Disappointing Experience

I can sum up the Houston Arboretum & Nature in 4 words:  ELEMENTARY SCHOOL FIELD TRIP!

For those of you that want to know more, it is a place inside Memorial Park that is free of charge.  However, after walking this location, I would have felt ripped off had I paid more than a couple of bucks as it was in very bad shape.

Behind the Nature Center, there is a "tangled mess" of trails.  The Outer Loop trail defines the perimeter and several other trails criss-cross throughout the interior.  On the day I went, parts of the Outer Loop trail were closed because they were resurfacing them.  This didn't make a lot of sense to me because all they were doing was putting fresh dirt over the old dirt and gravel and making it a bit more smooth.  I couldn't see the value in doing that since the old dirt and gravel was easy to walk on.

I was expecting the be "Wow'ed" with lots of tree exhibits, interesting ecosystems, and exotic wildlife.  What I saw was a bunch of dead trees, many of which had fallen over or broken, and fake turtles in the lily pond.  There was no more wildlife or birds than I see on my hikes outside the arboretum.  According to their website, apparently the 2012 drought caused a loss of 50% of the tree life and enabled some invasive species to make their way into the arboretum.

One far point, called the Couch Birding Trail takes you to a lookout amongst the trees along Buffalo Bayou.  Problem was there were no birds and you could hardly see the bayou.  Everything kept turning up short of expectations.

I had hoped to spend a few hours here learning and enjoying the grounds, but I ended up leaving in 40 minutes.  This looks like a place where Elementary Schools take field trips to get the kids out of the classroom and teach them about nature.  Kids might like it, but I didn't.  I hope this place can rebound and make a comeback.