Monday, January 23, 2017

Birthday Adventure at the Kanapaha Botanical Gardens

Thanks so much for all of the sweet birthday messages! We spent the day at the Kanapaha Botanical Gardens in Gainesville, FL. We packed a picnic lunch and some snacks and headed out for an adventure (it’s only about an hour drive from our house).

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Now grab onto to this wild grape vine and we’ll swing over to my favorite garden.

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“The Children’s Garden”

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It was so whimsical and FUN!

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Everywhere you looked was something cute!

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We spent over 4 hours walking (some in the morning, most in the afternoon).

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They’re NOT real, Vee!!!

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And before we left, we walked BACK over to the children’s garden to look some more!

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AMAZING!

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What a FUN day!

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Hubby planned it as a surprise so that made it even more special! Thanks sweet hubby!

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I’m joining Mosaic Monday HERE.

35 comments:

eileeninmd said...

Hello, what a pretty garden, I love the children's section. Beautiful photos. So glad you had a happy birthday and a great surprise. Happy Monday, enjoy your new week!

Stacey said...

We love to visit gardens! I'm so glad you take us along. :)

Kim@Snug Harbor said...

I think I missed your birthday - Happy Birthday!!!

Ariadne said...

Many happy returns!What a great garden!I loved all the dragons!AriadnefromGreece!

Susie said...

Diane, I love all the statuary. I know kids would be crazy for all that. ..well me too. :):) That would be a fun hike. Blessings for a great week. Hope you did not have bad weather. xoxo, Susie

Maggie said...

What a treat to visit these wonderful gardens with you today, especially the Children's Garden full of surprises.
Happy Mosaic Monday.

Linda @ A La Carte said...

What a fun birthday surprise. I love the children's garden so much! Hugs!

The Joy of Home with Martha Ellen said...

Such a sweet surprise for your birthday, Diane. I love the dragons and the alligators. Your adventures are so exotic! I hope you are okay after the storms of yesterday. We are now getting tons of rain and so much wind. ♥

The Bear's Blog said...

♫ Happy Birthday ♫

Linda H said...

What a delightful spot to visit, especially for one's birthday! I too would have spent extra time in the Children's Garden. So glad you enjoyed your visit there, thanks for taking us along. I envy your location and the opportunity to visit gardens in the winter months. I would far rather look at green in the winter, than white...

Author R. Mac Wheeler said...

aw, too bad it's a bit of a haul up there from Tampa.

NanaDiana said...

What a GREAT place to visit. That is just a wonderful children's garden. How nice of hubby to surprise you with a visit to such a sweet place. Have a great week- xo Diana

Connie said...

Walking through a sunny park sounds amazing right now . . . we are iced in. Happy Birthday!!!

Red Rose Alley said...

What an enchanting place, Diane. The children's garden is so fun and interesting. Love those bunnies riding the bike hehehe. I'm glad you had a fun day on your birthday. There's nothing like a picnic lunch, is there?

love, ~Sheri

Poppy said...

Happy Birthday and Happy 2017, Diane!

Your birthday adventure sounds ideal; your hubby knows you very well! Love the rabbits on the bikes! Thanks for taking us along with you.

All the best in the new year!

Hugs,
Poppy

Ela said...

I love to visit gardens !! This garden is so beautiful !!
Greetings

Forest Dream Weaver said...

Looks like an interesting place to visit - love the rabbits on the tandem - someone must have had fun designing it!
Belated birthday greetings!
Wishing you another happy and creative week,
Ruby

podso said...

It looks like the perfect birthday outing for you. I'm sure children of all ages delight in that garden.

happyone said...

Such a lovely garden to spend the day in.
That sure is a big grape vine. We have lots of grape vines up at Happy Trails. I always say I'm going to try making grapevine wreaths but haven't gotten around to it yet.

Lowcarb team member said...

I am so pleased you had a great day.
It looks a fabulous place, especially the children's garden.

All the best Jan

Boopnut said...

Happy belated birthday! Looks like a wonderful place to enjoy it!

Vee said...

Very nice sculptures...now I KNOW they are not real. =D

BeachGypsy said...

Stopped in to see how your birthday was.....and looks like it was just wonderful! The gardens look so nice, love fun outings like that! Thanks for sharing the photos. I don't think I"d swing on the vine though....with my luck I would break it or slip off and go sailing through the air for 200 feet and land smack dab in the alligator pond!! ha ha LOL Neat place to go......now where did you have your birthday supper at??? Did you get something delicious to eat my friend?

Janey and Co. said...

I envy you being in Florida. We were in Naples for the week after Christmas and loved it. Pretty garden...oh and hope you had a very. Happy. Birthday.

Sam I Am...... said...

What a great birthday you had and what a beautiful park!

Linda said...

I want to go there!!! I'm coming to Florida in October!

Lorrie said...

The two hares on the bicycle really caught my eye. Such wonderful whimsy in the garden. I'm glad you clarified that the alligators weren't real. What a wonderful surprise your husband planned.
That's one amazingly thick grapevine, Jane. Did you find your Tarzan?

orchid0324 said...

Happy for you that you had wonderful time on your birthday at the BEAUTIFUL park♩ I truly enjoyed the different atmosphere of the garden from ours. Your collage is WONDERFUL and Yey such sweet husband of yours♡♡♡
Sending Lots of Love and Hugs from Japan to my Dear friend, xoxo Miyako*

Tammy@T's Daily Treasures said...

Belated birthday wishes. Love walking through beautiful gardens like that. We have to travel to find them though. Nothing like that here in Kuwait. Have a wonderful week. Tammy

Pam said...

How cute....lots of little surprises everywhere. That looks like a neat place. Thanks for sharing.

EL RINCON DE CHELO said...

Que precioso jardín, me encanta!!!

hula-la said...

What a wonderful outing! I enjoyed it very much! Thanks for sharing! Aloha!

Cherdecor said...

You are so blessed to live where you do and to enjoy such a wonderful birthday outing. Hope you are having a special birthday week!

Jenn Jilks said...

What an amazing garden!!!!

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

Oh gosh I just added another place to my 'must visit' list. Loved this.