A Magical Place: The Fort Worth Japanese Gardens

As a little kid, we used to go on field trips to the Fort Worth Japanese Gardens and I remember the winding paths and the lush gardens feeling like a magical place.  When my husband and I were celebrating our first anniversary, a mere three weeks after the birth of our son, we couldn't go far, so we picked the Japanese Gardens to enjoy together.

We were just babies ourselves!  Sixteen years later and we are still enjoying this magical destination with our family.  So August might not be the best time to visit this garden in Texas because of the HEAT!  However, if you're looking to have the place all to yourself, August is a great time!

The winding paths, the creatively curving branches, and the ornate architecture throughout the gardens provide a wonderful destination for observing the curiosities of nature. Even though it was extremely hot, my family determined to enjoy ourselves as we explored.

There are many pond overlooks with dispensers of fish food to enjoy feeding the coi fish.

The arched bridge is one of my favorite architectural features of the garden.

Ellen was most intrigued with the bamboo!

I love handing my camera over to my kids to allow them to drink in the beauty with a different lens.  Additionally, it offers me an opportunity to see what they find beautiful.  As a side benefit, if they're taking pictures, they don't realize how long we've been there.  It's as if they get lost in the beauty and adventure of capturing the moment.

I love watching her slip into "photographer" mode!

And there is so much to capture.  Here are a few of my favorites from my little photographer:

The beauty of bamboo.

Giggling together as we watched this bird cleaning itself. She captured such a silly pose!

We marveled together at the hole at the trunk of a tree that was growing some interesting fungus.

The squirrels were very comfortable with people out there, so she captured a great close up of one!

We'll make it a point to return to the garden in the fall with our sketch notebook, a snack, and an afternoon to kill.

Betsy

Betsy Strauss is an unexpected homeschooler, mother of three, who is in a relationship with a sweet man for life. She loves reading books, drinking coffee, and learning anything with her kids.