More recent update: Review edited due to internal compassion. However, I still stand by the fact that some of the employees are dismissive or plain rude.

Update: A few months ago, we got on a path and my husband told a dogged* man to the side of the path that another man with a dog was approaching. My husband did so because the sidelined man was not facing the path. The man rudely informed us that the approaching man was with him and to move it along because his dog was dangerous. Aggressive mammals: heed them.

A couple weeks ago, we hustled into the main building. The woman at the front desk informed us that the building was closing in five minutes. I told her that I had to pee. She gave no reply. I should have said, “I hope that you never have a fire in the lobby or a visitor having a stroke in which seconds count in both events. Get your Amazing Grace perfume in your Vineyard Vines bag and let me be. I know how time works.”

Right after that, a gift shop employee said the same thing. She learned her lesson after my husband put an expensive stuffed animal on the counter. You know what? The gift shop gate was not down. Maybe because it was not officially five o’clock yet…

The guy that cleans the porta–potties listens to Pink Floyd. I call it “Latrine Floyd”. Love it! Hope the main building can hear “Time” and not lose it.

*adjective, 2. Being accompanied by hopefully a domestic canine.

Prior review: fall of 2023 (?):The monthly exhibits are great. The main building has two bathrooms- upstairs and downstairs. There is an elevator. The gift shop is well-stocked. The Education Center has a cafe. I always quietly say in my Snoopy narrator voice: "No Cash Allowed" when passing it. Only debit cards, deb. The vegan cookies are delicious. You can eat inside or outside the cafe. The AC is superb. Rocking chairs are on the porch surrounding part of the building. The dogs are out of control. My last fifteen visits, I had to move out of the way for a dog. Read: I am a human moving for a dog. Service dog, no problem. Non-service: etiquette calls for the dog owners and dogs to yield. Oh, and the people who let their leashed dogs trail off instead of reining then in- please. The leash serves the purpose of control. I should not have to pre-guess an arc to stay away from a dog, only to have my best guess foiled by a nosy dog with an indolent owner. Buildings close at five pm. Photos of special events, yeah, I respect that, but you cannot hold hostage a gazebo for your not-yet-arrived-not-yet bride. This place restores my soul and my family's soul.