If you’ve been touring the state of Texas and are now somewhere in the southeast and looking for a nice and quite place to relax, the Beaumont Botanical Gardens with the accompanying Warren Loose Conservatory might just be the place you need to visit. The city of Beaumont in Texas is already a place worth visiting; what with its Gladys City Boomtown Museum and the Clifton Steamboat Museum being two of many great places that deserve to be explored, and the Beaumont Botanical Gardens only cement that fact.
What are the Beaumont Botanical Gardens?
The Beaumont Botanical Gardens cover an area of 23.5 acres, and are considered a public garden. That is, they are open to the public every day and allow entrance free of charge. The Beaumont Botanical Gardens are also the only public gardens around this corner of Texas, and thus your best bet for a relaxing evening spent amongst nature’s finest exhibitions of flora.
The Beaumont Botanical Gardens happen to be situated upon a migratory route for birds, and so are great for birdwatching if you visit during the right time of year. The Beaumont Botanical Gardens are also known for the ‘Friendship Walk’, a paved walkway that connects the displays all over the gardens and is also accessible by wheelchair. The ‘Friendship Walk’ is also lined with frequent benches, so you can take a rest any time you feel like it.
The Beaumont Botanical Gardens wouldn’t be named that way if it weren’t for the impressive displays of plants dotted all across the place. From bromeliads, to roses, to camellias and exotic native plants, the Beaumont Botanical Gardens seem to have it all and are sure to delight people who love to frolic amongst various flowers and plants. The Gardens also feature a beautiful pond with a stone waterfall. This pond is home to the famous Japanese Imperial Koi fish in addition to turtles and ducks. Visitors can also feed the Koi or the turtles and ducks, which itself is a very entertaining pastime.
What is the Warren Loose Conservatory?
Situated in the Beaumont Botanical Gardens is the 10,000 square feet Warren Loose Conservatory. It is considered to be the second largest conservatory in a public garden in the state of Texas. The conservatory is home to plants from all kinds of regions. You will be able to see plants that are only found in rainforests, as well as plants that grow nowhere other than very arid parts of the world.
Some of the plants even have fruit growing on them, and others still are poisonous and should be approached cautiously if with small children. Ponds in the conservatory feature the Japanese Koi fish, as well as water lilies and goldfish. There are also sculptures of a pterodactyl and a brontosaur. The Warren Loose Conservatory also features a plaza that can be booked for functions of all kinds. The plaza, apart from the fact that it is built between such a serene and beautiful place, also faces an arbor, which only adds to a planned wedding.
When Were the Beaumont Botanical Gardens Founded?
The idea for a public garden in the city of Beaumont was floated around by the Beaumont Council of Garden Clubs, an organization that came into being in the year 1951, on the 12th of April. However, it wasn’t until 1968 that the Beaumont Botanical Gardens were first established. At the time, the Gardens consisted of only 10 acres of land from Tyrrell Park.
On the 20th of August, 1971, a building was dedicated as the Beaumont Garden Center Building, and the following year finally saw a master plan being drawn for the Beaumont Botanical Gardens. Though labelling of different flora and other work was then continued on the garden, it wasn’t until another 24 years that the Beaumont Garden Center finally became the Beaumont Botanical Gardens. And at last, in 1999, Beaumont awarded additional land to the Beaumont Botanical Gardens, bringing the total size up to today’s much more impressive 23.5 acres of land. The Warren Loose Conservatory on the other hand, had been founded two years prior in 1997, on the 7th of September.
Some Additional Information About the Gardens
The Beaumont Botanical Gardens, though open every day, only remain open during daylight hours and close early. The Gardens feature a ton of gorgeous exhibits outdoors, including but certainly not limited to, the Antique Rose Garden (established in 1987), the Modern Rose Garden (established in 1990), the Japanese Garden (established in 1991), the Native Plant Garden (established in 1992), and the Secret Garden (established in 2000).
The Beaumont Botanical Gardens also features several other locations on its ground apart from the Warren Loose Conservatory. One such location is the Binks Horticultural Center (founded on the 14th of February in 2000), and another is the Bob Whitman Propagation House (founded in 2001). Hurricane Rita in 2005 and then Hurricane Ike in 2008 both brought extensive damage to the Beaumont Botanical Gardens and the Warren Loose Conservatory. The walkways were damaged, trees were destroyed, and many plants died. In response, the damages were swiftly repaired, the plants and trees and replaced, and further improvements were made to make the Gardens and the Conservatory better than ever before.
Conclusion
The Beaumont Botanical Gardens might be your only choice for a public garden in a large portion of Texas, but that doesn’t mean they don’t try to be amazing in absence of any competition. The Gardens, their grounds and displays, as well the Conservatory are all well worth a visit where you take your time and take in everything there is to see, touch, and smell. And if you’re continuing on your tour of Texas, don’t plan on getting bored any time soon. Because there are plenty of things to do, and plenty of things to see.
