Ever find yourself inside on one of those glorious warm sunny days when nature seems to beckon us to come outside? Maybe, like me, you weren’t raised in the city, and you need some fresh air and a chance to stretch your arms and inhale and exhale deeply. Maybe you miss the chatter of the critters and the sounds of human living going by. It’s rejuvenating (it makes us young again) to smell the delightful aromas of the blooms or of a just-passed rain—you can almost taste the dewy sweetness. How nice to be caressed by the gentle massage of a breeze, to see green plants and birds on the wing, butterflies at a blossom. But, we live in a mini-city of concrete high rises and technological marvels. It’s not so easy to get outside and breathe free.
There are some green spaces around UAMS, don’t you know. Tucked here and there are some spaces where you might decompress for a few moments. You might even take your studies and work outside. I’ve located and noted places around the campus with benches, in some cases tables and shade. I have tried to indicate which areas are accessible to wheelchairs and to persons who have trouble navigating steps. For the most part, these are also green spaces designed with a variety of plant life and often soothing water feature backdrops. Come outside and enjoy.
Green Spaces at UAMS
- The Chancellor’s Garden on Campus Drive outside the Chancellor’s suite and accessible from the sidewalk on Campus Drive. This is an accessible area.
- The PRI Entrance Garden with benches and a tranquil water feature. This area is accessible from above from the hospital entrance, but only accessible by steps from Hooper Drive.
- The PRI perennial beds near the west entrance.
- (The PRI Healing Garden)—available to PRI patients only.
- The Bruce Fountain with benches in front of the main entrance to UAMS. This is an accessible area.
- (The gardens among the CHP buildings). There are 3 courtyards on the main level and a small section on the lower level. These areas are currently unavailable and being renovated. Currently the courtyards are sunken and require steps down to enter.
- (The CHP lower level section). See # 6 above.
- There are some shaded tables and chairs outside the student center (around the side of the building from the entrance). This is an accessible area.
- Resident Hall. There are some shaded tables and chairs outside the Resident Hall Administrative Services building. This is an accessible area.
- Wilson Park—on the hill behind and above I. Dodd Wilson building. This area is not accessible from IDW, but can be accessed without steps from the parking lots near the Student Center and Admin West building.
- Shorey Entrance. On Campus Drive, there are benches. This is an accessible area.
- Anna Mae Garden located between the back entrances to Radiation Oncology and the Outpatient Center. There are benches, a pergola, and beautiful flora. I could not locate an accessible entrance to this area.
- Spine Center Entrance. There are tables and chairs and a bench. This is an accessible area.
- IOA Garden.
- Cancer Center Entrance includes container plants and benches. This is an accessible area.
- Cancer Center Healing Garden with tables, paths, and a variety of plantings. This area is accessible, but it has multiple areas with steps between, and they are not directly accessible to each other.
- Biomedical Center, tables in 3 locations.
- (The Rooftop Garden). Atop Parking 1. Currently unavailable, undergoing renovation. This area has been accessible.
- There are shaded tables and chairs outside the cafeteria which is located on the ground floor of the Central Building. There are often several people in this area, eating and visiting so it may not be as conducive to study and quiet. This is an accessible area.
- There is a small area with a bench tucked in between the Outpatient entrance and the Jones Eye Institute entrance.
It does a body good to taste and see and hear and smell and touch these worlds of beauty. Come outside and enjoy.