snowy arboretum

Yesterday when we woke up there was a generous dusting of snow on the ground. We went out to play a little, kicking it around, and even made a little snowman (more on that later). About 10 minutes after we came back inside, it started snowing again. And it kept on snowing for a while. I had the brilliant? crazy? idea of going to the arboretum in the snow. It was so magical and picturesque, and a lot of fun to walk through.

Yesterday evening I put together a mosaic of our fun times at the arboretum, through all the seasons. One of my goals last New Years' was to get memberships to lots of places and visit them often. We got memberships to the art museum, the zoo, and the arboretum. The art museum? not worth it. It pays for itself in 4 visits, and I don't think I've been there that many times. I wish I hadn't gotten one. I never go. I tried, but E was a little too difficult to motivate. And then all their kids' programs ended up being on Sunday. I never go by myself either. I suppose I could. There is a Cezanne exhibit down there I'd love to see. I think E might enjoy it more now. My FIL took him there at Christmas and he had a great time. But I think I might just go and pay for individual visits.
The zoo? Worth it. The day's admission is so freaking expensive, that it pays for itself in just a couple of visits. We hardly ever have time for a full day at the zoo, but we do have time for quick pop-ins, especially since we pass it frequently to go to E's speech therapy.
The arboretum? Pays for itself in 6 visits. We've probably gone about 30 times in the past year. Totally worth it! We were going weekly for awhile. And we'll probably continue to go there when the spring starts again. It's a bit cold now, unless you're up for crazy snow hikes. It's really close to our house, so it's easy to pop over there. The only bummer is that it closes so early. March-Nov, closes at 4 on weekdays and 5 on weekends (and at 4 the rest of the year). It would be such a nice place to have an evening stroll in the summer, but it's closed by then. We would probably be there every night if it closed later!
So in 2009, we'll definitely renew our zoo and arboretum memberships, but probably not the art museum. And we'll probably add the new and improved children's museum.