Dow Gardens

Dow Gardens is a 110-acre (45 ha) botanical garden at 1809 Eastman Avenue, Midland, Michigan, United States. It was started in 1899 by Herbert Henry Dow (b. 1866) who founded the Dow Chemical Company in 1897. The gardens are open to the public; admission is charged. Guests are encouraged to engage in an educational program, step back in history for a tour of the Pines Home, amble along the nation's longest canopy walkway or exit the walkways and freely explore the landscape. Steve Mannheimer, art & architecture critic for the Indianapolis Star and professor at Herron School of Art and Design wrote: "Visitors to Dow Gardens lose the smells and the sounds of the Midwest – burgers, fries and traffic - to find a vision of nature perfected. The back door of Eden has been opened."