Pittsburgh`s Botanical Gardens Welcomes New Welcome Center

Jonah Hoy, Freelance Writer for Pittsburgh Area of Commerce: jphst300@mail.rmu.edu


With Springtime just starting, what better way to kick the bright and colorful season off than getting lost between some bright and beautiful foliage? 

With warmer weather and more people getting vaccinated, the gardens are gearing up for the upcoming warm weather season, with some new installments to the grounds.  The Pittsburgh Botanical Gardens have recently just opened up a new and exciting welcome center. 

The new welcome center debuted on April 1st, marking the sixth anniversary of the outdoor gardens being open. Development Director Beth Exton sat down to share her thoughts on the garden's new installment grand debut. 

"The new welcome center is a wonderful way to enter and exit all of our garden experiences. It provides the welcome desk for everybody, admissions help with guest services, and provides gathering space when coming to the garden in general." Beth highlighting only some of the many key factors the new welcome center opens up for the gardens. 

The new welcome center opens up its doors to a new cafĂ© where people can come for drinks and a light lunch. People also can sit outside or inside and not to mention being able to participate in the welcome centers own Education Center. 

The Education Center has its own collaborative opportunities to get more in touch and learn about all of nature's sides to be seen. Exton rattles off a few of the incredible opportunities the Education Center has to offer, "It could be a lecture, sometimes there are hands-on projects, but we have 6o acres opened to the public. This space is used for outdoor learning and especially our Garden of the Five Senses."

Exton tells why this immersive learning experience is so incredible, and it's not just for kids, it's for adults and everyone else too! "It is a great way just to get more connected with nature, there's a log rotting in one of the paths. You can take a magnifying glass and see what's growing and living inside." Exton shares hope that kids won't be hogging all the fun, "Very family friendly oriented, it's a place where you come and spend the day with the whole family."

While the botanical gardens are a place of learning and sharing the beautiful earth and all its green glory. It's also a place where making sure that this beautiful earth is being taken care of. 

With Education as a big emphasis, it's no surprise environmental conservation would be another big one too.  The land the gardens are built upon was polluted due to coal mining years prior. But the garden's efforts with acid mine drainage systems clean the water used in garden displays. They neutralize the acid water and make it livable for not only plant life but fish as well. So everyone can come out and enjoy the miracles the earth has to offer, right in our own backyard.


 




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