This is Spring Break for me and the kids. A long Spring Break at that. Two weeks. So the kids and I decided to hit the road, see the sights and make a journal of sorts of the best places to “Break The Spring Fever” in Arizona. For the next couple weeks if you see the image below you know that is one of the top destinations to check out for Spring Break in Arizona that are kid friendly, fun and perfect for breaking out of the spring fever blues!

Our first day for breaking out of our Spring Fever was the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, Arizona.

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About Desert Botanical Garden (from website)

Nestled amid the red buttes of Papago Park, the Desert Botanical Garden hosts one of the world’s finest collections of desert plants. One of only
44 botanical gardens accredited by the American Association of Museums, this one-of-a-kind museum showcases 50 acres of beautiful outdoor exhibits. Home to 139 rare, threatened and endangered plant species from around the world, the Garden offers interesting and inspiring experiences to more than 300,000 visitors each year.

A charter member of the Museum Association of Arizona and National Center for Plant Conservation, the Garden is fully accredited with the American Association of Museums and American Association of Botanical Gardens and Arboreta. It continues to build on its 70-year legacy of environmental stewardship, and has become nationally and internationally renowned for its plant collections, research and educational programs.

The minute that the kids and I pulled up to the Desert Botanical Gardens they were thrilled. They saw all the plant life and that it was outside and were in HEAVEN! The staff at the ticket counter were amazingly friendly. They gave us the stickers for the butterfly exhibit which is about $3.50 extra and only going on until May 9th, 2010. The kids with their choice and at no extra charge get “Desert Detective” papers and a pencil. During your visit at the Gardens they get to search out each item on this pamphlet and make check marks. At the end you hand your pencil back into the admissions box office and receive a prize! How fun is that?!

The kids and I walked every trail, reading the signs and learning all about the beautiful plants and wildlife around us. We especially liked the Plants & People of  the Sonoran Desert Trail as the signs told us which plants could be used for construction, food, medicine and more. The kids envisioned themselves living in the huts and houses set up along the trail (that you CAN walk through) and what it would be like to live sans computers, toys, and fast food restaurants. They were able to practice grinding up mesquite beans like there were making something worthwhile! It was a beautiful day so I sat and watched and let them enjoy the fresh air and a little education (unbeknown to them!)

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A second running for favorite part was definitely the butterfly exhibit. The kids walked in and Tristan was actually pretty nervous. The staff again was extremely kind and helpful and spoke to the kids and catered to them. Such a plus! We were there for them not me (though admittedly I liked the idea of wearing them out!). But once you walk inside this beautiful exhibit you see plants, flowers and butterflies galore. You have to be careful where you walk as to not step on them and don’t brush them off if they land on you. Land on you they will, Brodie had a beautiful orange butterfly land on her back and hang out with her the entire time as we were walking inside the exhibit.

It was a freeing experience to just sit and watch these beautiful creatures flutter about and you could feel the butterflies in the kids’ stomach as they knew that one would land on them soon and they would get an up close and personal experience with it. You know we all tried as hard as we could to catch a butterfly when we were younger!

Brodie enjoyed walking through finding and naming each butterfly with the pamphlet she got before we entered into the exhibit.

So this summer if you are looking for a way to break out of the spring fever and break into some fun or education, check out Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix, Arizona.

For Ticket information and to plan your visit.

And for even more fun, become a member and support Desert Botanical Gardens.

Desert Botanical on Twitter @dbgtweet

Fan and connect with them on Facebook!

Enjoy the slideshow and beautiful images and for more places to visit in Arizona visit our guide section!

*sponsored by Desert Botanical Garden – Phoenix, AZ*

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