Twice a week, my friends and I have a tradition of heading downtown to the Botanical Gardens.
We even bought memberships there so that my good friend and I do not have to pay admission each time my good friend and I go.
We pack a supper and spend a few hours there enjoying the foliage and beautiful flowers that they grow inside the big domed building. They even have several parakeets that nest inside year-round and it is nice to hear them singing as well. I have to say my number one part of going to the gardens is the fact that my good friend and I can do this year round even when it is cold and icy outside. It is a nice split from staring out at the frozen surroundings and when my good friend and I are inside the botanical gardens dome my good friend and I feel like my good friend and I are in the tropics instead. They have a entirely powerful Heating plus A/C system and humidifier which maintains the right atmosphere for growing the beautiful plants they have there. When you step inside it is like you went on vacation and in some ways I think I would like to live there during the winter. It is like a tropical rainforest in there and it just makes a person feel better to be surrounded by the warmth and moisture, then of course, during the summer time I do not enjoy that atmosphere nearly as much because it is overheated and muggy outside as well. During that time my good friend and I tend to spend our hours out in outside gardens fantastic in the shade instead of indoors. No matter the time of year the botanical gardens is a good place to hang out, read a book, or visit with friends. I highly recommend checking out these type of places in your part if you ever need a split from reality and want to feel like you are on vacation while you are still at home.