MLive says: “Architect laureate of Michigan Alden B. Dow had a distinct vision for his home. Luckily, he fulfilled that vision and the mid-century modern home he created in Midland is able to be toured by the public. The Alden B. Dow Home and Studio is a National Historic Landmark created with Dow's design philosophy that "gardens never end and buildings never begin." Check out both the grounds and the interior for views of flowers, a pond and a variety of colors, textures and angles. The historic home was recently named one of the best in the U.S.”
May 8, 2021
After a night to myself in a hotel in Midland (complete with a private swimming pool and room service), my next stop was right in town, within walking distance. I was also due for some company, given it was the day before Mother’s Day…enter: Momma Mico!
Mom met me at my hotel in the morning, where we briefly caught up before heading out on our walk to Dow Gardens. It was about a mile from the hotel, and stretching our legs after time in the car felt good on a brisk and sunny Michigan morning. When we arrived (slightly before opening), we were told that you have to reserve tickets ahead of time to enter the gardens (this was a surprise). After some brief negotiating and explanation that we’d both driven quite a distance, the woman at the entry building kindly let us purchase tickets for the day and allowed us inside.
We meandered the entire grounds on Saturday, starting with the spring perennial garden full of tulips and daffodils. The color was astounding, and the diverse shapes of the tulips blew my mind! Round petals, ruffled petals, serrated petals…
After spending ample time with the spring blooms, we headed toward the back of the garden that featured some historic Dow family homes, another perennial garden, and lots of shady lawns to walk, picnic, and play on. The homes themselves had been kept up so well that they looked entirely modern to my eye, aside from the architectural shells.
We had a tour of the Dow home scheduled at 12:00 pm, but with the day continuing to become more gorgeous by the minute and the excellent weather, we opted to skip the tour and stay outside. We took a long walk to the opposite end of the gardens, to enjoy the canopy walk and accompanying treehouse(s)! This was by far the coolest part of the gardens, featuring rope nets dozens of feet above the ground, wooden treehouse “eggs” to explore, and an outlook with a clear floor so you could see right below your feet.
We both enjoyed the canopy walk so much that we decided to explore a hiking trail that went through the woods behind it: the trail was beautiful and circled a still pond, took us through some forested pavilions and bridges, and allowed us views of birds, frogs, and turtles!
Even though I was getting hungry for lunch, we still had some more ground to cover in the gardens. We made our way back toward the main part of the property in search of the children’s garden and the conservatory! The children’s garden looked awesome in photos I’d seen, but wasn’t yet fully planted/in bloom - it ended up being rather underwhelming compared to my expectations. The conservatory, when we finally found it, was small but PACKED with plants. I love conservatories simply because I enjoy naming all of the plants that I see and testing my ID knowledge (I keep a lot of houseplants, and I delight in seeing their larger/more mature forms in greenhouses whenever I visit).
We concluded our visit to the gardens with a leisurely walk along the paths, admiring the changes in scenery and the diversity of the plants featured throughout the grounds. One path in particular reminded me of hiking Horserace Rapids in Iron County, while another reminded me of the Japanese Garden at Cranbrook in Oakland County (both previous county visits).
Around 2 pm, we exited the gardens and walked back into town for lunch. My FitBit was telling me we were headed toward a 20,000 steps kind of day! There weren’t a lot of outdoor dining options that were veg friendly in Midland, so we settled on a winery on the edge of downtown that offered a large snack menu. Over white wine, tabbouleh, and bruschetta, mom and I chatted about the end of the pandemic being in sight, traveling again, and things going on at our respective homes. It was a perfect pre-Mother’s Day lunch date on a patio just off the Tittabawassee River (by the way, Midland’s riverfront is IMPECCABLE - other riverfront cities: take note. I wish I’d had more time to explore it, but the riverfront parks and trail system on their own are a reason to visit again).
Mom took off after lunch, and I took it upon myself to circle back to the actual location for this county visit: the Alden B. Dow Home & Studio. We’d missed our tour, but I figured I’d go by the house and take a few photos of the exterior. When I arrived and approached the home, a staff person was still there and greeted me out front. When I explained that I’d missed my tour earlier, she kindly invited me in for a very short look at the interior, and allowed me to explore an exhibit set up in the studio and take photos around the property (you can’t photograph the inside of the home, even during paid tours).
I LOVED this home and property, and was delighted when I found out their educational department offers adult “camps” during some weekends, to participate in creative design workshops. While the property is preserved as an architectural and educational destination, the staff has done a wonderful job at merging those interests with community programs and offerings, and the playful features of the original design persist to this day (the interactive pond stones, the bright paint colors, the water-level sitting room…).
I would love to go back and attend a camp one day. For now, though, enjoy the gallery below and hope you get to visit sometime soon!
