The Arboretum at Penn State

The Arboretum at Penn State

                The Arboretum is one of the most beautiful aspects of the Penn State campus.  The endless amounts of exotic plants and flowers is enough to keep anyone entertained for at least a little while, even if they are not a nature lover.  Some of the sights at the arboretum are unlike anything I have ever experienced; such as the map of Pennsylvania engraved into slate, or the pond filled with lily pads and some of the most unique flowers I have ever seem.  Witnessing all of these sights was definitely a great experience that I would recommend to anyone.

                I have never actually been inside the botanical garden at the arboretum.  I have passed it numerous times but never taken the time to see what was inside.  The sights were definitely more interesting than I expected.  Nature has never really grabbed my attention because when I think of nature I think of a boring forest or a simple lake.  These are not very exciting places to be which is why I have never gone out of my way to experience the arboretum.  However after walking around the arboretum for a few minutes, I realized that this was easily more captivating than what I anticipated.  The map of Pennsylvania was the first thing to catch my attention.  It was a large map engraved into a slate with detailed rivers, and names of towns all included.  This blew my mind because I have never seen anything like this before, and I was also amazing that someone was able to create such a detailed and accurate map like that while engraving it into a slate.  The next thing that caught my attention was the different types of plants they had there.  Many were flowers I had never seen before.  They almost looked fake because that’s how colorful and exotic they looked, and many of these flower also felt very hard, which made them feel even more fake.  One of my favorite parts was the little wooden shed/walkthrough that had giant squash hanging from the ceiling.  This was certainly very aesthetically pleasing to walk through because it was a beautiful sight that is hard to find anywhere around here besides the arboretum.

                The arboretum was unlike anything I have ever experienced before, and I would definitely recommend visiting it to anyone.  Everyone should experience the sights there at least once, because it is the only thing like it around here.  The different types of plants could not be found anywhere else.  I certainly have never seen anything like it before.  However, I am not sure if I’ll ever take the time to go back.  I probably wouldn’t go out of my way but if I’m free for an hour or so and my friends wanted to check it out I would without a doubt go.  The reason why I wouldn’t go out of my way is because I have experienced it before, and it’s not like they are going to change the plants or exhibits.  It will remain the same, and one experience is sufficient to me.  However the arboretum was still an excellent place to go to experience how beautiful nature can be.