The
Arboretum is one of the most beautiful aspects of the Penn State campus. The endless amounts of exotic plants and
flowers is enough to keep anyone entertained for at least a little while, even
if they are not a nature lover. Some of
the sights at the arboretum are unlike anything I have ever experienced; such
as the map of Pennsylvania engraved into slate, or the pond filled with lily
pads and some of the most unique flowers I have ever seem. Witnessing all of these sights was definitely
a great experience that I would recommend to anyone.
I have
never actually been inside the botanical garden at the arboretum. I have passed it numerous times but never
taken the time to see what was inside.
The sights were definitely more interesting than I expected. Nature has never really grabbed my attention because
when I think of nature I think of a boring forest or a simple lake. These are not very exciting places to be
which is why I have never gone out of my way to experience the arboretum. However after walking around the arboretum
for a few minutes, I realized that this was easily more captivating than what I
anticipated. The map of Pennsylvania was
the first thing to catch my attention.
It was a large map engraved into a slate with detailed rivers, and names
of towns all included. This blew my mind
because I have never seen anything like this before, and I was also amazing
that someone was able to create such a detailed and accurate map like that
while engraving it into a slate. The
next thing that caught my attention was the different types of plants they had
there. Many were flowers I had never
seen before. They almost looked fake
because that’s how colorful and exotic they looked, and many of these flower also
felt very hard, which made them feel even more fake. One of my favorite parts was the little
wooden shed/walkthrough that had giant squash hanging from the ceiling. This was certainly very aesthetically
pleasing to walk through because it was a beautiful sight that is hard to find
anywhere around here besides the arboretum.
The
arboretum was unlike anything I have ever experienced before, and I would definitely
recommend visiting it to anyone.
Everyone should experience the sights there at least once, because it is
the only thing like it around here. The
different types of plants could not be found anywhere else. I certainly have never seen anything like it
before. However, I am not sure if I’ll
ever take the time to go back. I
probably wouldn’t go out of my way but if I’m free for an hour or so and my
friends wanted to check it out I would without a doubt go. The reason why I wouldn’t go out of my way is
because I have experienced it before, and it’s not like they are going to
change the plants or exhibits. It will
remain the same, and one experience is sufficient to me. However the arboretum was still an excellent place
to go to experience how beautiful nature can be.
Thomas--
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed! One thing to remember, though, is that the arboretum WILL be changing! They have many new exhibits planned and are working on construction the boardwalk down to Park Ave. as we speak. I hope you'll go back at some point. :)
S
I agree with you on the map carved into the slate- that was really neat. I wasn't anticipating the Arboretum to be all that interesting either, but like you I was surprised by some of the things I saw. It was actually quite interesting, especially the flowers in the lilly pond!
ReplyDeleteAlthough we visited the arboretum a while back, I still remember all the things you mentioned in your post. The detailed slate was really cool and was one of the better parts of the arboretum. Like you, I don't know if I'd go back all that often, but it was a great experience and one of the nicer things on campus!
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