Another great place to visit on a cloudy cool day is the Volunteer Park Conservatory. You are transported to a tropical jungle as you walk through the doors. There are 5 green houses varying in temperature and humidity to highlight different plants. The glass house was completed in 1922 and consist of 5 different ‘houses of varying temperature and humidity.

The center house is the Palm House. The highlight of this house are the orchids but if you take time to look around you will see many other interesting tropical plants such as ginger and Strelitzia (Bird of Paradise plant).

We headed to the cactus house, our favorite. We love the desert. The humidity is low and the temperature is kept around 75 degrees. Last Sunday, members of the Seattle Cactus and Succulent Society were available to answer questions. Many of the cacti were in bloom. It was a perfect escape on a gray Seattle day.

Here is a slideshow of the cactus in bloom.