“What is this place?” Tanner asked as the car pulled into the parking lot. There were giant palm trees of all types lining the walkway, sitting in enormous pots. The car rolled to a stop and Tanner, Dallin and Grandma got out to look around. The three of them slowly approached the entrance of the San Diego Botanical Gardens.
The truth was, Grandma didn’t really know the answer to Tanner’s question. She had come down to San Diego last minute to help entertain the boys while SarahLynn was suffering from a back injury. All the top-rated attractions in the area were closed due to the Covid19 Pandemic. Grandma was thrilled to find that this place was marked “open” and it was tagged as family-friendly.
The curious trio walked up a dirt path to a big greenhouse. A kind lady welcomed them into the park. Once inside, they saw flowers on the left, fluffy bushes on the right and colorful mosaic benches all around. Then, they came to a clearing.
“What the heck?!” Tanner and Dallin exclaimed.
Standing in front of them was a towering playground, made out of wood, concrete and fake trees. There were netted bridges, climbing walls, and a cool look-out point at the top. It was tree-normous!
The two boys wasted no time discovering ways to climb all over the tree fort. They called to grandma from all of their hiding places as she tried to get pictures of them.
The adventures didn’t end there. Another clearing revealed fallen logs and skinny dirt paths. Grandma exclaimed, “Hey, this can be a giant obstacle course!” The boys loved the idea and quickly got to work deciding what type of challenges can be placed throughout the course.
After the obstacles were established, Grandma set up her camera to film and time the boys. “On your mark, get set, GO!!” she hollered. Tanner ran as fast as he could. He finished in 51 seconds. Next, Dallin raced through and got the same time!!
Grandma’s adventurous spirit kept the boys going and going, exploring all over the gardens. They found jumbo chairs, a music making garden, real banana trees, an adobe playhouse and a place to build their own shack.
