Dear Diary,

April showers bring May flowers across the commonwealth. You can take a quick road trip to check out Pennsylvania’s most popular floral displays. If your children tag along, be sure to bring magnifying glasses, so they can get an up close look at the botanical gardens. Also, be sure to pack shoes you don’t mind getting dirty. Often times, you must trek through mud to explore the attraction. And don’t forget your smart phone. The gardens offer beautiful backgrounds for family photos. Plus, you can look up information on the different plant life. Here are our favorite floral displays in Pennsylvania.

1. Western Pennsylvania
Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens
1 Schenley Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15213
www.phipps.conservatory.org
Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens is celebrating spring with the Spring Flower Show. Flowers are blooming, and woodland animals are frolicking throughout the garden. You can spot decorative bears, birds, chipmunks, frogs and turtles as you walk by tranquil ponds and enchanted forests. Children can play pretend in the kid-sized grocery store or borrow a pail to water flowers outside.

Click here to smell the roses across the commonwealth.

About The Author

Vlog Mom/DFTM Creator

Not long ago, Heather Hopson hosted a television show in the Cayman Islands. Today, she's back home writing a different kind of story as a new mom. In her 15 years working as a professional journalist, this by far is her best assignment! Growing up, she dreamed of becoming Oprah Winfrey. She was the features editor for her school’s newspaper and a teen talk show host for her city’s most popular radio station. She went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Michigan State University. After graduation, she worked as a television producer and reporter at CBS, NBC and Fox affiliates throughout the U.S. Instead of heading to Chicago to join Ms. Winfrey on her set, she bought a plane ticket to the Cayman Islands instead. She arrived five days before a category five hurricane! She lived in paradise for seven years, hosted an award-winning television show and traveled the globe with a government delegation. She also served on the board of directors for Big Brothers Big Sisters and spearheaded a Send a Kid to Camp campaign. Then, she relocated to Washington, D.C. to obtain a teaching certification and instruct 8th grade reading at a high needs middle school. She later returned to her hometown of Pittsburgh, PA to raise her daughter Caitlynn, now 4-years-old. During her 10-month-stint as a stay-at-home mom, Caitlynn inspired her to create this blog, and Diary of a First Time Mom was born on Mother’s Day 2012. Two years later, she expanded the family to include 20+ writers. Currently, Heather serves as the communications director at Allies for Children. In addition, she is the owner of Motor Mouth Multimedia, which ranked #49 in Startup Nation’s Home-Based 100 Competition sponsored by Discover Card and Sam’s Club. Recently, The Pittsburgh Foundation and The Heinz Endowments selected Heather to receive an Emerging Black Artist award to develop Diary of a First Time Mom.

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