An afternoon at Morris Arboretum

Have you been to Morris Arboretum before? We've driven by dozens, if not hundreds, of times over the years, but had never been there until a few weeks ago. I wasn't quite sure what to expect other than plants, trees, sculptures and more plants, so I was happily surprised when we spent over 3 hours exploring the grounds.

With two elementary aged children, the first thing that caught my eye (and theirs!) was the Out on a Limb exhibit. You walk out on a platform that extends 50 feet above the ground and can bounce across hammock-like nets like little squirrels. My kids thought this was the greatest part of the day, and definitely one of the neatest things they've ever done.

Morris Arboretum has an amazing collection of miniature train cars that weave in and out of adorable mini replicas of Philadelphia landmarks and statues, like the LOVE statue and the highly-debated Rocky statue. There are also lighthouses, log cabins, bridges and tunnels that are all made out of twigs, leaves, mosses, acorns, dried flowers, seeds and stones. We even spied a gondola making it's way up a mini mountain. My son enjoyed searching around for the buildings, landmarks and other highlights listed on the map they provided when we first walked into the train display.

The grounds alone are beautiful, as there are trees, plants and flowers from all over the world. Of course the kids were most excited running around and exploring little trails and buildings. Here's a few pictures of other areas we explored:

This hawk was tormenting the smaller birds, who made quite a scene as they flew around him and pecked at his head and back

There was a couple posing for pictures on this bridge, so we waited until they were gone to run over and take a few shots

Stickwork sculptures titled "A Waltz in the Woods" by Patrick Dougherty  

Build your own log cabin out of Lincoln logs. Each child that came through added another layer or two to the cabins

an old log cabin from the 1800's

megaphones allowed you to hear nature as the birds, bugs and other small animals would

We highly recommend checking out Morris Arboretum if you haven't been there already. And if you have, check it out again. Sculptures, exhibits, trains, plants and flowers change often, so the place looks completely different in the spring when things begin to bloom than it does in the fall as the colors begin to change on the leaves. A fun afternoon for the family indeed!