To The Leader

Every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center will be hosting family-friendly educational programs from September 15 until November 17.  These programs are free.

RSVP by calling 409-670-0803 or registering online at shangrilagardens.org.

Saturday Adventure Series Programs and Schedule

• September 22: Bug Off: Keeping Insects at Bay the Natural Way

The heat may be fading, but the mosquitoes sure aren’t! Join us for this family-friendly program to discover which plants can keep your family bite-free this fall. You will even get to ‘make and take’ your very own natural insect repellent!

• September 29: Mother Nature’s Collection

Do you have a collection?  Shangri La Gardens sure does!  Join us for a naturalist-guided ‘collection hunt’ to see what cool and unique things Mother Nature has that can be found and collected. Bring the whole family!

• October 6: The Power of the Sun

Did you know…the scorching days of Texas summers can be blamed on a 4.5 billion-year-old star?!  Join us for this family-friendly program to learn how plants and animals harness the power of the sun. We will experiment with solar print paper and even ‘make and take’ your own solar oven!

• October 13: Come Leaf Your Mark!

Join us to stroll along the back roads of Shangri La in search of the perfect leaf.  During this family-friendly program, we will use the leaves we collect mixed with a dash of creativeness to create our own unique ‘make and take’ greeting cards!

• October 20: Creepy Crawly Critters

Worms, roly polys, and spiders; oh my!  There are thousands of creepy crawly critters that call Shangri La home.  Join us for this family-friendly program where we will seek out and investigate what makes these critters unique.

• October 27: Let’s Rock!

Rocks are all different shapes and colors, but how are they made?  Bring the entire family to conduct scientific experiments with rocks and investigate their differences.  Explore how rocks are made by creating your own- out of chocolate!

*Allergy alert – during this program, we will be using chocolate that may contain nuts

• November 10: Lady Bugs and Gentlemen Bees

This family-friendly program begins with story time in the Children’s Garden, followed by some fun facts about our local beneficial insects! We will explore the many benefits of having lady bugs and honey bees in our garden, followed by the release of live lady bugs and a sampling of several varieties of honey!

* We have a working beehive in our Garden.  Those with bee allergies are asked to bring an epi-pen.*

• November 17: Shangri La’s Wilderness Wonders

Explore the often unseen backcountry of Shangri La! Join us for a naturalist-guided hike to explore the ecology and natural history of southeast Texas.  During this family-friendly program, we will be hiking 3-plus miles on rough terrain in the natural areas of Shangri La to see what we can see.

*Closed toe shoes REQUIRED.  No strollers.  Shangri La’s natural areas are NOT handicap accessible. There is no option for a ‘shorter route’ * 

Located at 2111 West Park Avenue in Orange, Shangri La is open to the public from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. For more information call 409-670-9113 or visit shangrilagardens.org