Wow!! I love it here! My hubby planned a day trip here for us. I had never heard of Whiting Forest…read morebefore. I didn't honestly know what to expect but loved it all. The canopy walk just blew us away. I love the hammock area where you can sit suspended above the ground, that was my favorite. It was so unique and interesting as were the other areas they had to climb into. Besides the beauty that surrounded us everywhere. The thing that really stuck out to us was how well the whole area was taken care of. The gating was clean, no spiders or cobweb's hanging anywhere, as is the case most places. And for someone who hates spiders. I can't tell you how much it's appreciated. If you are looking for pricing. It's $10 a person $2 for students. Or $20 a year per person. We had purchased a day ticket. But after 10 minutes knew that we had to change that. So before we left we went and purchased the year passes!! This also includes the Dow Gardens

Such a wonderful place for the entire family to enjoy!! Definitely a must to buy their yearly…read morepass!!

This park is amazing! So many great trails to take your dog on. Everything is really clean and well…read morekept. We also haven't had a bad interaction with anyone or any dogs on the trails. It's so great for new puppies like ours!

Free. Quiet. Beach is small, it's more a huge pond, but it's nice to stick your feet in and lay…read moreout. Not crowded. Basketball court and bmx and picnic tables and volleyball. Fun! I even saw dogs off leash!

This is a wonderful nature center! Inside the building is a very nice exhibit space, which includes…read moresome snakes, toads, and other animals, plus information about the nature and history of the area. It leads back to a cute little tree play area and a quiet space to look out at bird feeders. There is also a fantastic river overlook in the main space near some play space. A small shop carries a variety of nature-related and local items. Outside offers a number of trails, a nature play area, picnic tables, and the like. We quite enjoyed the trail near the pond, which also offers a story walk, in addition to being able to peer at all of the plants and critters near the pond. A very nice spot!

Amazing preschool with wonderful staff in addition to the large number of walking paths, many free…read moreevents and loads of wild life!

A truly beautiful place to relax and enjoy nature. We've been coming here for years now and always…read morehappy to spend a couple hours between here and Whiting Forest next door. The annual pass is an easy decision for us since we end up going more than twice in a year. Whether it's exploring the gardens while there's a new outdoor art exhibit, checking out the butterflies in the conservatory exhibit in the spring, enjoying the rose and herb gardens in the summer, or enjoying the fall colors washing over Midland in the autumn, it's our favorite place in the area. Also a lovely venue for wedding ceremonies and naturally offers excellent scenes for formal photos. The facilities are great and should be improving with the new welcome center being constructed. While definitely child-friendly with the children's garden and school tours, if you're looking for somewhere to let your kid run around, you might find the mall or a park playground more accommodating.

I had no clue this place even existed until a few months ago when I was in Midland at a conference…read moredown the road. Maybe Michigan's best kept secret? Anyway, I bookmarked it with the intention of coming up here when the weather was nicer, and I finally got around to doing it over this past July 4th! (bonus points for them being open regular business hours during a holiday!) I drove the two hours and walked in and it only costs $15 for a single visit, $30 for a yearly membership. Nice! I wouldn't mind getting a membership, because it truly pays for itself. They have a gift shop in the front area where you pay with a few things to browse and purchase. Maps of the Gardens are by the register to take so you can see all the sights when here. Initially, I didn't know where to start so I wandered down the path to the left. This was towards the Estate Gardens, which were lovely by the way. The downside? I wanted to see the inside of the house but it was locked up. I'm not sure if they give tours, and there was nobody to ask. I continued walking and saw the Ribbit Exhibit which has about 13 different metal frog sculptures throughout. Lots of green areas to view, with some wonderful bridges as well. Eventually I was going to go to the children's garden, but it was starting to get hot outside and my leg and back were getting sore. I walked through the rose garden, which was nice, but on the smaller side. Eventually I ended up by the Educational center and kind of tired out by this point. I don't know how far I'd walked, but it felt like miles. The heat didn't help. Here's where I got frustrated with my experience. First, even with a map, it's easy to get "lost" here. Some paths are a dead end. Some lead you to now where, and it doesn't always connect back to the main pathway. There was at least two instances where I went to look at a bridge, then discovered a water fountain, and couldn't find my way out. There were several paths, but only one lead to the main drag. It's because I heard the golf cart that I was able to determine where to go. Also, they have limited bathrooms here. I don't need one every 5 feet, but I only was able to find two during my visit. The map says there's 5 bathrooms, but they're literally miles apart and you don't know where they're at because there's barely any signage for the bathrooms. If you have kids, or an emergency, I can't imagine this ending well. Also, a big one for me, which really spurred me docking a full star. No scooter rentals, or any form of alternative means for those of us who may need it. No, I'm not handicapped, but the zoo offers them for a charge, which I'm willing to pay. I would've stayed twice as long if I could scoot around the park, along with walking as my leg goes numb after about a mile or so. The good news to this? You can get a golf cart tour, but you have to book it in advance, and they're at select times. I would do that, but I didn't remember to book a tour in advance. But, maybe next time I can bring my own scooter so I can go further. Aside from that, the gardens are fabulous. I'll probably do another trip up to see the canopy walk and a few other things when it's a bit cooler in the fall and not 90 degrees with a 68 degree dew point. LOL. Worth every penny!

Great park for walks and runs whether you have two legs or four…read more There were a couple horses and their owners enjoying the paths; with that in mind, watch where you're going. Lest you get run down by a horse or step on a turd. There are several tables and benches scattered around so it seems like a great place to have a picnic when the weather is good. It'd be a good idea to pack something to enjoy after your walk. In the wintertime they also have a hill for sledding, toboggan runs, and a skating rink. Unfortunately it had been raining on and off the week before so some parts of the paths had turned into pretty big puddles. Neither of us had rain boots on so we didn't want to move further in those directions.