♪♪ [Andrew Gogerty] We're at Reiman Gardens in Ames, Iowa.

Reiman Gardens is a 17-acre botanical garden located right in Central Iowa on the campus of Iowa State University.

And we are in Sycamore Falls.

This is the newest section of Reiman Gardens.

♪♪ [Andrew Gogerty] Reiman Gardens has over 6,000 plants.

We have 27 different themed garden spaces.

♪♪ [Ed Moran] Right now we are in the Jones Rose Garden.

This is one of the original gardens that was part of our first phase of development here at the gardens.

It features a mix of landscape and shrub roses that are appropriate for the Iowa landscape.

I would say our mission here is to highlight the natural beauty of plants and animals and butterflies, whether that be inside or outside, trying to bring that to life, bring that mission of Reiman Gardens literally to life here.

♪♪ [Nathan Brockman] Right now we're in the Christina Reiman Butterfly Wing, which is a 2,500 square foot facility where we fly at any given time about 800 individuals and of that 80 different species.

♪♪ [Nathan Brockman] The butterfly wing is an amazing space.

It is like a trip to a tropical paradise any time.

So, three feet of snow outside and warm tropical paradise in here.

You're not going to find anything else like this in Iowa.

♪♪ [Andrew Gogerty] For the months of June, July and August are really our peak garden months here at Reiman Gardens.

It's when you start to see the most plants and flowers blooming.

You'll have everything from purples and pinks, yellows, oranges, green, tons of green all around us.

And one of the great things about Reiman Gardens is that it changes every day.

Every day I come out here I see something new.

It's a very serene, quiet, peaceful place.

So, some people come here to reflect, just to think, just to get away from the hustle and bustle of life in the world.

[Jane Pattle] I really like the pond back there.

It's the Lake Helen Pond, I think.

That was lovely.

Yeah, we just sat by that and had a little snack and just enjoyed the view.

[Andrew Gogerty] One of the things that makes Reiman Gardens unique is that it doesn't take a full day to visit here.

Most people spend 2 to 3 to 4 hours here and then they can hit another site along Lincoln Highway whether it's the Iowa Arboretum with their treehouses exhibit or whether it's the Boone and Scenic Valley Railroad.

So, you can do multiple stops in one day right here in Central Iowa.

[Jane Pattle] We're on a road trip, so we arrived in Chicago about ten days ago, just lovely.

It's really nice.

People are very friendly, everyone chats to you and stuff like that.

And the countryside is beautiful.

[Andrew Gogerty] It's a great, easy, accessible location for anyone who is traveling along Highway 30, Lincoln Highway.

It's an easy stop just to make and it is just a striking entrance to the university and to Ames in general.

It's an easy day trip.

It's a great place for a staycation.

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