My Spring Staycation

College spring break tends to bring about images of parties on Florida beaches and sun tanning for the first time in months, but for most college students that's not quite what spring break entails at all. Most of us can't afford to jet away to anywhere tropical or even remotely warm. Unfortunately spring break falls on the first week of one of the coldest months and feels more like a second winter break than 'spring' at all.

I've never gone anywhere for spring break. Not in high school and not in college. Early March isn't exactly the friendliest time of weather here in Michigan. If it's not snowing it's hazardously windy and raining, kind of like winter break is. I don't mind that I can't afford to hop on a plane to Florida or wherever, but a change of scenery is certainly something that feels necessary. Luckily I live near one of Lower Michigan's coolest attractions: Frederik Meijer Gardens.

Basically Frederik Meijer Gardens (Meijer Gardens for short) is an indoor tropical paradise. They have many outdoor exhibits like sculptures and gorgeous gardens but the biggest draw is from early March to late April inside the immense Butterfly House. Thousands of butterflies flying around inside a huge enclosure inundated with all different kinds of tropical plants including banana trees, cacao trees, huge palms of all kinds, and lots of gorgeous varieties of orchids. Its 87 degrees and 70% humidity, so wear layers because you will get hot. There's no rush, either. You can spend as much time as you want walking around gawking at butterflies and the couple types of birds housed there too. I recommend going on a weekday because it is much less busy and try to choose a sunny day because the butterflies will be much more active.

Inside the Butterfly House

And along with the Butterfly House there are other rooms that house a myriad of types of plants. I love the Arid room that has hundreds of different succulents and cacti, along with on-theme sculptures. Or you can look for caterpillars in the seasonal Caterpillar Garden, which in early March is covered in tulips and daffodils. There is also a really cool Carnivorous Plant garden where you can look at, you guessed it: Carnivorous plants.

So instead of jetting off to somewhere warm I drove about an hour to a warm little slice of paradise in Michigan and spent hours taking pictures of butterflies and flowers. It was really re-energizing to soak up that warmth and be surrounded by such huge quantities of plants and made my spring break staycation much richer. I even went home with a stunning framed butterfly to add to my plant shelf.

In the seasonal Caterpillar Room

Flowers inside the Caterpillar Room

For the Butterfly House I chose to wear a bright colored linen shirt from Banana Republic with cropped Levi's 721 Skinny Jeans. I layered gold necklaces and gold hoops for a warm vibe and slipped on a vintage gold and peridot ring. I ended up rolling up my sleeves and putting my hair up because of just how hot it was in there. And I wouldn't recommend heavy makeup because it will most likely melt off or sweat off. I stuck to cream blush and highlight and light layers of foundation and it held up pretty well. Bring comfy shoes because it is a lot of walking, especially if you venture outside to the sculpture gardens.

Happy Almost Spring! -Sam