Trädgårdsföreningen - Horticultural Society Garden

Expat life in Gothenburg seems like a revolving door; people are moving here or finishing their contracts all the time.  The first week of school I was chatting with another preschool family and asked about playgrounds in our neighborhood.  They told me about the Horticultural Society, but I didn't have the presence of mind to ask for an explanation and then they moved away and I never saw them again.  In the back of my mind (okay, on Evernote) is a list of places/concepts to explore, and today the internet told me this Horticultural Society is actually a place to go.

Today is the nicest day we've had yet (sunny, 59°) so after dyeing eggs we walked the few blocks over to check out what was behind this sign we see a lot (and translates to mean Horticultural Society).  If you can figure out how to pronounce Trädgårdsföreningen you're way ahead of me.

I knew about its greenhouse structure, and the website told me we're in the middle of their tulip festival, so I figured there'd be something pretty to look at and room to run around, but we'd be constantly trying to keep the kids out of manicured flower beds.

 But Trädgårdsföreningen was so much more than that!  There was a playground with lots of different areas for the kids to play.

There were picnic tables and benches for the grownups to work on their Vitamin D.

And also a tree whose branches have grown so close to the ground it has become an extension of the playground.

Can I just take a moment and say how much I love this city?  It is gorgeous, getting prettier each day, and has so many cool things to see and do right near our place.  Like the Trädgårdsföreningen.  Sure, we have friends who jetted off to Luxembourg, Stockholm, and Italy for their Easter breaks, but we're still having fun here.