Whiting Forest of Dow Gardens — Attraction in Midland

Dow Gardens in Midland, MI is truly a gem and a place that exceeded my expectations. From the moment we walked in, the grounds were spotless and extremely well cared for. One of the features I really appreciated was that nearly every plant and tree was tagged, so not only do you get to enjoy the beauty of the gardens, but you also learn along the way. For someone who enjoys plants and landscaping, this is a wonderful touch that makes the visit both relaxing and educational.

We covered about 3.5 miles walking through the gardens, which felt like just the right amount to take in the highlights without being overwhelming. The trails are easy to follow, and as you go, you’ll come across a variety of landscapes—from open, colorful flower beds to shaded paths and beautifully designed garden sections. The colors throughout were simply stunning, and as you can see from the photos I’ve added, it’s an incredible place for photography.

About halfway through our walk, we stopped at the café located right inside the gardens. It’s a nice break spot that offers beverages, coffee, ice cream, chips, and a few other snacks. It really adds to the experience, especially on a warm day when you need to cool off or recharge before continuing your walk.

If you’re bringing kids, they do have a dedicated play area within the gardens, but honestly, the canopy walk seemed to be the biggest hit with the younger visitors. I saw so many kids excited and full of energy while crossing it. I had thought the canopy walk would be a little longer based on photos I’d seen beforehand, but even though it was shorter than I expected, it was still absolutely worth experiencing.

Another major plus is that the gardens are handicap accessible, which makes it possible for people of all ages and mobility levels to enjoy. That’s something not every botanical garden offers, and it really stood out to me.

Overall, Dow Gardens offers the perfect mix of natural beauty, education, and accessibility. Whether you’re a local or just visiting Midland, it’s a place I highly recommend. Plan on spending at least a few hours here to fully enjoy the trails, the café, and the canopy walk. It’s a wonderful way to spend a day...

This is a hidden gem inside or besides dow gardens. Though we have visited Dow Gardens several times but we were unaware of Whiting Forest until it popped up in my FB page. So on our recent drive to midland we decided to first focus on Whiting Forest. The weather was favorable and it was quite a good day with no much crowd as we went on a weekday. The entry fee is $10 for adult which includes access to Dow Gardens as well. The staff at the visitors center was very friendly and welcoming. She guided us how to go about things there. It's a 110 acre property including dow gardens which is well maintained. Main attraction here is the canopy walk and I could see people of all ages enjoying the walk except myself as I scared of heights and when the rope moves I was screaming at top of my voice. But still I made it up to the canopy. The wooden strips of the canopy and its shape and structure is the something which attracts everyone. There are couple of water bodied as well. And a glass Skywalk too. There's a play area for kids with lot of activities. The beautiful Cafe is another added bonus to this place. I loved the wooden interior and the furniture. The cade serves coffee, tea, snacks and salads. The staff here was very quick to respond to things. By mistake I spilled coffee on me and the cup fell onto the floor. There were two staff who was getting ready for presentation just behind our seat. On hearing the noise one ran towards the pantry to get a mop and the other came to us to move us to a different table asking about the drink which was spilled. I went to the restroom to clean up the mess from my outfit and meanwhile I came back a fresh cup of cappuccino was kept ready for me. I was taken aback by their kind gesture but felt bad when I learnt from my husband that the second cup was given freely. Though we were ready to pay for it as it was my carelessness (I was awestruck seeing the wooden ceiling, thus all these happened) which they refused. Will visit this beautiful place whenever I...

August 6th COVID-19 visit. This was my second visit, thought it would be a good outside adventure for our young family, great disappointment. None of the volunteer/employee we're wearing masks, except for the check in person and gift shop people. With all the outside workers it made it so you could not walk off the path to venture into the gardens to get the full experience instead of walking past it! We reserved our tickets ahead on line ( FYI it's a must) advertised everything was open and you had one hour and only 20 people in the park at a time. Reality most of the things were closed which in these time is normal and makes sense, but don't make me pay full price for half the experience! The one hour was not enforced and by the time we were walking out of the park social distancing was becoming difficult to do. The restrooms were clean. The gift shop...JUST SKIP! I had just washed my hands in the restroom and was rubbing in hand sanitizer as I approached the the store to get the other half of my family that was inside. I was told I could not come into the store unless I used the community hand sanitizer first ... community sanitizer...how many germs are on this community sanitizer,is this sanitizer even safe or has it been recalled...No thank you! . I let the lady know I just sanitized and only was to let my family know we can leave. She said I still could not enter! I then yelled in the store to let my family know we could go now, but I am not coming into the store. As we are all walking away the gift shop worker said, with attitude " we are just trying to keep everyone safe" The insinuation that I am being unsafe because I was not in willing to use community sanitizer I am putting people at risk ... Absurd! Not the same place I had been to before......