National Arboretum
- sarahwilk24
- Mar 25, 2023
- 2 min read
Updated: Jul 20, 2025
878 pieces | LEGO: 10281
Assembled by Dustin Williams, Nena Beckham; October/November 2024
Interaction Rating: 3 / 5 (interaction with the set is okay, but only with help from an adult)
March 26, 2023
During a visit to see Hunter's sister and nephew in Alexandria, the couple decided to visit the National Arboretum. Neither had ever been, and spring was "springing" all around them, so it was the perfect way to spend the day. They started with the bonsai exhibits near the Visitor's Center. Sarah was struck by the architecture, which felt very mid-century modern to her, and seemed like a snapshot of the period when the arboretum was first built. The bonsai exhibit was incredible. They were blown away by the age of some of the bonsai, spanning back hundreds of years. Some were flowering while they were there, producing blooms much smaller than usual for their species, which perfectly matched their miniature scale. They even discovered a bonsai that had survived the atomic bomb of Hiroshima and was over 390 years old. They had a lovely time exploring the variety of species and admiring the work that must go into maintaining such an expansive bonsai collection.
381 pieces | Unbranded: 3314
Assembled by Sarah Wilkinson, January 2025
Interaction Rating: 3 / 5 (interaction with the set is okay, but only with help from an adult)
The architecture at the Arboretum was so notable that when Sarah saw this brick arch set, it immediately brought back memories of their trip. Many of the bonsai in the exhibits were gifts from China or Japan, so the style of the arch in the brick set felt like a nice homage to that. After they finished looking at the bonsai, they wandered over to the columns positioned in a vast, grassy field. They immediately catch the eye. They were in the East Portico of the Capitol Building in the 1880s and were moved to the Arboretum in the 1980s. As they approached, they noticed the level of detail on the columns, as well as the weathering they had experienced in their over two hundred years of existence. The foundation that the columns are built into was a little worse for wear, as were many other parts of the National Arboretum, underscoring the importance of adequately funding our public treasures.
