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The Dallas Arboretum Breaks Attendance Records With Nearly a Million
Visitors in 2014, and Receives Another Accolade from Fodor’s Travel
Facebook Followers Surpass 100,000
DALLAS, Texas (January 8, 2015) – The Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden set an
attendance record in 2014 with nearly one million visitors. It has also received another
Fodor’s Travel accolade as one of the top “10 Botanical Gardens with Wow-Factor Winter
Transformations” to add to its many awards. (See sampling of 2014 awards at end of
release*). The Arboretum’s Facebook page also surpassed 100,000 followers.
The total attendance of 978,468 guests in 2014 exceeded 2013’s total by 248,242, or
almost 34 percent. Compared to 2012, when the garden had the Chihuly exhibit, there were
38,872 more guests in 2014, or a 4 percent increase. The 12 Days evening viewings were
also quite popular as the Arboretum had 17,500 more guests for those viewings than for
the same period for Chihuly in 2012. The Chihuly exhibit was displayed for eight months
compared with two months for this year’s new 12 Days of Christmas’ 25-foot-tall gazebos.
Dallas Arboretum Board Chairman Bill Graue, who just started in his leadership role, said,
“First, we are grateful for the support of our nearly 35,000 members and donors. In
addition, there were several factors that led to record-breaking numbers in 2014: It was
the first full year of the extraordinary Rory Meyers Children’s Adventure Garden; the 30th
anniversary of Dallas Blooms in the spring; and the debut of The 12 Days of Christmas, a
blockbuster holiday exhibit that attracted locals and out-of-town visitors.”
In addition to the attendance record, the Dallas Arboretum also added another accolade to
its long list of rave reviews by being named as one of the top “10 Botanical Gardens with
Wow-Factor Winter Transformations” by Fodor’s Travel. According to Fodor’s Travel,
“Known for its extravagant garden transformations (as seen in Fodor’s America’s Best
Pumpkin Festivals), the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden’s new 12 Days of
Christmas winter exhibit continues to up the ante this year.”
This exhibit ended on January 4, but the Dallas Arboretum plans to bring it back in
November 2015, just in time for the holiday season.
Finally, the Dallas Arboretum hit a milestone of 100,000 followers on Facebook,
demonstrating the garden’s strong influence and wide audience reach on social media.
Graue added, “We are thankful for those who visit and then share their photos on
Facebook, as it helps us spread the word virally. As we become known beyond North Texas
as one of the nation’s premier botanical gardens, we expect that attendance will only
increase as people want to see in person the beautiful gardens highlighted on Facebook.”
Mary Brinegar, Dallas Arboretum president and CEO, said, “We want to thank those who
visited, joined as members, attended a concert or another event, or took an Adult Education
class for being part of a record-breaking year. We are stewards of this magnificent garden,
and we thank our 400 regular volunteers who contributed more than 70,000 hours in
ensuring that every visitor’s experience is remarkable.”
Since the Dallas Arboretum opened to the public in 1984, the 66-acre garden includes many
formal and informal garden spaces, world-recognized trial gardens, a concert lawn, picnic
areas, food service areas, a gift shop, orientation theater, classrooms and the historic
DeGolyer House. The newest garden to open was the eight-acre scientific and interactive
Rory Meyer’s Children Adventure Garden in 2013. In 2014, the Arboretum opened a new
1,150-space parking garage, thereby doubling the amount of parking spaces.
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About the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden:
The Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden is located on the southeastern shore of White
Rock Lake at 8525 Garland Road, Dallas, Texas 75218. The Dallas Arboretum is also the
home of the internationally acclaimed Rory Meyers Children's Adventure Garden. The
Arboretum is open daily from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. General admission is $15 for adults, $12 for
seniors 65 and older, $10 for children 3-12 and free for Arboretum members and children
two and under. There is an additional cost of $3 per person for entrance into the Rory
Meyers Children's Adventure Garden. On-site parking is $15 or $8, if purchased in advance
online. The Dallas Morning News is the principal partner of the Dallas Arboretum. The
Arboretum is supported, in part, by funds from the Dallas Park and Recreation
Department. WFAA is an official media sponsor for the Dallas Arboretum. More
information can be found at http://www.dallasarboretum.org/ or on Facebook.
*2014 Sampling of Accolades:
USA Today named the Dallas Arboretum as one of the 10 Best Attractions and Activities 10
Places to Visit in the city.
National Geographic Traveler named the Rory Meyers Children's Adventure Garden to the
list of “The 2014 Traveler 50: World’s Smartest Cities.”
Fodor’s Travel has named the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden one of “America’s
Best Pumpkin Festivals.”
2014 TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence Award, one of the highest honors the
organization bestows
Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden was selected as the most loved, most talked about
family attraction in Texas. It was selected to be included on the list of Top Family
Attractions Worth Traveling For.
The Rory Meyers Children’s Adventure Garden won the 2014 Digital Screenmedia
Association Best Cultural Digital Signage Award.
The Texas Landscape Garden Association has given the Dallas Arboretum its Silver award
for Landscape design of the Children’s Garden.
The Garden Writers Association of America has given the video of the Rory Meyers
Children’s Adventure Garden its silver award nationally for finest media portrayal.
Dallas Arboretum/The Rory Meyers Children's Adventure Garden was voted “Best Place to
Get Outdoors” and “Best for Families” by readers of DFW Child.
Art&Seek Jr. named the Autumn at the Arboretum fall festival to its Junior’s Super-List.