Parks and Recreation
Discover Mercer Arboretum & Botanic Gardens
March 26th, 2009 categories: Parks and Recreation
Encompassing over 300 acres of East Texas Piney Woods along Cypress Creek is the nationally recognized Mercer Arboretum & Botanic Gardens. On the east side of Aldine Westfield is where the over 20 acres of Botanic Gardens, courtyards, and the Visitors Center are located.
To avoid missing a single garden, stop by the visitors center and pick up a map. The map identifies the location and provides descriptions of the facilities 23 gardens including the herb garden, perennial garden, memorial fern garden, tropical garden, and Azalea Berms.
On the west side of Aldine Westfield is where the arboretum is located along with two playgrounds, a wooded picnic area with 58 picnic tables, Hickory Bog, Oxbow, Bald Cypress Pond with an observation platform and several miles of non-paved and well marked trails.
On numerous occasions, Rick and I have taken advantage of having such a top notch facility located within 15 minutes of our Spring Texas home. We will usually stop at a local deli shop for a sandwich and soda and start our afternoon by enjoying a picnic lunch at the arboretum side of Mercer’s Arboretum and Botanic Gardens.
After lunch, we head over to the Botanic Gardens to stroll its paths and discover what plants and flowers are blooming. Since Mercer Arboretum and Botanic Gardens provides plant labels through out its gardens it makes it easy for us to identify the names of the flowers.
view FULL images by clicking on the thumbnails
Mercer Arboretum & Botanic Gardens is open 361 days of the year. During the Summer, the Mercer Arboretum & Botanic Gardens are open Monday - Saturday: 8 am - 7 pm and Sunday: 10 am - 7 pm. During the Winter, Mercer is open daily from 8 am - 5 pm.
Admission is FREE. And I don’t know about you but I have always been able to afford FREE.
If you want to learn about some of the other wonderful Spring Texas parks, read:
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Gourley Nature Trail officially opens
December 4th, 2008 categories: Parks and Recreation
The Gourley Nature Trail is officially open. The 10-foot wide paved nature trail runs along Cypress Creek and connects Collins Park to Meyer Park, two of our largest and most coveted parks in Spring Texas.
Benches and trail signs are planned for the Gourley Nature Trail with funding being provided by the Cypress Creek Flood Control Coalition and Harris County.
The opening of the Gourley Nature Trail holds more significance than just connecting two of our parks. As it has the distinction of being the first official trail opening in the Cypress Creek Greenway.
The Cypress Creek Greenway project proposes to connect a series of new and existing parks along Cypress Creek and Little Cypress Creek with linear parks and trail systems. With the ultimate goal of providing a continuous link of green space from east of I45 to Highway 290.
During one of our recent Sunday in the Park outings, Rick and I stumbled upon the Gourley Nature Trail. We said to each other “I wonder where this trail leads?”. And we set off on our journey of discovery. We were excited when we discovered that the trail connected two of our favorite parks. And we are thrilled to find out that the trail is part of a much bigger project to create nature trails in Northwest Houston.
Our area just keeps getting better and better. As we add one more reason to add to our list of Top 20 Reasons to live in Spring Texas. I guess we need to change that to 21 Reasons.
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Sundays in the Park
November 2nd, 2008 categories: Parks and Recreation
With our weather being near perfect, this is one of my favorite times of year to live in Spring Texas. We have very little rain and low humidity. And the temperatures hover between highs of 75 - 80 degrees with lows of 55 - 60 degrees.
The real estate market is also slower, providing Rick and I an opportunity (ie.. not the usual “don’t have time” excuse) to enjoy the beautiful weather. So with no more excuses, I decided that next Sunday, we were going to have a picnic lunch and enjoy a couple of hours in one of our many Spring Texas parks.
I am ashamed to admit that I drive by our parks numerous times a week but rarely do I make the time to visit them. Well, that has now changed. For the last 3 Sundays we have packed a lunch and headed to a different park in the Spring Texas area. We have picniked at Meyer Park, Collins Park, and now Mercer Arboretum & Botanic Gardens.
With each park containing different amenities, its hard to say which park is the BEST park. I think it really depends upon which activity you want to do at the park.
If I wanted to play or watch soccer, I would definitely choose Meyer Park. Meyer Park has 26 soccer fields and on a Sunday afternoon the fields are a buzz with activity. We did notice that finding a parking spot can be a little challenging during the 2:30 - 3:00 pm time frame which is between soccer games. Meyer Park also has wonderful paved trails for bike riding, roller blading, or just walking your dog.
If you are a fisherman, you will want to check out the park’s 3 acre lake that is stocked with fish. Since I am not much of a fisherman or a fisherwoman for that matter, I did not do any fishing. But I did enjoy walking around the lake and watching the turtles sun bathe. The picnic tables are plentiful. As we had more difficulty deciding upon the ideal one than actually finding one.
View photos of Meyer Park.
If I wanted to watch baseball, I would choose Collins Park. Collins Park is home to the Spring Klein Girls Softball League and has 5 softball fields and 4 baseball fields. Games were taking place on each of the baseball fields the Sunday we visited the park. Numerous gatherings and birthday parties were also taking place in the park. I was particularly envious of one of the gatherings. Because I smelt the most lip smacking barbecue chicken and the sad part was I was not invited. Instead I had to be content with my cold sandwich from Jimmy John’s. Jimmy John’s makes a good sandwich but it didn’t smell nearly as good as that chicken.
View photos of Collins Park.
Today Rick and I picnicked at Mercer Arboretum & Botanic Gardens. We liked the picnic areas of Mercer the best of the three parks. The tables were located at the edge of the woods and provided us with more of a rustic woods setting than a park setting. If that makes any sense at all. After lunch, we went exploring the trails. The trails are non-paved and well marked. So we did not have to leave a bread crumb trail to find our way back.
We decided to take the trails to the Bald Cypress Pond, the Oxbow, and the Hickory Bog. The Bald Cypress Pond and the Hickory Bog both have benches which we used to sit for a while and take in the scenery. That is until Rick said we had to go because he was getting eaten by mosquitoes. He wore a short sleeve shirt while I on the other hand wore a long sleeve shirt. Next time we go to Mercer Arboretum and Botanic Gardens to walk the trails, how much do you want to bet me my husband will be wearing a long sleeve shirt?
Which park will we be at next Sunday? I don’t know yet. But if you want to join us give me a call at 281.804.8626 and we will meet.
If you want to view Spring Texas homes next Sunday, we can do that too. But we will have to wait until 2 pm because I am enjoying my Sundays in the Park until then.
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Let’s go fishing at Meyer Park in Spring Texas
January 10th, 2008 categories: Parks and Recreation
Your chances of catching a fish at the lake in Meyer Park in Spring Texas will increase after January 11th, 2008. On Friday, Harris County Precinct 4 will have its annual trout stocking event. Meyer Park’s 1 acre lake will receive 2,000 youth trout courtesy of Harris County Precinct 4 and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
The youth trout will be joining the catfish and other trout that currently call Meyer Park home. Anglers under the age of 17 enjoy FREE fishing. Each anlger is limited to a daily catch of five trout. But there is no minimum length limit. Anglers 17 or older will need to purchase a $5 freshwater fishing stamp and have a valid Texas fishing license.
What a great way to spend the day. When is the last time that you spent the day fishing? If you can’t remember then it has been too long. Grab your pole and go cast your line at Meyer Park in Spring Texas.
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Discover Meyer Park in Spring Texas
November 26th, 2007 categories: Parks and Recreation
As you drive down the tree lined esplanade of Cypresswood just west of Stuebner Airline you come across one of our most prized parks in Spring Texas, Meyer Park. The sooner you discover this gem the better.
Meyer Park is a 286 acre park with 26 soccer fields with 10 of them being lighted. Who knew that Soccer had such a huge following in Spring Texas? Come out to the park on a Sunday and you too will be saying “Sundays are for Soccer”.
If your child is interested in playing soccer, contact the Klein Soccer Club. They offer organized recreational soccer for children pre-k through 19 years of age.
Meyer Park has a three acre fishing lake for catch and release fishing. Its a great place to drop your line and hopefully you will get a nibble. If fishing is not for you, you can enjoy the duck pond and feed the many geese and ducks that call it “home”.
Discover Meyer Park through photos by clicking on the thumb nail photos below
If you desire to get a little closer to nature, take a walk on one of Meyer Park’s unpaved trails. If you are looking for a great place to roller blade, ride your bike, walk, jog, run, or walk your dog, Meyer Park has numerous paved trails to accommodate you. After you have worked up a thirst, stop by the concession stand and purchase a frozen lemonade for $2.00 that will freeze your brain and cool you off at the same time.
A park should be a place for people of all ages to be kids or at least to be able to act like kids. When was the last time you climbed a tree just because it was there. Meyer Park in Spring Texas has numerous pavilions, picnic tables, and barbecue grills all the things you need to host a birthday celebration for that special someone. If you want to reserve a pavilion contact the Parks Reservation Office at 281.353.4196.
Let’s not forget the playground equipment for the kids, because after all isn’t all about the kids. There is something special about watching children play as they ask you to push them higher and higher. Enjoying the day at Meyer Park is just one of the many fun things to do in Spring Texas.
If you are wanting to live close to Meyer Park, consider searching for a home in the Spring Texas neighborhoods of Champion Forest, Wimbledon, Wimbledon Champions, or Kleinwood.
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Discover Collins Park in Spring Texas
November 19th, 2007 categories: Parks and Recreation
As you drive down the tree lined esplanade of Cypresswood about 1/10th of a mile to the east of Stuebner Airline you come across one of Spring Texas’s largest baseball field parks. Collins Park is a 55 acre facility with 5 lighted softball fields and 4 lighted baseball fields.
Collins Park is home to the Spring Klein Girls Softball League. The Softball League has been developing the character of young girls for 30 years. The Softball Leagues is in its 18th year of hosting the Ronald McDonald Tournament and NFCA (National Fast Pitch Coaches Association) Camp.
The Ronald McDonald Tournament is a charity event that over the years has donated over $200,000 to the Ronald McDonald House of Houston. The NFCA Camp is attended by college coaches from across the nation looking for players to fit into their college softball program. In 2006, over 100 college coaches attended the camp. Could a softball college scholarship be in your girl’s future?
Collins Park in Spring Texas has more than just baseball fields though. There are Soccer fields, Sand volleyball, and a lighted Basketball court. And paved trails that follow the path of Cypress Creek and connect Collins Park to Meyer Park.
View full images of Collins Park by clicking on the thumbnails
Collins Park has something for kids of all ages to enjoy. There is a playground designed for children ages 2 to 5 and a more adventurous playground for kids ages 5 to 12. Pack a picnic and make a day of it at the park. Your kids will love it and so will you. Looking for a place to hold your child’s next birthday party? Why not Collins Park. Pavilions with picnic tables and BBQ grills are waiting for you.
The park has a Skatepark with mini ramp and fun boxes for your children to master their dare devil tricks. There are benches for you to sit and watch with the band-aids ready just in case. Spending the day at Collins Park is just one of many fun things to do in Spring Texas.
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Spring TX Arboretum & Botanic Gardens - Always in Bloom!
July 12th, 2007 categories: Parks and Recreation
Whether you are just coming to visit or you have made your home in Spring TX, a place you will want to discover is Mercer Arboretum & Botanic Gardens. It is located between 1960 and Cypresswood and Aldine Westfield a short 10 minute drive off of I45.
I discovered the Mercer Arboretum a couple of years ago. My parents were coming to visit me in Spring TX and I needed to find some points of interest that were close by. Since my father is a Master Gardener, I knew anyplace that had a lot of gardens would certainly be a place he would enjoy. Mercer Arboretum has a picnic table, trail, and playground just across the street from the entrance. We packed a lunch and had a peaceful picnic underneath the trees.
After lunch we proceeded across the street to enjoy the Botanic Gardens. Much to our surprise, there was no entrance fee. It was Free! The Botanic Gardens encompasses over 20 acres of developed gardens, including herb, ginger, day lily, color displays, and extensive walking trails. We walked the paths and then sat down on one of the numerous benches through out the gardens and just took in the scenery. We had a wonderful time and at the end of day I walked away with some inspirations for my own garden in Spring TX.
The Mercer Arboretum & Botanic Gardens is a place not to miss. In addition to strolling the gardens at your own pace, they also have planned events that are sure to help you become a better gardener. The details on their events can be found at www.hcp4.net/mercer
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