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Chanhassen, Minn. (Aug. 27, 2009) - Labor Day weekend (Sept. 5-7 this year) is the perfect opportunity to savor the fleeting joys of summer, to relax with friends and family and revel in the beauty of nature. Tight budgets and even tighter schedules have many Twin Citians eyeing destinations closer to home as they make their Labor Day plans. Here are the Top 10 reasons to spend Labor Day weekend at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum:
10. "Waterosity: Go Green with a Splash" Summer Exhibition! Check out the playful art installations and the informative Harvest Your Rain and The Cutting Edge on Lawn exhibits. Free walking tour offered every Saturday at 10:30 a.m. Continues through Oct. 4.
9. Family Weekend Fun: Marvelous Marsh. Drop in at the Marion Andrus Learning Center anytime between noon and 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday to learn all about cattails and other marsh plants. Make your own cattail creation to take home. Experiment in the WaterWorks Plant Lab! Free with Arboretum admission.
8. The "Amazing" Maze. Lose yourself in the Arboretum's permanent Maze Garden. Nestled in the pine tree collection on the Arboretum's Three-Mile Drive, the Maze Garden is a delightful natural puzzle formed by closely planted trees and shrubs that wind their way to hidden nooks, dead-ends and, if you're lucky, the final destination - a lookout tower. It was created for young and old by artist and landscape designer William Frost of Northfield.
7. Flowers on a stick! Stroll the gardens for breathtaking late-summer floral displays. The rose gardens, annual and perennial gardens offer new delights at every turn!
6. Terrace Dining or Pack a Picnic! The Newton Terrace is a lovely dining spot. Just grab a bite in the Arboretum Restaurant to enjoy al fresco on the terrace. Or pack a picnic lunch to savor at the Ordway Shelter or another Arboretum hideaway!
5. Under the Oak play area. Frolic with the kids at this natural play area shaded by an ancient, sprawling oak tree. Natural branches, twigs and trunks are used to create imaginative play areas such as "tea party" tables & chairs, forts, tunnels and stepping stones. Located behind the Marion Andrus Learning Center. 4. "Seeing our Nature" photography exhibit. Peter L. Johnson's "Seeing our Nature" photography exhibit challenges our perceptions and inspires us to ponder man's relationship with nature. On display at the Oswald Visitor Center's Reedy Gallery through Sept. 27.
3. AppleHouse! Located on State Highway 5, just 1 mile west of the Arboretum entrance, the AppleHouse is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily and offers an ever-changing supply of fresh apples and fall produce, including U of M introductions. (Hwy. 5 & Rolling Acres Road.)
2. Home Demo Gardens. Harvest bountiful ideas for next year's garden at these popular Arboretum display plots. This year's theme was Asian vegetables - great ideas for your next stir-fry or Chinese feast.
1. Narrated tram tours! Labor Day's all about putting your feet up and relaxing! Enjoy the wonders of the Arboretum's Three-Mile Drive from the comfort of an open-air, motorized tram complete with guided narration. Tickets are just $2.50 and may be purchased at the Oswald Visitor Center. Tram departs daily from the Oswald Visitor Center at 10:30 a.m., noon, 1:30 and 3 p.m.
Come spend Labor Day or any day at our state's natural treasure - the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum! For more information on the Arboretum, visit the website at www.arboretum.umn.edu or call 952-443-1400. Admission is $9 for adults; free for members and children ages 15 and younger. Beginning Sept. 3 and continuing through Oct. 31, admission is "2 for 1" (or half-price) after 4:30 p.m. every Thursday. (Ask about the "third Thursday" special.) The Arboretum is located in Chanhassen on State Highway 5, about 9 miles west of the intersection with Interstate 494. It is open every day, except for Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.
The largest public garden in the Upper Midwest, the arboretum is part of the University of Minnesota College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences and is a community and national resource for horticultural and environmental information, research and public education. It is located nine miles west of I-494 on Highway 5 in Chanhassen. The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity employer and educator. The Arboretum is disability accessible; the buildings are smoke free. For further information: www.arboretum.umn.edu.
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