Gardening at home.

Visiting gardens.

Garden Travel Experiences

BLOG

Gardening & Garden Travels

Read My Blog
There are many different types of flowers in this field.

ABOUT CONNIE

Garden Travel Experiences was created to inspire people to discover public gardens and open spaces in their travels – and in their hometowns.


As a home gardener, landscape designer, Lifelong Master Gardener, a garden writer published over 800 times, and years on staff for both a city parks department and a state botanical garden, Connie Cottingham provides insight into each garden’s personality and offers ideas to bring home to your garden. Connie has gardened for two decades in Athens, GA, and returned to her roots in NW Arkansas in Summer 2022.

More About Connie

Latest Garden & Travel Posts

Discovering George Washington Carver, garden history, and a white passionflower in Southern Missouri

By Connie Cottingham • August 17, 2026
George Washington Carver National Monument in Diamond, Missouri

Don’t wait until June to visit Crystal Bridges – Visit Now.

By Connie Cottingham • February 26, 2026
Everyone is talking about the grand reopening in June. More space. More galleries. More excitement. But waiting means missing something special. Here are eight reasons why I think now is one of the best times to visit Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. It’s free – which expands your freedom. Yes, parking and admission here are always free. That’s easy to take for granted since most Bentonville area museums do not charge admission. But that free admission means you don’t have to think about your budget and time in the same way as if you were paying a $20-40 entry fee. You can stop in to join a tour or fill time between appointments by visiting one gallery.
Greeting card: Pineapple art print and portrait of woman with text.

Maria Sibylla Merian at Philbrook Museum: A Botanical Illustrator Worth the Trip to Tulsa

By Connie Cottingham • February 22, 2026
An exhibit on Maria Sibylla Merian is currently on display at the Philbrook Museum of Art in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Drawn from a private collection, the works are well worth seeing. So is Philbrook itself—a 1920s historic estate built during Tulsa’s oil boom and now home to a museum surrounded by beautiful gardens. Art, architecture, and gardens together in one place? Definitely my jam. Who is Maria Sibylla Merian? Well, if anyone asks me who my favorite artist is, who is one of my sheroes, it’s Merian. She was a botanical illustrator, scientist, explorer. She was also fearless, curious, groundbreaking, and well-traveled. She was a single mother. She was open to other cultures and deduced her own opinions. She sold everything and brought her daughter with her to another continent at age 52. Oh, and she lived from 1647 to 1717.
Show More

My New Book!

Bentonville and Rogers, Arkansas, are seamlessly joined thriving communities with vibrant downtowns, an entrepreneurial spirit, a network of trails, and friendly people. Surrounding natural areas encourage a variety of outdoor recreation on trails, lakes, golf courses, a state park, and more.


Bentonville is known best as the location of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, the Mountain Bike Capital of the World, and the home offices of Walmart. It is also known for award-winning restaurants, innovative architecture, concerts, and festivals.


Join Connie Cottingham as she introduces you to an area where the past is honored, and the future is wholeheartedlyand energetically embraced.

More About The Book
A white background with a few lines on it
FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM