Shelter Gardens

This is from a Shelter Insurance web page:

Arguably the most well-known feature of Shelter's corporate office is Shelter Insurance Gardens. Just beyond the beautiful stone-and-wrought-iron gates are five acres containing over 300 varieties of trees and shrubs and more than 15,000 annuals and perennials. The gardens are open to the public daily between 8 a.m. and dusk (except Christmas Day, when the gardens are closed).

I have been visiting this Columbia attraction for years and have included here pictures from the last three years.  As we head into winter this is a reminder of warm times, and beautiful flowers, to come.   This is a must see and a wonderful place to picnic, or just relax.  All four of my kids have made frequent trips to the Shelter Insurance compound to visit the garden, sit by the water fountain at night, or enjoy the summer concerts. 

Make sure to check out my other story about the wonderful fountains that Shelter Insurance also maintains.

Entryway into the gardens.

Pathways.

Elephant Ears

 Flowers

The school house pictures:

I am very thankful that Shelter Insurance has made a decision to keep the gardens open.  This along with the fountain, which was mentioned in another  story I referred to earlier, make them a good corporate neighbor to  have in our community.

Make sure to visit.  How can you loose with beautiful scenery in this Columbia landmark that is free and open to the public?

Shelter Insurance Fountain

Shelter Insurance is famous for its five acre garden and many weddings, picnics, and ordinary day outings have utilized that beautiful space. Also, the park is the setting for the annual garden concert series which celebrated 33 consecutive years this summer. Less well know is the fountain.

I have been taking my kids to that fountain for nearly twenty five years. That time period spanned my life as a young father in college to a working professional teaching at Columbia College lucky enough to have two kids left at home. Usually we will get ice cream and go sit and watch the fountain and we are almost never alone. When I took these pictures I was there for about an hour and during that time at least twenty people had come and gone before I left. It is also a nice place to talk and the sound of the water, besides being relaxing, conveniently makes eavesdropping nearly impossible.

Although many people just drive by I urge you to stop in and park and enjoy the fountain while perhaps starting a new family tradition.



One thing about the harsh economic times is that it provides us an opportunity to rethink how we live, spend our money, and utilize the time we have on this earth. Sometimes you don't have to travel far to find sights to see and things to do.







During my lifetime a lot of things have changed in Columbia. I am thankful that the Shelter Garden and fountain are not among the things I love that have disappeared. Thanks to Shelter Insurance not only for providing jobs but also a wonderful aesthetically pleasing addition to our community. All corporate entities should be such good neighbors.

If you are driving by on West Broadway some evening, during the season when the fountain is on, do yourself a favor and stop for awhile.