In Context: The Rory Meyers Children's Adventure Garden

Since 2013, children, families, and teachers have discovered new ways to connect to nature while exploring eight acres of whimsical sights and sounds. The Adventure Garden includes 17 indoor/outdoor galleries, 150 interactive science games, the Incredible Edible Garden, a secret garden, wetlands, the Texas Skywalk inside a tree canopy, giant kaleidoscopes, interactive water features, misting arbors, and a cafe.

The design of this immersive wonderland of hands-on adventures promotes sustainability through rooftop gardens, rainwater reused for irrigation, low-flow plumbing, and solar panels. Through careful design consideration and grading, the significant slope of the site becomes part of the whimsical journey while providing a fully accessible experience. The buildings throughout the garden are expressively detailed and stand on their design while also accentuating their lush botanical surroundings. One visit can’t cover the expanse of learning and play moments, but with robust programming and special events, there is always something else to discover.

Project Team:

• Landscape Architect: MKW + Associates
• Architect: Dattner Architects
• Exhibit Designer: Van Sickle & Rolleri Ltd.
• ADA Consultant: Access by Design
• Lighting Design: Horton Lees Brogden Lighting Design
• Civil Engineer: Pacheco Koch Consulting Engineers
• Structural Engineer: Datum Engineers
• MEP Engineer: Blum Consulting Engineers Inc.
• General Contractor: The Beck Group

Anna Procter is regional business developer at Outside the Lines Inc.