Chanhassen, MN (Dec. 30, 2013) - Start off the New Year with a visit to the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, a place for inspiration in all seasons. As an added incentive, the Arboretum is offering free gate admission to all visitors during the entire month of January 2014! (This represents a $12 value.)
Get in – or out of – the cold this winter at the Arboretum. Stay warm and enjoy a 25' tall tree covered with orchids in the Visitor Center Great Hall, sip hot chocolate or try a warm bowl of soup in the Arboretum Restaurant and check out the expanded clearance area in the Gift Store and save 40% on select items. For outdoors enthusiasts, the Arboretum boasts 16 miles of snowshoe or cross-country ski trails, plus snowshoe rentals.
Here are 31 reasons to visit the Arboretum in January 2014:
- Free admission every day in January for you and your family and friends.
- Sixteen miles of trails for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. Plus, snowshoe rentals!
- Magnificent Orchid Tree on display in Great Hall of Visitor Center, Jan. 11-Feb. 14.
- Bring the kids for “Cozy up to a Cactus” during Weekend Family Fun at the Learning Center every Saturday and Sunday afternoon in January. Free!
- “Best of the Arboretum” exhibit and sale by Arboretum Photographers Society, Jan. 8-April 14, in Restaurant Gallery.
- “Minnesota Magic” art exhibit showcasing watercolors and oils created by Arboretum members, opening Jan. 17 in Reedy Gallery. Runs through March 31.
- Arboretum chowder (and more tasty fare) in the Arboretum Restaurant.
- Free yoga session! Noon on Sunday, Jan. 5, in the Fireplace Room, Snyder Building.
- Shopping the Arboretum Gift Store for unique jewelry, home and garden décor, and books!
- Walking the groomed paths through the perennial and wildflower gardens and seeing nature's handiwork in the intricate bark patterns on birch, coffee trees and more. Enjoying the stark contrasts and dramatic settings - bright red berries, red osier dogwood, vivid conifers against the snowy white backdrop.
- Saying hi to winter wildlife - wild turkeys, woodpeckers, tree sparrows, snow buntings, juncos and even a hardy robin or two. Most are visible through the Arboretum Restaurant windows.
- Discounts on holiday merchandise in the Arboretum Gift Store.
- Taking a Winter Wonders bus tour on weekends on Three-Mile Drive (noon & 1:30 p.m.; $3).
- Knit and stitch with the Arboretum auxiliary! Spend a winter morning by the fireplace, chatting, knitting or hand-sewing with the fabulous designers and crafters of the Arboretum Auxiliary. This event takes place on Wednesday, Jan. 8, from 10 a.m. to noon, in Snyder Building’s Fireplace Room. All levels of experience from beginners to advanced are welcome. Auxiliary members will share techniques and answer questions. For more information, call 612-625-9865.
- Free wi-fi! Bring your laptop and relax in the Restaurant.... your home away from home.
- Visiting the Snyder Building's Meyer-Deats Conservatory - filled with orchids, bromeliads and more!
- Learning how to raise backyard chickens! On Jan. 11, Tanya Bailey shares everything you need to know about this popular pastime. $40/$55. Visit website or call 952-443-1422.
- Free winemaking seminar! Minnesota Grape Growers Assoc. and the U of M Horticultural Research Center are hosting a free public seminar on growing grapes and wine production in Minnesota. It’s happening Saturday, Jan. 18, from 1:30 to 4 p.m. in the Snyder Auditorium. For info & registration visit this website.
- Bringing the kids for StoryTime every Thursday at 10:30 a.m. in Andersen Horticultural Library.
- Retreating to Andersen Horticultural Library, opening a few gardening books and catalogs and imagining the possibilities for your 2014 garden.
- Learn how to jump start your garden with grow lights (Jan. 18, 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.) or create a “pop-up” garden of edibles (1-3:30 p.m. Jan. 18). Instructor: Tim Kenny. Fee for each: $38 member/ $50 non-member. Register here or call 952-443-1422.
- Sipping hot chocolate by the Restaurant fireplace and tackling a jigsaw puzzle.
- While you're in the library, run your fingers over the handcrafted wood furniture by master furniture-maker George Nakashima and marvel at its beauty.
- Visiting the Marion Andrus Learning Center and enjoy the kid-friendly exhibits. Experiencing the Green Play Yard in its winter beauty.
- Hiking Three-Mile Drive to view our new Harrison Sculpture Garden in a snowy setting.
- Have you tried the Arboretum Restaurant's freshly baked, irresistible scones and macademia nut & white chocolate cookies? Indescribable!
- Enjoying a leisurely Sunday breakfast of delicious hot and cold fare - including omelets - at the Arboretum Restaurant from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. every Sunday through mid-March.
- Checking out the Arboretum Japanese Garden - the epitome of winter serenity.
- Honing your gardening skills through a “Science of Gardening” class on the biology of seeds with popular instructor Jim Calkins on Saturday, Jan. 25, 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Register here or call or 952-443-1422.
- “Winter is for the Birds”! Check out the birdhouses and birdseed at the Arboretum Gift Store.
- Renew your Arboretum membership or become a first-time Arboretum member. With each renewal or new membership, receive two free VIP admission passes! Memberships start at $49. Benefits include admission reciprocity at arboreta and gardens around the country
The Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, the largest public garden in the Upper Midwest and a premier northern arboretum, is part of the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences at the University of Minnesota and developed as a community and national resource for horticultural and environmental information, research, and public education. It is located nine miles west of I-494 on Highway 5 in Chanhassen.
