Brookside Gardens

I looked into this place for my wedding and was very impressed by the beauty of the location. Weddings (at least 6 years ago) were held inside in some conference room, so you want to have a nice day so you can have it outside, but the outside location was gorgeous. It's also fun to just walk through the gardens any day. more

Brookside Gardens is a wonderful morning trip with the kids. Right near the main entrance is the children's fair garden. There are flowers, a little house, a bridge and more to look at. There is a list of things to find hiding among the flowers. As you continue on, there is a gorgeous lake and an Asian inspired gazebo to explore. While resting there, we saw several families of turtles and some really big fish! We got some great photos! They have another area with more cultivated flowers and a 'wedding gazebo' which was great to get a picture under. They are well known for the butterfly garden, and they have guided presentations to teach you all you want to know. They offer a variety of classes year round, from summer scientific camps to storytelling with a bonfire. In the winter, they have a lighted winter garden (think Christmas lights) that you can walk through. We love brookside gardens - it's a great morning out with the family. more

I have a soft spot in my heart for this place because it is where my parents got married 28 years ago. Also we used to go here a lot as children with my grandparents. It is a small but peaceful garden that has a lot of little nooks and crannies to waste away the hours. The Greenhouse has a lot of exotic things to look at as well as the butterfly exhibit during the summer. I was actually pretty impressed by this display, as were the two ten year old kids that I brought along. The butterflies were flying right past us and we walked around trying to find our favorites. They also have a really lovely teahouse if you walk out beyond the gardens. This is a cool place to go watch the ginormous goldfish that swim in the lake; this is also a nice location for the kids to run around. Also worth noting is the garden's yearly light festival. Every winter they cover the garden trees and and lawns with tons of christmas lights. You pay by the car to get in but once inside there is a lot to see; this is a great way to get into the Holiday season. more

This is an okay afternoon or early morning outing. Kids will get bored after about an hour. All there is to do is walk through some flowers and maybe take a few pictures. There are also ducks that you can feed if you bring along some bread. Every summer they have the live butterfly show, which is a waste of money in my opinion. It's even more annoying because you can't bring your stroller into the netted area so you have to hold your little one and carry all the bags you brought with you. I'd say skip this altogether and go to the mall instead. more

If you've ever been to a botanical gardens park, you'll know what this park is like. Lots of paths through trees and bushes, all with little plaques saying what species they are. Lots of benches and grass to sit on, so pack a lunch. The "Wings of Fancy" butterfly exhibit has hundreds of butterflies indoors, and dozens of cocoons, so some butterflies are usually emerging. more