The Watanabe Family Gardens, located adjacent to the museum, are the perfect place to reflect on your visit or just seek refuge from a busy day. Cared for, in large part, by a dedicated corps of master gardener volunteers, the gardens are designed to complement the museum and reflect the outdoor beauty of Indiana.
Some quick facts about the Watanabe Family Gardens:
- All plants are native to Indiana.
- The placement of the plants was based on how plants naturally sort themselves out according to the ground elevation, giving the garden a very natural look.
- The path through the garden is designed to be a “sloping walkway” as defined by the Americans
With Disabilities Act using a 5% slope (1 foot of rise for every 20' of run). To accomplish this, the walkway was designed in a serpentine path. Handrails are not required by code for this grade of ground, which contributes to the woodland aesthetic.
- Seating in the garden is similar to the limestone blocks used in the quarry exhibit inside the building, extending the exhibit outdoors and tying it to the natural landscape.
- The garden uses limestone blocks as they appear when they come out of the quarry, so visitors can see how limestone evolves from a rough-cut condition to the various levels of treatment which appear throughout the building. The blocks also serve to retain the grade where necessary and provide erosion control.