Hidden Lake Gardens

Yesterday, we packed up and headed out to enjoy a day at Hidden Lake Gardens in Tipton, Michigan. The gardens are a bit of a drive for us, but oh so worth the time it takes to get there.

Owned by Michigan State University, Hidden Lake Gardens is a 755 acre botanical garden and arboretum that is full of natural wonder.

Admittance is $3 per person, and once inside you can drive your car through winding roads, hike, bike, or walk around at will.  We drove through some of the scenic areas, and then got out to walk the trails.

This was the Outside of the Tree

This was underneath that awesome tree.

It was the perfect tree to do a little climbing. ;)

There were all kinds of treasures along the way, like the tree above that allowed you to go underneath it's canopy and explore.

Happy to lead the way.
He's checking out something moving in the woods.

The trails are interesting to walk along because even though they're clearly designated, they're also following the natural path, with no man-made embellishments along the way. It's perfect because you get to see the animals, hear the frogs, and even get tangled up a bit in the brush.

Um yeah, you can't see around the corner, so no more was it fun to 'take the lead.'  :)

Little man was happy to lead the way until the trails got twisty and you couldn't see what was coming around the bend. Then he hung back and gave up the lead spot, lol! ;)

Getting ready to have our picnic, but still making time to explore one more tree. 

We brought along a picnic for fuel, and that was good thinking because it takes a lot of energy to be a great wilderness explorer. :)

We visited the gorgeous special species plants and flowers too, that were carefully nurtured in the different indoor climates (I presume by students at MSU?).

For me it was love at first sight when I saw this huge Aloe plant.

For me it was love at first sight when I came across this huge Aloe plant. I think Aloe has so many uses, and I'd love to have a huge plant in my yard...maybe not this big, but you get the idea.

Cocoa Tree

I thought the Cocoa Tree was really interesting, and this one appeared to be flourishing!

There were a lot of pretty flowers to see too.

Hidden Lake Gardens was beautiful start to finish
& provided a great outlet for us to be able to get outside and enjoy the warm air.

If you're in the area, or have something similar in your neck of the woods, I encourage you to go! It was really just a great family day out, and a fun way for us to explore everything that is now (hurrah!) blooming, growing, and green!