel as if you stepped foot into a different world. The desert of Madagascar is awesome as well. What was the desert highlight for me? Definitely seeing a huge tortoise sleeping on the side of the walking path! In addition to the Glasshouse, the CBG also has acres of beautifully landscaped gardens (which my Grandma also loved!)

I never realized until now how lucky we are to have resources like the CBG in our community. It truly felt like a mini escape, and it was very enriching being in the different environments. Resources like the CBG make our community more cultured, aware, and informed. They allow for the opportunity to do more than just watch shows on the Travel Channel about the rainforest, and instead, experience what it is like for yourself. This is exactly the beauty of experiential learning.