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In today's economy, people are looking for inexpensive places to travel. Just off the I-80, in the college town of Davis, California is just the place you and your family would enjoy spending the day. On the south side of the campus of the University of California Davis is an arboretum. The Arboretum is a public garden where you can walk or ride your bicycle on the trails along the Putah Creek, which is home to ducks, turtles an fish. There is no fee - it is free to visitors.

If you begin your trip in Downtown Davis ( free parking is available for for two hours at the Davis Commons retail center), start your tour at the Arboretum Terrace Garden. Located next to the Borders book store, the Terrace Garden is quiet place to sit, drink coffee, and listen to the sound of water flowing from the fountains.

As you walk beyond Aggie Village and come down to the creekside, you will find trees and shrubs from the land "down-under". There are many examples of plants from Australia and New Zealand, such as the bottle brush tree. Next, is the North Coast Collection, featuring plants from California's northern Pacific shoreline. This then leads us into the T. Elliot Weier Redwood Grove. This excellent collection of redwood trees is a good spot to go sit on a bench (made of recycled redwood) and look skyward toward the towering treetops.

Past the redwoods is the Mary Wattis Brown Garden of California Native Plants. If you live in California, come see what you should be planting in your garden. Many of our state's natives are beautiful flowering shrubs, such as the California lilac. There are also many hardy shade trees, like the valley live oak. Many of these plants are drought tolerant. They don't need to be watered as often as non-natives.

As you meander down the trail, you will come upon the California Foothill Collection and the Warren G. Roberts Redbud collection. The redbud is a small tree that blooms from late March to early April. It has small reddish- purple blossoms that appear before the heart-shaped leaves do. If you cross the bridge, you can check out the Desert Collection and wander through the cacti. Just watch out for the thorns.

Continuing on your tour, you and your family can stroll past conifers, explore the Southern states and discover an acacia grove. There also are collections from South America and the Mediterranean region. There is a grassy area near the Putah Creek Lodge. This is a great place to spread a blanket on the ground and give your feet a rest. Or you can use the picnic tables that are available.

Nearing the end of the tour, be sure to visit the Carolee Shields White Flower Garden and Gazebo. The flowers grown here are white so that, according to tradition, the petals can reflect the moonlight. Now you can return to where you parked your car by walking or bicycling on the opposite side of Putah Creek. You can also revisit your favorite regions of the UC Davis Arboretum.

There are scheduled public tours of the UC Davis Arboretum. They are free. They also have plant sales throughout the year. For more information, go online to arboretum.ucdavis.edu. I discovered this beautiful spot only last month and have already made a return visit. I hope you and your family enjoy the arboretum as I did.

Learn more about this author, Gregory Johnson.
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