Below are some ideas for outings you can take now, or soon, as follows:
Hang on, before you head over, double check that these attractions are open. As more and more states reopen, these open-air sites are likely to be some of the 1st that invite the public back.
Some of these places are open now, other phasing in reopening, but others may still be closed.
Botanical gardens
1. Denver — The Denver Botanic Gardens
The Denver Botanic Gardens is home to a huge collection of cold-weather plants and flowers that thrive in Denver’s high altitude. Don’t miss the Sam Mitchel Herbarium of Fungi — there are more than 20,000 specimens.
2. Phoenix — Desert Botanical Gardens
The Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix specialize in desert plants, including cactus species from around the world. If you are visiting after dark in October through May, check out the Electric Desert exhibit.
3. Coral Gables, Florida. – Fairchild Tropical Botanic Gardens
Stop by the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Gardens in Coral Gables, Florida., to check out exotic butterflies, rare orchids and a tropical fruit pavilion where you can see a durian fruit tree, vanilla orchids, mangosteen and cacao trees. Yum!
Sculpture gardens
4. Bentonville, Arkansas.– Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art
Tucked in the northeastern corner of Arkansas, the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art is an indoor and outdoor museum that is home to 3.5 miles of trails that showcase 20 works of art. Best of all? It’s free.
5. Milwaukee, Wisconsin.— Lynden Sculpture Garden
View 50+ pieces of modern art arranged across gently rolling lawn, woodlands and lake in Milwaukee at the Lynden Sculpture Garden. Keep an eye out for the polka dot cows grazing near the water’s edge.
6. New Windsor, New York— Storm King Art Center
The most famous sculpture park in the country, Storm King Art Center boasts 130 pieces spread over 500 beautiful acres. If you are looking for a day trip from NYC, New Windsor is a destination for you.
Street Art
Sure, Los Angeles and New York City have great street art. But you can find some incredible murals and artistic graffiti outside the big cities, too.
7. Fort Smith, Arkansas
Begun as a downtown revitalization project, Fort Smith’s street art has made the town of 87,000 a world-class destination for modern art. As of Y 2020, there are more than 30 pieces of outdoor art, including murals that cover 4-story grain silos and a 2-story owl.
8. Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis has a website devoted to their street art and helping you find it. Some favorites include a colorful portrait of Abraham Lincoln, a 3-story mural of Indianapolis native Kurt Vonnegut, and an illusionist mural designed to look like a butterfly-filled shadow box.
9. Sacramento, California
Sacramento’s street art is clean, well-maintained and incredibly Instagram-worthy. Some of the murals even have their own hashtag, like Maren Conrad’s dandelion mural #thewishingwall.
Literature walks
10. Boston, Massachusetts
Boston is filled with landmarks of literary importance, Edgar Allan Poe’s birthplace, the spot where Rodgers and Hammerstein wrote the title song for “Oklahoma!” and Nathaniel Hawthorne’s residence. Take yourself on a self-guided tour with this map.
11. Key West, Florida
We know that Ernest Hemingway made a home in Key West, but did you know the city also played host to Shel Silverstein, Tennessee Williams and Robert Frost? Take a guided tour or try a self-guided audio tour.
12. Iowa City, Iowa
Home to the world-renowned Iowa City Writers’ Workshop, it’s no surprise that Iowa City celebrates its literary heritage on its very sidewalks. The Literary Walk is “comprised of a series of bronze relief panels that feature authors’ words as well as attribution. The panels are visually connected by a series of general quotations about books and writing stamped into the concrete sidewalk.” You will find quotes from authors like Bill Bryson, Sandra Cisneros and John Irving.
Labyrinths
Labyrinths are the maze’s less complicated cousins, they have a singular path that leads to the middle. You cannot get lost. The result is something akin to a walking meditation rather than getting lost and frustrated.
13. Kansas City, Missouri— Glass Labyrinth, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
Triangular? Glass-walled? Intriguing! The Glass Labyrinth, at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City is 62 ft by 62 ft by 62 ft with see-through walls.
14. New Harmony, Indiana — Harmony Labyrinth
The Harmony Labyrinth is a shrub labyrinth that was built in the early 19th Century by the Rappites, an ultra-religious German society who used it for meditation and reflection. The Rappites took a vow of celibacy, so the group eventually died out, but the New Harmony-based labyrinth remains with free admission and a shortcut to the center for the more impatient among us.
Enjoy your outings…
