Roswell, New Mexico: Tree of Knowledge

We enjoyed this stop very much. Our tip is to come late afternoon, or anytime when the sun creates shadows of the trees leaves on the ground. Each leaf has a word hidden in the design in fancy script, which adds to the fun of looking at the words within the tree.

There is also currently a story walk, next to the sidewalk by this tree, where you can walk from sign to sign to read a full mini story.

Definitely worth a visit if you are passing through Roswell. We'd planned for a quick five minute stop, but happily spent 20 minutes reading the quotes, looking for our favorites and truly enjoying this unique, beautiful literary work of art.

One of my favorite roadside attractions has been the "Tree of Knowledge" that stands outside of the public library in Roswell. The 17-ft. tall sculpture was designed by artist Sue Wink. The branches and leaves of the tree are made of metal, and form various words that relate to books and the benefits obtained through reading. The trunk of the tree is covered with custom-made tiles that display both the titles of popular books and famous words and phrases that are contained within them.

Learning of how the tree was created by the community added an additional dimension to my appreciation of this inspiring work of art (The inside of the library is also an attraction that should not be missed. It speaks of a town that takes great interest in its community and appreciates the importance of educating its young. I was extremely impressed).