Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center
Opening Spring 2008

Throughout history, Shangri La has represented a place of beauty, peace and enlightenment. In Orange, Texas, the Nelda C. and H. J. Lutcher Stark Foundation has produced a modern Shangri La with the best of both nature and gardens. The formal botanical garden contains more than 350 plant species in nine formal "rooms," including the Texture Garden, the Complimentary Colors Garden, and the historic Garden of the Blue Moon, which features some of the azaleas from the original Shangri La. There's even a children's Here We Grow garden, where kids can plant, care for, and take home their own plants.

The Nature Center includes a 15-acre Beaver Pond full of fish, water fowl, and of course, beavers. Adams Bayou boat excursions allow visitors an up-close encounter with its ecosystem, including the 1,200 year-old Pond Cypress dubbed "The Survivor." Three nature pavilions along the way allow for rest stops and discussions. Nearly one mile of boardwalk spreads over waterways filled with fish, reptiles, and other wildlife. Ruby Lake is home to thousands of nesting birds, including herons and egrets, and a state-of-the art Bird Blind allows an intimate view of thousands of baby birds. A bat house can also be found on the site.

Rounding out Shangri La’s offerings is a Visitor's Center, which houses a theater, bookstore and gift shop, café, exhibit hall, greenhouses, and more. An image representing the famous snowfall is projected onto a mist wall, once again reminding guests of the center's significant heritage.

Rated as one of the most ecologically friendly projects in the U.S., Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center offers a glimpse of how man can live in harmony with nature. For more information about Shangri La, call 409.670.9113 or visit www.shangrilagardens.org.


More information: Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center Opening Spring 2008