Morris Arboretum, a little explorers paradise

One of the most beautiful places to visit with kids in Philadelphia is the Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania. Formerly an estate home and now an official arbortetum of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the Morris Arborteum offers many opportunities to kids and families to explore and learn about nature. 

We have a family membership to the arboretum so that we can visit frequently.  Today, the week before the official start of spring, was absolutely beautiful and a perfect day for a trip to the arborteum.  We met our favorite family of girls and had a little picnic on the "Rapunzel" gazebo.  The kids had a blast running around and creating thier own little games of fun.  They enjoyed exploring the Log Cabin and the bird's nest on Out on a Limb, an incredible exhibit!

Because it is still technically winter, the fountains, water features, and some of the rest rooms were still not operational.  The train exhibit was also closed, but is set to reopen Memorial Day weekend and we can hardly wait!  The model trains in the garden railway are just amazing.  Each year they are set to a different theme and at Christmas time they open for a few weeks to celebrate the winter holidays.  My son LOVES the trains!  They even have several Thomas trains and special Thomas weekends during the summer.

We are looking forward to many more visits to the arboretum now that the flowers are blooming and sunny days are ahead!