After we left the Aquarium, we walked over to the Botanical gardens. There was too much to see, so all we were only able to check out was a few areas of the different gardens. One of which was the Children's Fantasy Garden, which we could have spent the entire day exploring, playing in, and using our imaginations. We also walked through the gorgeous Butterfly Pavilion, too. The Railroad Garden, modeled after the Cumbres & Toltec railroad in northern New Mexico, was shut down during our visit, but we are excited to come back and see it in motion. We did just walk along the entire length of it and enjoyed looking at all the details of the buildings and landscapes.We wanted to visit the Heritage Farm area, Saguaro patio, Lava Beds, Mojave and Chihuahua desert gardens, Vinyards and Orchards, and the Mediterranean and Desert Conservatories. As well as walking the Nature Path, Vegetable Paths, Southwest Sandhills and Mountain gardens. There was just too much to see!
But the Children's Fantasy Garden was the most amazing, magical place, one that I just never expected. You enter through the gates of a castle wall, past a beautiful dragon sculpture, and then through the darkness of a cave filled with toadstools and hanging vines. Once through the caves , you can turn right and visit an oversized garden scene, complete with larger then life working watering can, garden hose, seed packets, scattered corn and beans, and planting pots. There is a surprising feature above your head as you come inside the garden area: a huge buzzing bee sculpture perched on a flower!
There are a couple ways to leave the gardening area. You can climb up and behind one of the flower pots, or you can walk below the huge buzzing bee again. But both ways lead you into a very twisty, fun termite maze, complete with larger than life-sized termites! When you look up you can see the remains of a huge rotten 'log'(think redwood size, and cannot help but wonder how to get up there (soon enough!)
The trail wanders past beautiful vegetation, flowers, and below a huge spider web, replete with a spider the size of a sofa! There are little hills and small caves to wander through, and an overturned hollow log with a very fast slide to go down. And in the center of the garden is a ginormous orange pumpkin, the size of a small house, which you can walk inside, touch it's rubbery walls and look up at the realistic looking seeds and 'guts' (as Jackson likes to call them). When you come out of the pumpkin there is a magical bamboo forest to meander through (my favorite!), which leads to a veggie garden, with carrots, tomatos, potatoes, and radishes as big as me! There were even rubbery, moveable, grubs to play with, that were the size of basketballs!
At the end of that veggie garden trail, you finally end up inside that huge rotten 'log'. It's as long as the engine of a train and even has a small bird or reptile nest, complete with broken eggs, inside.
When you walk to the end of the log, you have a vast view of the termite maze and some of the Botanical gardens, too. Very cool!
On the way out of the log and veggie garden, there is also a pretty castle garden to relax in and enjoy the flowers, as well as a sand pit inside one of the turrets of the castle for children to dig and play in. And then you exit the other castle gate and walk below the tail of the dragon, out into the rest of the Botanic Garden. Even though the Fantasy Garden states it is a Children's garden, it's such a special place for adults, too, who often feel big and unimaginative. It promises to bring out the child in every adult. It's a truly magical place. One we plan to come back to again and again.
And since it is included in the same generous membership as the Rio Grande Zoo and Aquarium, a Bio Park membership is one of those rare and amazing opportunities for all Albuquerque area families. So a Bio Park membership is on the top of our wish list, for sure!
