One of my absolute favorite places for a photo session, whether it's for a pet, family pictures, or a high school senior, is Grapevine Botanical Gardens at Heritage Park. Grapevine is located about 30 minutes west of downtown Dallas and is easily accessible from my hometown of Coppell as well as my Carrollton studio. Heritage Park was first established by the Parks Department in 1938 and started with two play structures and basketball and tennis courts with a large lawn. The area has long been a favorite among local residents. 

The Botanical Gardens were added in 2000 after then Mayor Pro Tem, C. Shane Wilbanks, had visited Botanica in Wichita, Kansas and had the idea to bring something similar to the city of Grapevine. It's been evolving ever since starting with the addition of 2.5 acres just south of the park. It now measures 5 hectares with 4 of them landscaped and 1 remaining natural. It's supported by a small horticultural, education and administrative staff as well as over 60 volunteers.  

GrapevineTXOnline tells us "The master plan for the gardens was prepared by Landscape Architect Oliver Wyndham who had done a great deal of planning and design work for the Botanical Gardens in Ft. Worth, TX, and was presented to the city council and adopted in September 1999." 

The park has evolved in a series of phases spanning the creation of trails, plant beds, a great lawn, the Garden Court, koi ponds, a gazebo, stage and butterfly garden. The Bessie Mitchell house, named after the woman from whose family the city purchased the land for the gardens after her death, was recently renovated to now include a large kitchen for catering, a meeting room for up to 60 people and an outdoor patio seating area as well as restroom facilities.  

The park is open 365 days of the year from dawn to dusk, unless booked for a private event. I'm inspired every time I go there. The garden changes with every season, but you're always guaranteed to have some colorful plantings and flowers available as a beautiful backdrop for your portraits. 

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