Iowa Arboretum to Open Unique Treehouse Village on September 5

The new Treehouse Village at Iowa Arboretum & Gardens will open in September.

The Tree House Village on the outskirts of Madrid, which will feature a playground for all, three separate tree houses, a suspension bridge and elevated walkways, will open on Thursday 5 September.

Tickets can be purchased on the Arboretum website.

Other Treehouse Village attractions include a climbing wall, zipline, five slides, jumping nets, climbing ropes and ladders.

The Iowa Arboretum, the oldest (opened in 1968) and largest (160 acres) public garden in the state, is located at 1875 Peach Ave.

Admission to the arboretum gives visitors access to the Treehouse Village and the rest of the public garden. Annual memberships are also available, which offer unlimited visits.

More: First Look: Iowa Arboretum’s New Treehouse Village

Tree House Village was created for people with different skills

The treehouses and playground are built with children of all ages and abilities in mind, and feature a range of amenities, including a wheelchair swing and a zipline with chair.

The Arboretum used contractor Beanstalk Builders, which specializes in natural playgrounds, treehouses and accessible facilities. The designers used many natural elements to create the Treehouse Village, including laurel branches and a rope net.

“I didn’t want it to just look like a playground,” Mark Schneider, executive director of the Iowa Arboretum & Gardens, said in a previous interview. “I wanted it to look like it was growing out of the forest. And I think Beanstalk Builders accomplished that.”

The playground and treehouses are tucked under the canopy of large oak trees. Viewing platforms by the treehouses offer views of the deep valley that winds through the property.

More: The new, accessible Treehouse Village features a climbing wall, zipline, slides and disabled facilities

Celia Brocker is a government, crime, politics and education reporter for the Ames Tribune. She can be reached at [email protected].