Today, I decided to look for some summer flowers and a hummingbird feeder for my deck since the weather is warmer and the hummingbirds are back and looking for food. My mom, who is an avid gardener and lover of nature, told me that she would meet me at Briggs Nursery, located in North Attleboro because she thinks that they are the best nursery in New England. She told me that Briggs Nursery is a family owned business who takes pride in excellent customer service. She told me that she has been shopping for all of her plants and supplies there since I was two years old and brought me there many times when I was just a baby.
Kellie and Kevin, my friends drove me to Briggs Nursery to meet my mom. Briggs Nursery just reopened after total reconstruction of the building so while I was there, I thought that I would review Briggs Nursery for wheelchair accessibility.
Wow, I was in awe at how wonderful Briggs Nursery is for wheelchair accessibility. The main entry doors to the nursery are fully automatic. As soon as my wheelchair was within a few feet of the doors, they slid open. Once inside I was very pleased at how much space I had to maneuver my wheelchair around all the beautiful items they have displayed. There is a beautiful running fountain in the main entry level that is peaceful to watch.
The restrooms are very spacious and fully wheelchair accessible. The handicap stalls are large and can easily fit my wheelchair with my friends, who help me transfer. The sinks are of good height for my wheelchair and have the protective covering on the plumbing underneath the sink. The safety bars are also placed where needed.
We traveled to other sections of the main area and had no problems maneuvering my wheelchair around all of the beautiful outdoor furniture, bird baths, bird houses, statues and many other beautiful things they had for sale. There is also a separate area for Lawn and Garden products, such as fertilizer, weed control etc. It is very wheelchair accessible. My dad called my mom while we were there and asked her to buy the natural lawn fertilizer that he likes for our lawn for no other store in our area sells it.
We then went into the main greenhouse that had all of the plants and flowers. Wow, it was absolutely breathtaking to see so many beautiful flowers in one room. This area is also very wheelchair accessible and has very wide aisles. The plants are located on tables that are a good height for me to reach for any plant. They have all kind of beautiful plants that are in full bloom. I bought three Shasta Daisies for my deck.
The staff are all very friendly, educated and knowledgeable about gardens and yard products. They will happily answer any question you may have and are very helpful and courteous. They were so nice and even planted my Shasta Daisies in blue pots that I picked out. They also carried the fertilizer out to my mom’s car and put it in her trunk.
Then we traveled outside the nursery where all of the outdoor shrubs, trees and perennials are displayed. We were all amazed at how wheelchair accessible the whole nursery was. There are beautiful ramps to get to every location.
There are steps at the main rear entry but they have two very wide cement wheelchair ramps located on either side of the steps that lead to the top area. The slopes of the ramps are of a gradual incline which makes it easy for us in wheelchairs to travel up or down the ramp. The ramps have railings on both sides for safety.
Briggs also has a small play area and animal farm which is a place that children can visit with their families who are shopping. My mom told me a funny story about this. She said years ago, the children of Mr. Briggs bought him a baby pig that they intended to eat for Easter when it was full size. Yet the family all fell in love with the pig and decided to build the McBrigg farm for it and other animals. She doubts this pig is still living for it would be too old, but what a great story to hear about why Briggs Nursery started an animal farm.
I also forgot to mention that Briggs Nursery also has a café that you can purchase sandwiches, deserts and drinks. It’s located in rear of the main area. You can sit on their lawn furniture either inside or outside on the patio to enjoy a refreshing drink, sandwich or snack. The wraps are delicious!
They even have a plasma TV on the wall in the area where you can sit inside at a patio table or on a comfortable couch to watch a show. The tables are a good height for my wheelchair too! Briggs is open all year and Christmas is another great time to visit for they have many real and artificial Christmas trees on sale with all the decorations. Santa is also there as well as winter sleigh rides. (My mom got our Christmas tree there).
You can also get a VIG (Very Important Gardener) Discount Card at Briggs once you spend $500 for the season. They give you a card and punch holes in it for every dollar spent. Once all the holes are punched you will get the VIG discount card and receive a 10 % discount on all future purchase for the rest of the year. I would never qualify for this but for those who need to buy lawn fertilizers, new shrubs etc. it may come in handy.
I give Briggs Nursery FIVE STARS for wheelchair accessibility. I can’t imagine there could ever be a nursery that is more wheelchair accessible than Briggs or one that is so much fun to shop at.
