The Iowa Arboretum and Gardens in Boone County celebrated the opening of its $2 million Adele and Dean Bowden Treehouse Village Wednesday.
Kids and adults explored gazebos tucked into an old oak forest, a large suspension bridge and a collection of wooden treehouses connected by ramps, rope nets and climbing walls. Adaptive equipment, like wheelchair swings and a ground-level zipline, are a few of the features that make this nature-inspired play area accessible to people of all abilities.
"There’s nothing like this in Iowa, and we are excited to introduce Treehouse Village to the public,” said Mark Schneider, the executive director of the Iowa Arboretum.
Schneider said the idea for Treehouse Village was born four years ago.
"We wanted to get families outdoors; we wanted to get families to the arboretum; we wanted something that was accessible, and we also wanted something that was architecturally interesting, and it kind of grew out of the woods where it’s located,” Schneider said.
The arboretum hired Beanstalk Builders, a contractor that specializes in natural playgrounds, treehouses and accessible features.
During the ribbon cutting ceremony, Kris Blocker, the executive director of the Boone County Convention and Visitors Bureau, said Treehouse Village will draw more people to this part of the state.
"If you know anything about tourism in Boone County, we are extremely blessed. But this just makes it even better, you know? Just another thing that we get to add to the list,” Blocker said.
Kathy Law, president of the board of directors of the Iowa Arboretum, said Treehouse Village is the first major project completed in a larger, ongoing plan aimed at welcoming young families and serving a wider demographic.
In addition to the lead gift from Dean and the late Adele Bowden — and the community at large — funding for the project came from the state’s Community Attraction and Tourism grant, Fareway Meat and Grocery and Variety - the Children’s Charity.
Established in 1968, the Iowa Arboretum includes 160 acres of gardens, forests and prairie.
The Iowa Arboretum is an IPR underwriter.