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| Bookworm Gardens in Sheboygan WI |
Bookworm Gardens is a botanical gardens in Sheboygan where you can sit down on a grass sofa and reach into a cubbie, pull-out a waterproof storybook, and read the story ofHe Came With The Couch. You can read The Three Little Pigs while sitting inside a house made of straw or better a house made of brick. You can excavate for dinosaur bones, take a ride on the magic school bus, write a letter to Twitch, or have tea with Winney The Pooh. If imagination doesn't come alive here, then imagination is dead. It is free, and a wonderful place that children and adults can enjoy together.
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| Bookworm Gardens - Sheboygan WI |
When it was suggested that we would spend the afternoon at a storybook gardens by the side of the freeway in Sheboygan, I immediately imagined the campy Storybook Gardens of Wisconsin Dells (now closed). I was not excited. I wanted to go with the kids to somewhere more interactive - my vote was Pioneer Village in Saukville. But, alas, it was closed. So, I had to try out this book gardens place ... oh well, if it was a total bust we could always go climb the dunes at Terry Andrae State Park. Away we went to ... what was it called? something book gardens?
Wow! what a fantastic surprise. This is a place that great grandpa, grandma, and little tykes can all enjoy together. While I am normally fairly meditative in my blog posts. All I can really say about this place is that it is ... pretty amazing. 5 out of 4 stars.
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| Bookworm Gardens - Sheboygan WI |
So .... what is it? What's so special about Bookworm Gardens? Mature forest, lots of shade, first rate design, beautiful botanical gardens, interactive, interactive, interactive. If you've read the About section of this blog then you know that I am employed as an interactive exhibit designer. So, I kind of freak out when I encounter interactive exhibits that are this well executed. And, I have to admit, I probably had more fun than most of the kids.
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| Bookworm Gardens - Sheboygan WI |
The interactive exhibits at Bookworm Gardens are not in-your-face
zippy, poppy, graphic strobing touchscreen displays set into sound dome
niches. They are not processions of cliches, this is not a
Disneyesque assault of chunky tri-color playschool equipment. This isn't the
playland at Mcdonalds. And, by not being these terrible things that we've
become used to subjecting our children to Bookworm Gardens is brilliantly
successful at actually engaging young people ... and facilitating social
engagement between people of wildly different ages. The design of this place
has focused more on creating socially vital spaces rather than on trying to
assemble attention dominating objects forced down into a square room. It
really is about the journey here, not the destination. It's about what
interactive exhibitry should always be about - storytelling - which is a
social and community activity.
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| Bookworm Gardens - Sheboygan WI |
The best part of going to Bookworm Gardens was watching my 3 year old niece's mind explode. Everything was at her height, everything was her size, everything was interesting,
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| Bookworm Gardens - Sheboygan WI |
Of all the things she remembered from this weekend, the flower gardens at Bookworm Gardens made the greatest impact, and for the lowest price and effort.
Directions and Map
Click Map Image to load the full interactive map.
Address for your GPS:1415 Campus Dr Sheboygan, WI 53081
| Coordinates: N43.738042, W087.752963 |
| From Milwaukee | 1 Hour |
| From Madison | 2 Hours |
| From Green Bay | 1 Hour |
| From Wausau | 2 Hours |
| From Minneapolis | 5 Hours |
| From Chicago | 2 Hours |
Photos
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| Bookworm Gardens - Sheboygan WI |
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| Bookworm Gardens - Sheboygan WI |
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| Bookworm Gardens - Sheboygan WI |
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| Bookworm Gardens - Sheboygan WI |
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| Bookworm Gardens - Sheboygan WI |
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| Bookworm Gardens - Sheboygan WI |
Video
Links
Bookworm Gardens - OFFICIAL SITE
Visit Sheboygan - A local tourism site
Duke of DevonI rarely make dining promotions or reviews - but I have to say something here about the Duke of Devon at Harbor Centre. This is hands down the best fish and chips I have ever had, and I am not a big seafood fan. It's a casual English pub theme too - and right on the waterfront downtown.
Il Ritrovo - Here is another favorite place for eats in Sheboygan. Ritrovo is a gormet pizza restaurant. It has alot more than pizza. One of their Antipasto plates or Italian salads is enough for a meal. It's owned by the famed Stefano's across the street.