My husband and I live in Dallas and had been talking about bringing his Mother here for years - she lives in Mineral Wells and we never make enough time to walk the gardens whenever we come to town to visit her. Well, a few weekends ago, we made time as a surprise for Mother's Day and made a "day" of it.

The love that is in these gardens is so very evident in every step that you take. From the employee in the ticket shop that was so kind to tell us about his favorite spots in the garden - and you could tell how much he loved the garden - to the immaculate presentation, care and grooming of the grounds itself. Being able to walk around and get lost within the paths and see native Texas plants, flowers, and herbs is just breathtaking.

There are benches here and there for those that have trouble walking so you are able to rest - and even some places that have tables and chairs under shade. We found ourselves at one of those very tables close to closing on the day of our trip when one of the Gardens employees came to let us know they would be closing soon, and when my Mother in law made a joke that she didn't know if she could make it back to the front gates in 30 minutes (we were quite a distance at that point) he came back to get us in a 6 seat golf cart, even driving us to our car in the parking lot. I was so very impressed by that - everyone that we talked to during our visit was very attentive - they really seemed to care about their job. That was awesome.

I'm very glad that we came - this is a hidden gem that I will be back to for a lovely stroll in a beautiful tranquil place.