A Place of Beauty Peace and Enlightenment

Published by admin | Filed under education, recreation, science

Through a book published long ago, Shangri La became a term denoting imaginary “paradise on earth.” It is a term you’re likely to associate with the Garden of Eden, with utopia, or with “heaven on earth.” It is a word that evokes feelings of peace, bliss, contentment and quiet joy. Now, there is a place in the city of Orange in Texas where you can gain your very own Shangri La. Go and visit the Shangri La Botanical Gardens & Nature Center, and you will finally understand what “paradise on earth” actually looks like.

The Shangri La Gardens and Nature Center is true to its word. It is a sprawling mix of different gardens. There is the Line Garden, the Hanging Garden, the Shape Garden, the Texture Garden, and the Color Garden. These gardens are sure to captivate you and capture your children’s imagination. The facility is also most definitely a nature center. It has, first of all, a Nature Discovery Center and the interactive laboratory where you will gain deeper insight into the ecosystem. You can take a walk along the Adams Bayou, then go exploring on a pontoon boat. There is also a heronry and a Ruby Lake vantage point (among others) for bird watchers.

The 252-acre Shangri La Gardens and Nature Center is a brainchild of the Nelda C. and H.J. Lutcher Stark Foundation. The project was started sixty years ago so what you’ll see now is the fruit of almost one generation’s amount of loving dedication and commitment from the Starks. It all paid off when the Shari La Gardens and Nature Center became one of the few who has ever been awarded the Green Building Council’s Platinum certification for LEED®-NC – a mark that Shangri La Gardens and Nature Center has satisfied the highest eco-friendly and green building requirements and performance benchmarks.

Come to the City of Orange, Texas, now, and get a taste of Shangri La.