Mission Botanica, an interactive maze, opens in late Spring at the Holden Arboretum

Ready, Set, Explore!

Discover and learn more about some of the most important plants and trees in our region while having fun at the Holden Arboretum.

By Kristen Hampshire

Looking for an a-maze-ing way to explore plant life and the living treasures? Test your knowledge, exercise your curiosity and challenge your climbingrunning-jumping prowess at Mission Botanica, a life-sized interactive maze exhibit that opens June 11 and runs through summer.

“The maze gives families and groups a mission, so they start at the beginning, spin a mission wheel and the fun begins!” says Eva Rodriguez, manager of interpretive services at Holden Forests & Gardens (HF&G).

Every mission offers an opportunity to “meet” a dozen native plants and trees found within the Arboretum. “We are introducing and sharing the wild and wonderful world of plants with Northeast Ohio, and that is really exciting to us,” Rodriguez relates, noting that the maze missions include questions to answer that help you decide which direction to turn.

“As you go through the pathways, you stop at these decision points — and if you get a wrong answer, you hit a dead end,” Rodriguez explains. “If you get the question right, you get to continue exploring.” The 20- to 30-minute experience for all ages is presented by Minotaur Mazes, which creates interactive worldwide traveling exhibitions at places like zoos and nature centers. This is the first time the exhibit is focusing on plants and trees that are native to our region.

Inside the maze, which is open rain or shine, there are fun photo opportunities with selfie stations — and the rest is under wraps until you explore. “The really cool part is that the 12 plants are found all over our grounds, so we encourage everyone to search for these plants once they learn about them,” Rodriguez says.

Spending time in nature

can reduce anxiety and stress, and increase your attention span, your capacity for creativity and problem solving, and even help you better connect with people. Consider Holden Forests & Gardens for your next retreat, board meeting, or staff appreciation event and come see what nature can do for you.