An In-Town Tourist Feature:
…because Adventure begins in the heart and Travel starts at the end of your own driveway.
If not for photography I might run too much. Sadly, when friends refer to rehab projects, I think of ankles and knees. Anything in excess is unhealthy, even “good for your body” things like exercise. Fortunately, photography provides enough outdoor thrills to compensate for an endorphin-less “rest day”.
The Dawes Arboretum Visitor Information and Map
One of my favorite photo stops is Dawes Arboretum, east of Columbus in Newark, Ohio. Dawes cradles some 1700 acres of botanical beauty. Founded in 1929 by the colorful Beman and Bertie Dawes, the park is free to the public and offers an impressive display of more than 15,000 living plants. Eight miles of trails allow visitors to wander through a cypress swamp, a Japanese garden, a woods and multiple collections of labeled plant specimens. The grounds are well manicured in a non-fussy sort of way. It’s the kind of place one could imagine as his own backyard with enough money, time and the knowledge to make it so.
The serene Japanese garden includes a reflection pool, meditation house and two islands, artfully accessed by stepping stones and arched wooden bridges.
The Bald cypress swamp is other-worldly with pneumatophores or “cypress knees” protruding all over like odd little families wading through the algae coated water.
Collections of conifers, holly, oaks, ginkgoes, magnolias and many more fill the seemingly endless acreage that eventually rolls into Dawes Lake at the southern edge of the park.
The view from an observation tower just beyond allows one to decipher the “secret message” in the hedge planting at the park’s southern tip: “Dawes Arboretum.”
The park was a Sunday drive destination for my family when I was a young girl, but as many times as I’ve wandered the grounds there, I still discover something new every time.
This time a deciduous variety of holly, a blooming tulip tree and bench grafted into the trunks of two sturdy trees caused the double-takes. The bench sits within the family cemetery just beyond the Daweswood House Museum and History Center, which I aim to check out next time.
On my last visit we tried identifying as many trees and shrubs as we could without peeking at their labels but found that even the most common tree species have impressive families. Who knew there were so many varieties of ginkgoes?!
That afternoon slipped by as gently and sweetly as the rolling hills around us, and I found plenty of thrills through my camera lens. Should the truly shocking occur this year, a non-stormy/non-freezing Mother’s Day, a picnic at Dawes sounds about perfect.
Updated from June 2, 2008.
The Dawes Arboretum Visitor Information and Map
The Dawes Arboretum (Newark, Ohio)
1800 acres of botanical beauty to drive and walk through.
Eight miles of trails with labeled specimens.
Collections of holly, azalea, conifers, cypress, bonsai and more.
A 36-foot Outlook Tower and serene Japanese Garden are visitor favorites.
Picnicking permitted.
Free to the public.
“Yes” to pets (on leash)
Directions: Take I-70 east from Columbus. Take Newark exit and travel north on Jacksontown Rd. Arboretum entrance will be on left.
Visitor Center: Open Mon-Sat, 8AM-5PM; Sundays and holidays, 1PM-5PM
Address: 7770 Jacksontown Rd. SE; Newark Ohio 43056
Phone: 740-323-2355 or 800-44-DAWES
Admission: Free!
Website
Beautiful pictures to remeber a beautiful day.
Thank you for sharing.
It’s a shame some people don’t know these placers are nearby.
Stewart Allyn and Jean-Luc,
Sometimes it feels so good not to have to be anywhere but where you are! Kind of luxurious, actually!
Heather, I really like your photos! They are so nice and how I wish I could visit that place too.
That photo of the swamp with strange protuberances is my favorite – a little otherworldly. What a great day you must have had.
Like Suzanne, my favorite photo is the swampish looking one. Though the one with the trees, fence and field has a very serene look to it.
Hi Heather,
Although I am indeed a biker, I guess biking through these places is not the right thing to do. Only by walking would one be able to really appreciate the beauty of the greenery around. Yes we could always discover something new even in old places that we have visited a lot of times before. Thanks for these wonderful pictures.
Beautiful pictures as always !!! sorry I haven’t been online lately, I’ve been using the library computer…
Thanks Land Projects UK,
Wish you could too; it’s very peaceful!
Suzanne and Delmer,
Loved the swamp… It was eerie enough to be completely beautiful. And Delmer, I couldn’t walk past that line of Kentucky coffee trees without snapping a shot. Felt like I was walking past another era…
Rino,
Good to hear from you! Yeah, sometimes you have to slow it down. But I’m hoping to get back on my bike a bit more now that the weather has warmed up!
Thanks mee mOe,
Hope life is good?? I always enjoy your mother/daughter posts…
The nature is great and looks like crocodiles live there