It was a beautiful (and overcast) day today in Ames, after a night of rain and thunder. With a couple of the kids home with me today, I thought it would be great to spend a day at the Reiman Gardens.
The Reiman Gardens is situated on a 17-acre site right outside the Iowa State University Football Stadium. It has both indoor and outdoor gardens and exhibits for you to see, and they operate year-round.
We became members of the Garden earlier this year so that we could enjoy going for walks and play time with the kids whenever we wanted to. It has been so hot out here lately, so we took the opportunity to go today while it was manageable to go, without the kids complaining about all of the walking.
We always start out in the main lobby where there are tons of insect displays that our kids just love. The tarantula is by far their favorite!
Off to the side of the insects, there is a lab with windows showing off butterfly chrysalis’ and other cool insects you probably have not seen before. I heard you can do a private tour the lab as well!
We never miss the Christina Reiman Butterfly Wing- which is an enclosed butterfly exhibit, and home to butterflies from 6 continents! Follow the rules while you’re inside and you wont take home any stragglers on your clothing or hair!
Today, there were Summer Nature Bingo sheets available for the kids to grab and fill out during your visit to the Garden. We got just about all of the items on the list!
Among the beautiful flowers and plants you’ll encounter along the paths, you can’t miss the abundance of artwork and statues in place. The exhibits change all the time, so you can enjoy various themes throughout the year.
If you’re taking your kids to the Reiman Gardens, you wont want to miss the Children’s Garden and all the things they have to explore around it. They do story time and have nature items outside for them to play with.
Adults will love the well-manicured paths and shaded areas surrounded by ponds and fountains for some serene time with nature. There are seats all over so you can take a rest whenever you need to.
The Reiman Gardens is a great place to visit year round. They have classes, shows and other events that go on there, so make sure to check their calendar so you don’t miss out!