Flowers, Wildlife and Lunch at Shangri La

Flowers

Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center boasts more than 300 plant species. Walkways flow through beautifully manicured multi-color flower beds. By visiting Shangri La in April, we missed the azaleas. I had read that the sight is not one to be missed, so we will return to Shangri La next year in March when they are in full bloom.

Iris

Shangri-La features beautifully manicured lawns and flowerbeds.

Wildlife

With an abundance of wildlife at Shangri La, we saw something different around every corner.

We saw three brown rabbits near the boat house.

This "small" 5-7 foot alligator was sunning on a boat ramp of a home along Adam's Bayou

Lots of flowers at Shangri La Gardens attract lots of bees.

Turtles enjoy the sun in every source of water.

Lunch at the Star and Crescent Moon Cafe

After the sunny cruise down Adams Bayou, we were thirsty and hungry. Fortunately, there is a cafe on site. The innovative and healthy vegetarian-friendly menu at the Star and Crescent Moon Cafe was a wonderful surprise. The menu features a variety of soups, salads and sandwiches. The hubster ordered a Reuben sandwich with turkey pastrami, sauerkraut and Swiss cheese. Mom had the veggie quesadillas (pictured below) — grilled portabella mushrooms, roasted red peppers, avocado, cheddar and mozzarella in a flour tortilla — served with a spicy sour cream sauce. I thoroughly enjoyed the vegetarian salad (pictured below) — grilled portabella mushroom, avocado, feta, parmesan and candied walnuts on a bed of baby field greens with a creamy balsamic dressing. Yummy!

Veggie Quesadilla

Vegetarian Salad

Next Year

As I said above, we plan to visit Shangri La Gardens next year in March so that we can see the azaleas in bloom. There are also other areas of the Gardens that we did not see this visit, such as the Frog Ponds, the Pond of the Blue Moon, the Water Wall and the Hanging Garden. We are really looking forward to next year!

Entrance to Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center

Visit the Shangri La Botanical Gardens web site to plan your visit.