2014 marks the 30th anniversary of the Dallas Arboretum’s major floral festival Dallas Blooms with the theme “Birds in Paradise.” The festival is supported by Park Place Dealerships and Celebrity Cruises. Dallas Blooms begins on February 22, 2014, and runs through April 6, 2014. The garden explodes with color as more than 500,000 spring-blossoming bulbs burst, and the beloved peacock topiaries return to spread their colorful petal tails in the Jonsson Color Garden.
Brian Shivers, Dallas Arboretum board chairman, said, “Dallas Blooms is the Southwest’s largest floral festival with both local residents and out of town visitors who come to enjoy the breath-taking gardens. USA Today has named Dallas Blooms one of the ‘top 10 things that make you say ahh,’ and we invite the community to visit this spring.”
Dallas Blooms features tulips, daffodils, Dutch Iris and hyacinths, pansies, violas, poppies and thousands of other spring-blooming annuals and perennials. The finale of this spring celebration is the mass flowering of the garden’s collection of 3,000 azaleas that bloom through the end of April.
As part of Dallas Blooms, the Dallas Arboretum also launches its Bird House Exhibit, life-size playhouses designed by local architects to complement this year’s theme, Birds in Paradise. This creative exhibit is located in the Lakeside Exhibit Area. Children can play in these bird houses, while learning about bird predators, bird adaptations, how they find they prey, how they camouflage themselves and survive, how they migrate, how they create nests, lay eggs and more.
Throughout the festival and beyond, there are multiple events to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Dallas Blooms.
Mommy and Me Mondays & Tiny Tot Tuesdays: February 24– April 6
Mondays & Tuesdays, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. at the Lakeside Exhibit Area
Children’s activities include face painting, petting zoo, nature art, and Kindermusik
In case of rain, check the website, Facebook or call 214.515.6500 the morning of the event. Activities may take place indoors.
Bird House Exhibit: February 22 – April 6
Open daily, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. at the Lakeside Exhibit Area
See above for details.
Hanami: Cherry Blossom Viewing: Sunday, March 16: 12:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Located in the Pecan Grove, this Cherry Blossom viewing has become an annual tradition and the welcome of spring, with special thanks to the Japan American Society.
Rory Meyers Children’s Adventure Garden: February 22-December 31
Open daily, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. at the north end of the Arboretum
Learn about birds from Stump the Tree, a costumed character who walks along the Texas Skywalk, a 240-foot walkway that takes visitors through the treetops. Look through the scopes on the Oasis and the Energy Tower to see all the migrating birds on White Rock Lake. Visit the 9,100-sq. ft. Exploration Center to solve CSI-inspired mysteries about birds. Watch “See the Unseen,” a spin browser that captures amazingly close details of a hummingbird in flight, pollen on a bat and more. Discover what birds are lurking through the Wildlife Blind in the Texas Native Wetlands. Identify various bird calls, along with bird and animal tracks, along the Dripping Springs Trail. Be sure to look for costumed character Eddie the Educated Eagle found in the larger-than-life eagle’s nest to learn about habitats.
Easter Activities:
Good Friday Children’s Concert & Activities: Friday, April 18, 2014: 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.
Martin Rutchik Concert Stage, Dallas Arboretum
The Dallas Arboretum celebrates Good Friday with two concerts by Eddie Coker at 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Children’s activities include face painting and a petting zoo. DallasChild is the concert sponsor.
Artscape: Saturday, April 26 & Sunday, April 27: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Pecan Grove, Dallas Arboretum
Delight in the joy of spring when Artscape, the Dallas Arboretum’s juried fine art and fine craft show and sale, features outstanding artists from around the country. All artwork is of or about nature and the show features a variety of mediums including painting, sculpture, 2D and 3D mixed media, photography and more.
Cool Thursdays Concerts: April 10 – July 3: Gates open at 6:00 p.m.
Cool Thursday Concerts at the Arboretum return this spring, summer and fall with new and exciting national cover bands and some of the Metroplex’s best food trucks. The 2014 series will feature returning favorites such as Emerald City and the Molly Ringwalds as well as new acts like The Official Blues Brothers Revue, produced by Judy Belushi Pisano and Dan Aykroyd. Wells Fargo is the 2014 Cool Thursdays Sponsor.
Seated Tea: February 24-April 4
A favorite during Blooms is the Spring Festival Tea held at the Restaurant DeGolyer by Gil’s Elegant Catering from February 24 through April 4, 2014. Seatings are available at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., Monday through Friday in the DeGolyer Tea Room. Reservations are required and can be made by calling 214.515.6511 or online at http://dallasarboretum.org/dining/seated-teas. The seated tea is only for adults and children ages 13 years and older.
Discounts:
Group discounts for 20 or more are available with advance registration by calling 214.515.6520. C.C. Young is the Senior Thursday sponsor.
For more information on Dallas Blooms’ 30th anniversary, Artscape and other events, call 214.515.6500 or visit the Arboretum’s website at www.dallasarboretum.org
About the Dallas Arboretum
The Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Gardens is located on the southeastern shore of White Rock Lake at 8525 Garland Road, Dallas, Texas 75218. The Dallas Arboretum is also the home of the internationally acclaimed Rory Meyers Children’s Adventure Garden. The Arboretum is open daily from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. General admission is $15 for adults, $12 for seniors 65 and older, $10 for children 3-12 and free for Arboretum members and children two and under. There is an additional cost of $3 per person for entrance into the Rory Meyers Children’s Adventure Garden. On-site parking is $10. The Dallas Morning News is the principal partner of the Dallas Arboretum. The Arboretum is supported, in part, by funds from the Dallas Park and Recreation Department. WFAA is an official media sponsor for the Dallas Arboretum.