<p>I think 98% of winter days were just fine for outdoor activities such as skiing, skating or just walking along the lakeshore as long as the winds were not blowing too hard. It was fun looking at the ice formations along the shore and getting some fresh air.</p>
<p>Irony–all outdoor rinks were recently closed–due to warm weather.</p>
<p>University of Michigan
(sledding in the Arb is now against the rules, but every student should do it at least once. We used to borrow trays from the cafeteria and use them as sleds)</p>
<p>Forest Par, directly across the street from WUSL is larger than Central Park!</p>
<p><a href=“Forest Park - Explore St. Louis”>Forest Park - Explore St. Louis;
At 1,371 acres, it is approximately 500 acres larger than Central Park in New York City. In 1904, the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, the greatest of the World’s Fairs, drew more than 19 million visitors from around the world. Home to the Art Museum, Science Center, Zoo, Jewel Box greenhouse, History Museum, The Muny theatre, 7.5-mile biking, jogging and skating path, skating rink and lakes. FREE.</p>
<p>Union College in NY has a beautiful garden known as Jackson’s Garden.</p>
<ul>
<li>Jackson’s Garden is the oldest continuously cultivated garden on a college or university campus in the United States, and it’s one of only a few public gardens in the country established by 1850 that has survived in its original location. </li>
</ul>
<p>The garden is named for Isaac Jackson, a professor of mathematics at Union who began planting the garden in 1831 supposedly at the urging of President Eliphalet Nott as a cure for dyspepsia. -</p>
<p>I’ll give a third plug for Jackson’s Garden at Union College. It is excellent, from the formal garden to the expanses of soft grass, the burbling brook with footbridges, and the small patch of woods. It is set in a small valley below the surrounding land, making it quieter than campus and the surrounding city, and even a bit cooler on hot days. I spent plenty of time in the gardens studying, playing campus golf, frisbee or croquet, or partying at one of the semi formal parties we had each year (which have since been cut back due to rowdiness ).</p>
<p>Smith College has a beautiful greenhouse, with spring and fall flower shows, plus perennial borders, alpine gardens, and many, many trees. Daffodils, too, in spring, until they’re picked for Mayday.</p>
<p>All of Smith College is designated as a Botanical garden. There are annual bulb and spring shows. There are two main gardens on campus as well as various smaller ones. The campus as a whole has lots of green space without feeling too spread out.</p>
<p>“The outdoor display and test areas at the Annual Flower Trial Garden were established to allow students, researchers, industry representatives, homeowners and extension personnel to learn, teach and evaluate through horticultural research and demonstration projects conducted in the unique environmental conditions of the Rocky Mountain/High Plains region.”</p>
<p>Wildly colorful. A visit never fails to raise my spirits.</p>
<p>Kenyon in Ohio is gorgeous and was voted most beautiful campus a couple years ago. Also Carelton college is pretty, and they have a 900 acre arboredum that was voted #1 place to run in the U.S. But the best garden I would have to say is at the University of Puget Sound. Because of all the rain in Washington, the plants are gorgeous and they have a bunch of big gardens with waterfountains and benches for reading and stuff.</p>
).</p>