Botanical gardens, unlike zoos, are a dubious destination for youngsters. In contrast to lions and elephants, trees and flowers fall short of fascinating or amusing most boys and girls.
With that in mind, Garvan Woodland Gardens has built a stylish lure for children. This new feature at this widely acclaimed park on the outskirts of Hot Springs is the 500-square-foot Bob and Sunny Evans Tree House. It's a sleek super-version of the backyard aeries that so many dads have built for their sons and daughters over the years.
Since opening in July, the treehouse has become a lively attraction in the Evans Children's Adventure Garden. On a recent Saturday afternoon, youngsters prowled up and down the four levels of the ribbed structure. Grownups watched as intrepid offspring climbed a rigging to the top perch. Views from the overlook end of the structure took in thick stands of trees on the verge of unveiling fall colors.
A display in the gardens' visitor center spells out the design and purpose of the treehouse in terms that might be taken as highfalutin', describing it as "part of a plan to bring children back into the woods" by using "a rich and tactile environment to stimulate the mind and body."
Designed by Fayetteville-based Modus Studio architects, the building "floats in a small group of pines and oaks, bending easily between them. The theme of dendrology, the study of trees and wooded plants, drives both the form and program of the structure." The house's wooden screen creates "varying levels of transparency that allows parents to monitor their kids during play, without detracting from the mystery and adventure."
As for the youngsters, they "will be able to learn and explore by stimulation of their imaginations, rather than through plaques and pictures." They "will begin to understand the elements of the woodlands from multiple perspectives."
When the treehouse with its yellow pine ribs opened at the end of June, Modus Studio architect Philip Rusk summed up the project's aims more succinctly: "We tried to put ourselves in a kid's mind, to go back in time a little."
At the opening, Garvan Director Becca Ohman explained that different parts of the exhibit are aimed at representing segments of tree growth. The plaza below the house represents the roots of a tree. Inside the structure, levels denote various parts of a tree, such as trunk, branches, leaves and flowers.
The towering building is now the centerpiece of Evans Children's Adventure Garden. In a breezy tone, Garvan's website notes that the garden "rocks with more than 3,200 tons of Arkansas-quarried boulders." A 12-foot-high waterfall cascades over a man-made cave with implanted "fossils" inside. A bridge built of wrought iron molded to look like cedar branches leads down to a series of wading pools.
More family fun at Garvan is scheduled for Saturday starting at 9 a.m. during the gardens' fourth annual Celebrate Fall Day. Children's activities running until 1 p.m. will include face painting, wand making, silly pumpkin decorating and spooky science experiments. There'll be trick-or-treat with free candy and pumpkins.
Meanwhile, it's not too early to start planning a visit to Garvan's most popular yearly event, the Holiday Lights display from 5-9 p.m. Nov. 17-Dec. 31 (except for Thanksgiving and Christmas days).
Brightening the gardens then will be more than 4 million lights in natural settings. Visitors are cautioned that weekend nights are very crowded with "a minimum of one to two hours to park and enter. We encourage visitors to come Monday-Thursday nights if possible."
Garvan Woodland Gardens, 550 Arkridge Road, Hot Springs, is open 9 a.m.-6 p.m. daily. Admission is $15 for visitors 13 and older, $5 for youngsters 4-12, free for those 3 and under. It costs $5 to bring a dog on a short, nonretractable leash (one pet per visitor). For details, visit garvangardens.org or call (501) 262-9300.
Weekend on 10/25/2018