Outdoor classroom now open at Carmel’s Coxhall Gardens

Members of both the Coxhall Guild and Hamilton County Master Gardeners gathered at the opening of the Outdoor Classroom. (Photo provided)

Hamilton County Parks & Recreation Department held a special ceremony marking the opening of the recently completed Outdoor Classroom at Coxhall Gardens, located on 116th Street between Hoover Road and Towne Road in Carmel.

Thanks to the generosity of the dedicated members of the Coxhall Guild and the diligence of the Hamilton County Master Gardeners, visitors to the popular Children’s Garden in Coxhall Gardens will now be able to enjoy the new Outdoor Classroom – an open-air shelter that provides the space for nature education programming in an outdoor environment.

Sharon Terry, Past President of the Coxhall Guild, cuts down a specially-crafted wooden butterfly memento during a ceremony officially opening the new Outdoor Classroom in Coxhall Gardens. (Photo provided)

The Outdoor Classroom is encircled by a pollinator garden, comprised of plants selected for their ability to attract observable pollinating insects, such as butterflies. The garden serves as an extension of the classroom and was given to the park by past Coxhall Guild President Sharon Terry and the Terry family. The classroom and surrounding garden will allow program participants to be immersed in an environment containing the very subject matter being discussed.

Hamilton County Parks recognizes and thanks members of the Coxhall Guild and its Past President, Sharon Terry and her family, and the Hamilton County Master Gardeners for this remarkable new addition to a park that offers visitors not only learning opportunities, but memorable experiences, as well.