A little late-breaking news: if you’re in Portland, Oregon, here’s a fun way to start your Mother’s Day celebrations a little early! This weekend (May 2 & 3) there’s a pop-up event called the LEGO Botanicals Garden Oasis, designed to help moms relax with through play and connection. It’s in downtown Portland at Everett West (914 NW Everett) from 10am to 6pm both days. The event is free, but space is limited. I was invited to get a sneak peek at the space today, so here’s a quick look at what it is.
There’s a small courtyard outside the event space where they have a photo opp, with a big frame made of LEGO flowers, and a couple of small display pieces to admire. Even if you don’t have time for the full experience, you can drop in and get a picture here.
At the entrance, there’s a little counter like you’re entering a spa, and you get to decide whether you’re looking for energy, serenity, or resilience, and you’ll get one of the three gift bags. Each bag has a mini floral build corresponding to your answer, plus a small pack of LEGO floral greeting cards and a drink ticket.
Inside there are lots of tables, both small tables for two and longer tables that encourage sitting with both friends and strangers. Each place setting has a small tray for you to sit and build your mini flower, while you enjoy that free drink. There’s a big sunflower pergola in the center for photos (most of those sunflowers you see are in fact LEGO sunflowers!), and there are also some more displays of LEGO botanicals, arranged into the three categories of energy, serenity, and resilience.
Along one side there’s a note wall—leave a nice note on the wall, and take a note with you that speaks to you!
You can get more info and reserve a spot through this link; I was told that the reservations are filling up, but they also have a number of walk-in spots throughout the day so you can just try your luck! If you’ve got a mom in your life who loves LEGO, the Garden Oasis could be a nice, relaxing activity this weekend. (Note that the venue is 18+, so you’ll have to leave the kids at home.)
