by Brian Brawdy

When traveling through Texas, if you happen to be in the Houston area, The Houston Arboretum & Nature Center offers a unique urban forest and swamp refuge from city life right in the heart of Houston! As an ambassador for GoRVing, I spent the morning hanging with the local CW affiliate KIAH-TV and had the opportunity to speak to future generations of RVers and explorers during their summer camps.

This 155-acre nature preserve is located inside Houston’s Memorial Park, a 1500-acre wooded park that boasts hiking and biking trails, tennis courts, a golf course and other recreational activities. Bounded by what is called the Buffalo Bayou, this ‘wild’ urban waterway is part of the city’s flood management system but has been left in its natural oasis for locals to enjoy. With over 5 miles of trails, the Arboretum has boardwalks to explore and according to Arboretum officials, is home to more than 160 species of birds, 75 species of native trees, 33 different kinds of butterflies, 16 species of turtles and 10 species of frogs. Visitors can walk through swamps into pine forests and experience one of the most unique and informative nature centers I have ever visited.

Throughout the morning, I had the unique opportunity to speak with children from ages 6-12, all part of the Arboretum’s youth camp program. Multiple times I found myself in AWE over just how smart and progressive kids are these days! What floored me was when an 11-year old asked me why I hadn’t installed a hydrogen fuel cell on the ‘Green RV’. I then had to chuckle when I was told by an 8-year old, ‘If you are going to litter, why not litter into your trash can!’ Being able to speak, teach and ultimately learn from what will be our nation’s future generation today in a place so far from a city center, yet so close, was an experience I will remember forever.