Architectural Digest has named the Dallas Arboretum one of world’s 15 breath-taking gardens to visit this season , including it with such horticultural treasures as the Royal Botanic Gardens in London, the Gardens of the Palace of Versaille, Butchart Gardens in British Columbia, the Nong Nooch Tropical Garden in Thailand, and Claude Monet’s garden in Giverny, France. The recognition follows earlier accolades this year, when USA Today listed the Dallas Arboretum as one of the 10 Best Botanical Gardens in the country, and its signature event, Blooms, as one of 10 Best Floral Festivals, too.
Will this new coup further impact real estate prices in the East Dallas area, at a time when home value increases are already on a roll?
Perhaps so says Nancy Johnson a real estate specialist on White Rock Lake neighborhoods with Dave Perry-Miller Real Estate. “Anything that brings people to East Dallas does. When people come to visit the Arboretum and see mature trees, architectural variation and the convenience to downtown, they fall in love. The Arboretum is beautiful, and with events like the Thursday Night music series, a place for social gathering for the community.”
Vicki White of Keller Williams, who is not only an expert on East Dallas but also a resident in the neighborhood, concurs in part. “I don’t know if it will increase prices, per se,” said White. “Many of the Arboretum members come from other areas of town. But the Arboretum has done a phenomenal job of making East Dallas a destination, getting people into the neighborhood. When I started in real estate, I officed in Highland Park. Agents on the weekly office tour would visit new listings in the Park Cities and Preston Hollow, then 90 percent would not cross to the east side of Central Expressway. They’d just stop. That’s no longer so.”
Regardless of what’s good for the venue, some folks might not appreciate the Arboretum getting more press. Out of a list of 215 “things to do in Dallas,” Trip Advisor ranks it number one. Tensions have run high between the garden and some neighboring residents at times over traffic and parking concerns.
“The Dallas Arboretum is so personally honored to be included in Architectural Digest’s list of 15 breathtaking botanic gardens around the world,”said Mary Brinegar Dallas Arboretum president. “We are very proud of the look of our garden and the recognition it has received nationally, yet the inclusion of our name with so many other great gardens from across the globe is humbling. It is a tribute to the board ,staff and volunteers who tend to the garden’s needs and the supporters who have made our dreams for the Arboretum come true.”
Stay tuned.
