Georgeson Botanical Garden — Attraction in Alaska

Fairbanks botanical garden, properly called the Georgeson Botanical Garden located on the UAF -- University of Alaska-Fairbanks campus, is a beautiful gem that many locals and lucky tourists enjoy for walks, inspiration, weddings, and concerts. There's a children's garden which has boardwalks to explore, vine-covered tunnels and a small, pebble-bottomed stream great for soaking toes on a hot summer day. The trash cans in the kids area are highlighted with simple math inspirations to motivate young kids to see math in the world around them. There are a few picnic tables, an outhouse near the children's area, and a very cool maze put in by a young man working on his Eagle scout several years ago. The gardens are used for research as well as providing enjoyment, so interested visitors can see science in progress -- which plants work best up here, what it takes to keep a moose out of one's garden, how to grow (or not grow) corn and apples here, which takes a bit more work than in the Lower 48. The gardens were used for peony research for years, too, and although that study may be over, the flowers are everywhere and beautiful. We like to visit every month during growing season to observe the changes -- it's always a beautiful place to go. There are spaces for a couple of dozen cars to park around the research station, and then you can walk over and observe some of the reindeer if you walk past the other side of the parking lot. Parking, make that even stopping in a car, is no longer permitted in front of the reindeer pens so parking in the lot and walking a few hundred feet...

The botanical garden is a free garden, kept by UAF staff, openly accessible to the public until 10 p.m. it has all manner of charming flowers, vegetables, fruits, and trees growing, with scattered benches and picnic tables to make the space even more welcoming. There are two pond areas on the northern side of the path, and wooden bridges back and forth over a small stream. Father back, there's a small section of wicker tunnel through tree branches. A bit farther, on the southern side of the path, is a pavilion that goes out over stilts (putting you up in the trees), with ceramic tiles depicting local birds At the back of the garden is a hedge maze they've been growing taller these last several years, and it's finally gotten taller than my 5'2". It's lovely. Meander through on a pleasant day. Plan a picnic, bring a kid, or just settle down and read a book by the toad statue pond. Also, they sometimes have music...

Is is smaller than the Botanical Garden in my hometown of Fort Worth, but what is here packs a punch. There is so much to learn about and explore. My sister saw an ermine here that came so close she could pet it. A staff member gave me directions to a patch of wild orchids growing behind the gardens. Events like Music in the Garden show that this place is a vibrant and valuable part of the community--it is so poplular that there is someone there you are bound to know if you live here. Plus, the reindeer farm is right next door so that is cool. Thus, there are many surprises here that you may not find in larger botanical gardens in bigger cities. So I recommend...