Dow Gardens in Midland provides for a quiet place for a day walk

A bridge across a stream in Dow Gardens near the back of the park. 

With some spare time in between a wedding last weekend, my fiancé and I, along with her parents, wandered into Midland's Dow Gardens. The gardens, which house the home of Alden Dow, the founder of Dow Chemical, are a stunning visual during the summertime when the plants have bloomed.

One of several flowerbeds in Dow Gardens.

One of the many sculptures
in the gardens this summer.

The gardens are not what you'd expect with the name Dow, which is typically associated with chemicals manufacturing. The gardens sit on 110 acres on Midland's Eastman Avenue, the main road through town. It's not exactly camping, but its a great day walk through some of the scenery.

Areas such as the herb garden and the rose garden are stunning when in full bloom, which a myriad of colors. Other areas, such as the secret garden, which lay off the main trail, have a range of different ferns, shrubs and other wild plants.

Several sculptures from Michigan artists are scattered all over the garden, including several this summer featuring Great Lakes Bay Region artists.

For a day trip, it's a great one if you're looking for something different. The flowers, trees and vegetation are all labeled, so it is easy to determine the species of plant.

Several pieces of architecture also dot the park, including the bridge in the photo above. The Red Bridge allows for visitors to stroll across the streams and waterfalls constructed throughout.

Views like this are common walking through the park.

The paths were light with foot traffic the Saturday afternoon, which made it easy to navigate the area of the park we meandered through. My fiancé and I went to the gardens several years ago when were were students at Central Michigan University. Cost for students is $1, and general admission is $5, so the price is right to spend the afternoon if your looking to kill some time before a Great Lakes Loons game.