3.06.2020

PHIPPS CONSERVATORY ADVENTURES

If you know me very well at all, you know how much I love all things botanical and nature. Botanical gardens are one of my most favorite places in the world to go to, and one of my favorite places that my parents used to take us when we were growing up, was Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis! It was the best, so of course I missed visiting there after I had I grown up, married and moved across country. Thankfully I done a quick google search for botanical gardens near Pittsburgh one day a few years ago and a place called Phipps Conservatory popped up! I immediately wanted to go of course!


Flash forward a few years and we've now been to Phipps Conservatory quite a few times now, it's become quite a family favorite in fact! We usually go during the cold months, because let's face it, when you've been cooped up for months and the only green things you laid eyes on since summer are the vegetables you bought for dinner, those salads you love so much and of course your plant babies (house plants), there's nothing like a small taste of summer and alllll the greenery in the middle of winter.


While I love every single bit of Phipps Conservatory, the fruit tree and spice room is by far my favorite, if only I could install a scratch and sniff in this post, just so you could smell the heavenly aroma that you catch a hint of long before you even reach the room. As soon as you smell it you know you can't wait to get to that room to bask on the delight of orange and lemon trees, banana trees, coffee trees, starfruit trees, mango trees... I could go on, but the scent of citrus trees blossoming is like no other scent on earth.


My other favorite room is the cactus room, it's so pretty and immediately makes me want to take a road trip to somewhere like Arizona. Some of the cactus tower above you and other are the smallest of things, the agave plants are always a highlight because I'm low-key obsessed with agave plants (definitely dream of owning one and having a huge one in our front yard someday), I also noticed some interesting looking "wooden sticks" in the cactus room this time, and upon closer inspection I noticed the little sign that said they were cactus skeletons! Super cool, I had no idea what old dried cactus looked like and it had a super cool weathered look to it (I'd definitely use them in the corner as decor haha).


Frank's favorite room is the orchid room, he loves all of the interesting and intricate flowers and I don't blame him, they're absolutely stunning! Plus they smell pretty amazing!

Bella's favorite room of course is the room that has the child's play area and pretend market. It's super adorable and the perfect place to stop if your kiddos need a little bit of a break from all of the plant looking. She of course loves looking at flowers, trees and plants, she's a little nature girl, but nothing beats playing, especially with toys that aren't your own haha!


It was Bodhi's first time at Phipps, and I'm pretty sure he was in awe that summer basically appeared out of thin air in the middle of winter haha. He'a an outdoors boy through and through, has been since he was born, he was pretty much the chillest kid ever when we were at Phipps, he sat in the stroller and just stared so mesmerized at all of the plant life surrounding him. When I finally let him run around for a few minutes and stretch his little legs, he took off running, trying to explore all the things in as little time as possible, it was pretty cute if I do say so myself.


If you're looking for a great (and educational) way to spend a little more time with your family or just need some green in your life after this never ending winter, Phipps Conservatory in Pittsburgh is definitely your best bet. We already can't wait to visit again, we're hoping maybe sometime over the summer so we can explore the outdoor gardens. Who knows, maybe we'll even see you there!