In case you missed my first post on exploring your own backyard, you can find that here. I’m back today with another local gem that was about two-miles away from where we were living. In fact, I drove right by it every week, but in the four years we lived near Downtown, we never once explored the Houston Arboretum and Nature Center.
Right around April, quarantine started getting the best of us. Anyone else go stir crazy right around that time too? Little did we know. And the weather was beautiful in Houston. So Aaron and I decided to take some time to go explore the arboretum on a Sunday. The trails are open every day from 7 a.m. until dusk, and there is plenty of room to keep to yourselves along the trails.
Houston Arboretum and Nature Center
A bit of background about the arboretum. It’s a 155-acre nature sanctuary located right on the edge of Memorial Park. As soon as you park, they have maps with various trails outlined. We decided to explore several trails. We started out on the Buttonbush trail (the one in light purple) and made it over to the outer loop trail (in the dark green). Then, we walked through the meadow pond and then did the donor boardwalk on our way back to the car.
I wasn’t sure what to expect, but when we got to the pond, I could have sworn I saw a small alligator. So, I got a bit closer, and sure enough – there he was. I did a bit of social media stalking when we got home, and turns out that the “arbor gator” is a bit of a legend. I was glad I got to see him.
You do have to pay for parking if you park in the lot off Woodway, but the fee is nominal and free if you go on a Thursday. There is no entrance fee to the arboretum, and bonus: dogs are allowed. We didn’t take the dogs with us this time because Sawyer is 12, and he just can’t walk as far as he used to.
All in all, it’s a great place to visit. There are beautiful wildflowers if you go in the spring – and a ton of things to look at. You don’t even feel like you are in the heart of one of the nation’s largest cities. If you live in Houston – or if you ever visit Houston, put the Houston Arboretum and Nature Center on your list.
I’ll see you back here tomorrow!
