Along the way
Stop
and smell the roses – and lilies, bachelor buttons and daisies
by
Marilyn Jones
You’ve
been on the highway all day trying to get to your final destination just as
fast as possible.
It’s
exhausting.
Whenever
you stop for a meal — or for the night — ask the locals if there’s a public
garden nearby. A stroll along paths lined with colorful blooms and unusual
plants might just be the ticket for any road weary traveler in need of a
little relaxation.
Cape
Fear
Botanical Garden <
 Fayetteville,
NC,
is a beautiful laid-back city located along I-95. Among its many attractions
is the 79-acre Cape Fear Botanical Garden.
Nestled
between Cape Fear River and Cross Creek,
this garden features more than 2,000 varieties of ornamental plants along
with several specialty gardens including one especially designed for
children.
 The garden went from a grand
idea to becoming a reality in 1989 when a handful of Fayetteville gardening
enthusiasts came together, believing the community should have a botanical
garden of its own.
 In addition to the
cultivated gardens are preserved natural areas showcasing the region’s
indigenous plants, trees and wildlife.
Just
across from the botanical garden is the newly opened Riverside Dog
Park for your four-legged
travelers.
Dogs can
roam within six-foot high fenced areas at the five-acre park. There are
specific areas for small dogs weighing less than 25 pounds and other areas
for larger dogs.
 When Albert Fairchild
Holden, a mining engineer and executive, was considering Harvard University's
Arnold Arboretum as a beneficiary of his will, his sister Roberta Holden
Bole convinced him that Cleveland
also deserved its own arboretum.
 Holden passed away in 1913.
Nearly a century later, visitors find 3,500 acres of display gardens,
horticultural collections and nature trails making it one of the nation’s
largest arboretums. Flora and fauna from all over the world are displayed
along meandering trails and hiking trails.
 Holden’s sister, and his
two daughters, took an active part in creating the botanical showplace in
Kirtland
Township — the first 100
acres was donated by Roberta and her husband.
Dogs
also are welcome at The Holden Arboretum as long as they remain on a leash
while visiting, with the exception of the Myrtle S. Holden Wildflower
Garden.
Grounds For Sculpture
Mid-way
between New York City and
Philadelphia, it’s easy to find Grounds For Sculpture in Hamilton, NJ.
 It was in 1984 when J.
Seward Johnson, sculptor and philanthropist, envisioned a public sculpture
garden and museum in Hamilton.
The result has become one of the state’s most visited attractions.
Open
year round, guests will find a menagerie of modern sculpture, special
exhibits and unusual passageways created with hedges and other plants. Add
in three seasons of flowers and you have a fantasyland for all your senses.
 Construction began in 1989
on the site of the former New Jersey State Fairgrounds. It opened to the
public in 1992.
 More than 240 works —
including sculptures by renowned artists Clement Meadmore, Anthony Caro,
Beverly Pepper, Kiki Smith and George Segal — were all financed by public
tax-exempt bonds and private foundations associated with founder J. Seward
Johnson.
If
you go:
Fayetteville
Cape
Fear
Botanical Garden
is open all year with the exception of Sundays between mid-December to
February; and Christmas, New Year’s Day and the days surrounding these
holidays. There is a nominal admission fee.
For more
information check the website at
www.capefearbg.org.
For more
information about the Fayetteville
area, check the Fayetteville Convention and Visitors Bureau at
www.visitfayettevillenc.com. <
Good
budget hotel picks:
Innkeeper Cross Creek
website
Red Roof
Inn
website
Doubletree Hilton
website
Holden Arboretum is
located at 9500 Sperry Road
in Kirtland, Ohio, and is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
with the exception of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. There is a
nominal admission fee.
For more
information check the website at
www.holdenarb.org.
For more
information about Lake
County check the website
www.lakevisit.com. <
A
centrally located hotel is Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites LaMalfa. For
more information check the website
www.lamalfa.com.
Grounds
For Sculpture is located at 18
Fairgrounds Road in Hamilton, NJ.
The
garden is open Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. year round. It is
closed Mondays except Labor Day and Memorial Day, and is closed Thanksgiving
Day, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.
For more
information check the website at
www.groundsforsculpture.org.
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