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NEW YORK (AP) -- In a culture where vacations are increasingly prized for their 'gee whiz' factor -- swimming with sharks, zero-gravity rides and the like -- do people still take trips just to look at pretty flowers? If attendance at public gardens is any indication, the answer is yes. 'Our anecdotal information from member institutions leads us to believe that attendance is up. Particularly after 9/11 there seemed to be a surge, perhaps people seeking natural beauty and serenity after all the manmade horror of the time,' said Sharon Lee, spokeswoman for the American Association of Botanical Gardens and Arboreta. To increase their year-round appeal, many public gardens have added art shows, concerts and family-oriented exhibits. A children's garden that opened at the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, Michigan, led to a 91 percent spike in attendance last July. New exhibits and a concert series helped push visitation at the Denver Botanic Gardens from 388,000 to 550,000 in four years.
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