Margaret Elizabeth Jonsson Color Garden

The Margaret Elizabeth Jonsson Color Garden is a free, community botanical garden on the shores of White Rock Lake in East Dallas, adjacent to the Dallas Arboretum. While it lacks the programming and infrastructure of the arboretum, it offers something different: an open, unhurried green space where families can simply be without admission fees, time pressure, or managed experiences.

The garden is designed around seasonal color — plantings rotate through the year to ensure something is blooming in most months, with spring (March–April) delivering the most spectacular displays. The color-focused design philosophy means photogenic family moments are almost unavoidable: kids running through fields of tulips or surrounded by summer blooms photograph beautifully.

For families with babies and toddlers, the low-stimulation environment is genuinely relaxing. There are no crowds, no admission lines, no gift shop pressure — just a lovely outdoor space with clean paths, open lawns, and seasonal flowers. Bring a picnic blanket and plan to stay as long as the mood allows.

The garden's location directly adjacent to the Dallas Arboretum makes it a natural add-on to an arboretum visit. Families with an arboretum membership can bookend their paid visit with a free stroll through the Color Garden — treating it as an extension of the day without any additional cost.

This is not a destination in itself for most families, but as a free, beautiful outdoor space in a neighborhood with limited parkland, it's a genuine quality-of-life gem for East Dallas families with young children.