Looking to get outdoors before the winter chill is in full force?
Plan to visit the Fernwood Botanical Gardens in Niles.
While there are many things you can’t do there right now—like eat in the café, use drinking fountains or a complimentary wheelchair, dispose of trash, or go into the Adventure Garden, there is much you still can do.
Trails and the beauty of the outdoors can be explored. The Railway Gardens are open with limited visitation, and the visitor’s center is open, as well as the Sim’s Education Center. Plus, patrons can browse the gift shop. There also are live-streamed yoga classes.
To keep the number of visitors to what is allowed at this time, it’s recommended everyone who wants to visit should register online for a designated date and time. Members also are asked to pre-register online.
Hours for the Botanical Gardens, located at 13988 Range Line Rd. near the St. Joseph River, are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
Fernwood got its beginnings as the country home of Kay and Walter Boydston in 1941. In 1964, it became a public place thanks to the generosity of Lawrence and Mary Plym. Additional land purchases increased the size to more than 100 acres, offering an arboretum, prairie restoration and more gardens. The Mary Plym Visitors Center opened in 1989 and the Sims Education Center in 2018.
To learn more about the Fernwood Botanical Gardens or pre-register for tickets to enjoy a day in person, visit the Fernwood Botanical Gardens website.
