Connemara Meadow Preserve

Soon after Connemara Conservancy was formed as a land trust in 1981, it acquired a 72-acre parcel of land in then-rural Collin County to set aside as a preserve. Though Connemara is now surrounded by residential development, the meadow and woods on the land remain undeveloped for people to enjoy year-round during daylight hours for picnics, nature study or simple moments of solitude. From the beginning, the Conservancy has held programs in the Meadow that include fund-raisers and juried exhibitions by artists. One such program is the Spring Sculpture Show. This national juried competition chooses 10 to 12 artists to create works that reflect the natural beauty of the land. Funding for their projects has come through the Texas Commission of the Arts and the cities of Allen and Plano. In 1998, the show attracted its first European participant, Scotland's Jim Buchanan. The show usually runs from early March to mid-May and includes a series of classical music events. Art and nature lovers will find it hard to beat picnicking in the Meadow among the works on a pristine spring afternoon. – MIKE DANIEL Entrance: North Central Expressway to Legacy Drive, exit. From Legacy, go north on Alma to Tatum Road. Go west on Tatum to the bridge and park on the street.