St. Louis, Missouri: Botanical Gardens

My sister had a delivery, in St. Louis, Missouri and invited me to tag along. St. Louis is most famous for the Arch- the gateway to the west- which we did go and see, but the botanical garden needs a shout out. When I go places, I love to look at the botanical gardens. It's so amazing to see the different plants and sculpture collections in different places. Especially the Chihuly. The botanical gardens always seem to have amazing glass works from Dale Chihuly.  

This botanical garden is very special, just like all botanical gardens. The rose garden was amazing. There were so many different roses and the yard they were in was huge.  The sculptures nearby were pretty and placed in various places around fountains. Some were naked (shocker). 

As we walked around there was a large pond and an entire little green house dedicated to herbs. This botanical garden hosts a garden with all sorts of fruits and veggies, which I could only imagine is amazing in the summer months. Its purpose is not only to help feed the community but to teach people how to grow their own food, which is exciting for so many reasons!  

I can't even describe how large this place is, but it is very large. We couldn't have seen everything in one day even if we wanted to and it was fall and getting colder so there was less to see. We went through the tropical room and looked at all the tropical plants. I always love seeing the tropical plants because they are so foreign to me. In Michigan the only tropical plants I see are in the botanical gardens so it's always a treat to see the large palms and orchids flowering as if they belong here. We even saw a huge banana tree thriving! 

In the gift shop I purchased Persian Buttercups and I can't wait to see what they look like in the spring. Truly a memory in my yard. 

Here is where I went: 

FlannelJax's: Axe Throwing

Sometimes excitement does not have to be far away. In fact, I found this bit excitement right here in my little city of Grand Rapids. (I shouldn't say little, we have pigeons downtown just like big cities!) Basically, I went Axe throwing! I never really thought about it but it's kind of neat. Picking up this piece of heavy, sharpened metal and heaving it at target. Even more incredible is when it sticks and doesn't bounce back at your feet. 

First of all, they are all about safety. Upon entering the facility, they make sure you understand the rules and sign the waiver. It's no fun unless you sign the waiver, right?

Then a person walks you through axe throwing and how to do it safely, without taking out your ear or having it bounce off the target and take out a toe. The targets are large, but they can still be missed. The axes are sharp, but they can still not attach themselves to the wood. There are two ways to throw, it's pretty simple, so stay with me, one way is you use one hand, over your shoulder and past your ear.  The other way is you use both hands over your shoulder and past your ear. That's it. I found it easier to throw with both hands. 

I hit the target several times and it actually stayed on. It was unbelievably hard at first but after a few throws I could hit it and almost aim, but not really. 

It was a good time, but like all good times, it had to come to an end. Our time was up and I felt a lot stronger and had a newfound confidence in my skill, but not ready to join a competition. If you have any questions about this just AXE me. :) 

This is where I went: 

Premier Axe Throwing & Lumberjack Sports | FlannelJax's (flanneljaxs.com)