An afternoon at the Arboretum
girl playing at landscape arboretum with tulips blooming

We spent Friday afternoon at the Minnesota Landsape Arboretum outside Chaska taking in thousands of brilliant tulips. A total of 38,000 bulbs have been planted there, and now is the time to go! 

The daffodils are also in bloom, and the crabapple trees have blossomed, casting their perfume across the gardens. Throw in a favorable forecast for the week, and you’ve got the recipe for a lovely family outing. (Kids get in free; adults 16 and up pay admission)

The girls loved prancing around in their new Frances Rose “Jane” dresses. (Perfect name,  I must say!) 

The fountains were as big a draw as the glowing tulips. 

I didn’t realize what a wide variety there are, from the classic bulbs to the lily-flowered tulips to the wide ones that resemble peonies. 

The trees are reason alone to take in the Arboretum’s 1,137 acres

If May has you feeling frazzled, this enchanted space will allow you to slow down and savor spring.


 Christina Ries is a freelance writer who lives with her husband and three young children in Inver Grove Heights. 

Photo: Minnesota Landscape Arboretum/ Erika E Photopgrahy