Autumn at the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden

Fall is the most extraordinary time to visit the renown Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden. This world-class attraction opened in 1984, making it one of America’s newest gardens. The arboretum is repeatedly ranked as one of the top in the world, thanks in part to the staff & generous volunteers continuing dedication to preserving history and nature.

The 66 acre garden is located on the shores of gorgeous White Rock Lake, and thus, the ambiance is really tranquil despite being located so close to the city. If you only have limited time in Dallas, a stroll around the Arboretum should easily top your to-do bucket list.

Views of White Rock Lake and the Dallas skyline from the Arboretum

A bit of history on the Dallas Arboretum origins

Everette Lee DeGolyer was an oilman and geophysicist, referred to as “the founder of applied geophysics in the petroleum industry” and “the father of American geophysics. ” He was also the founder of Texas Instruments, the technology company most well-known for their TI graphing calculators. He was a collector of rare books (the recreation of his extensive library collection is quite stunning) and unique artifacts.

In 1944, DeGolyer served as President of the Dallas Arboretum foundation. The city of Dallas eventually purchased the home as the official location for the arboretum, thus making his dream for a city arboretum a reality. Many of the original features of the 4.5 acre DeGolyer garden remain including the Magnolia Allee, the Sunken Garden, and the Octagonal Fountain.

The beautiful Gardens

The arboretum is divided into 19 gardens, all of which are incredibly beautiful, colorful, and well maintained. Each and every garden is extraordinary. The standouts include the Crape Myrtle Allee, The Rose Mary Haggar Rose Garden, the McCasland Sunken Garden, the Lay Family Garden (yes, the garden was named in honor of the founder of Lay’s potato chips!) and the Margaret Elisabeth Jonsson Color Garden.

Crape Myrtle Allee garden at the Dallas Arboretum — The gorgeous Crape Myrtle Allee garden

The Rose Mary Haggar Garden at the Dallas Arboretum — The Rose Mary Haggar Garden

Relaxing waterfall at the Lay Family Garden at the Dallas Arboretum — The gorgeous waterfall at the Lay Family Garden, which was named in honor of Herman Lay, the founder of Lay’s potato chips.

As you stroll around the various gardens, you will take in lovely views of the lake, enjoy the soothing sounds of tranquil fountains & waterfalls, marvel at colorful Koi in the ponds, and even catch a glimpse of the Dallas skyline. The arboretum is the perfect place to escape the cluster of the city and suburbs, if only for an hour or 2. They also offer a free narrated tram ride, which really is a treat on hot sunny summer days. If you are new to Dallas, I recommend taking a tour for the history lesson alone.

A brief photo tour around the various gardens…

View of colorful plants along The Paseo at the Dallas Arboretum — A walk down The Paseo, the central walkway to get to various gardens.

Pumpkins at Autumn at the Dallas Arboretum — Tons of pumpkins line the walkways each fall

Colorful flowers at the Dallas Arboretum — Brightly colored flowers everywhere!

Shakespeare bench at the Dallas Arboretum — Take a break with Shakespeare

Lots of places to sit and admire the gorgeous scenery

Quaint waterfall at the Dallas Arboretum — Small waterfalls can be found in most of the gardens, creating the most relaxing setting for a morning walk.

The Rose Garden at the Dallas Arboretum — The colorful walkway to the Rose Garden

Beautiful fountain at the Dallas Arboretum

The Hardy Palm and Tropical Collection at the Dallas Arboretum — The gorgeous Hardy Palm and Tropical Collection at the Lay’s Family Garden

Koi pond at the Dallas Arboretum — A relaxing Koi pond

Waterfall at the Lay Family Garden at the Dallas Arboretum — The tranquil waterfall at the Lay Family Garden

Gorgeous fall decor at the Dallas Arboretum — There are 4 of these unique sculptures throughout the grounds. They once were part of an old hotel and were donated to the arboretum.

The Crape Myrtle Allee garden — A stroll down the Crape Myrtle Allee garden

A Woman's Garden at the Dallas Arboretum — A Woman’s Garden – a gift from the Woman’s Council of the Dallas Arboretum.

Tadpole fountain at the Dallas Arboretum — This tadpole pool was put in as a joke leading up to the frog fountains.

Frog fountain at the Dallas Arboretum — The unique frog fountain in the Crape Myrtle Allee garden

Award-winning annual events

The garden puts on a number of festive annual events including a 12 Days of Christmas festival, featuring a collection of elaborate Victorian style gazebos showcasing memorable Christmas scenes, and the Autumn festival which includes elaborate pumpkin displays set to a new theme each year. The maintenance of the gardens requires 30 staff members and at least 12,000 hours worth of horticulture work for each event!

Pumpkin Village

The theme changes every year for this award-winning event. Autumn at the Arboretum theme for 2018 is “The Adventures in Neverland.” The beloved story of Peter Pan has been incorporated into a festive display via the use of thousands and thousands of pumpkins. The extravagant Pumpkin Village includes more than 90,000 pumpkins, plus 4500 Chrysanthemums and 150,000 more fall blooming plants. This annual fall festival has been named the best fall event in Dallas as well as “one of America’s best pumpkin festivals” by Fodor’s. Past themes have included “The Wizard of Oz” and “Cinderella.”

Take a look at all those pumpkins!

Over 90000 pumpkins at Pumpkin Village at the Dallas Arboretum

You will notice many familiar sights at this year’s display including Captain Hook’s pirate ship, the Lost Boy’s hideout, and the Darling’s London home. The kids have a blast playing around the youthful setup, while the adults marvel at the artistic creativity. Photo opportunities abound at every turn.

Lost Boys hideout at Pumpkin Village at the Dallas Arboretum

Captain Hook's Pirate ship at Pumpkin Village at the Dallas Arboretum

Neverland theme at the Dallas Arboretum Pumpkin Village

Neverland theme at the Pumpkin Village at the Dallas Arboretum

Also taking place this fall, from September 24th-November 21st, is a special Harvest Tea celebration, with seatings at 11am-2pm. A special 3 course afternoon tea is being held in the gorgeous DeGolyer Tea Room, although 26 hour advance reservations are required.

There are cute fall photo opportunities throughout the arboretum, making the arboretum a great place for family photos. The theme changes every year, so you can return and create new memories each season!

Tours of the historic DeGolyer house

The DeGolyer house was built in 1939 on the grounds of the arboretum and has been recently renovated to recreate the look it had in the 1940’s. The Spanish Colonial Revival style home was, at the time, designed to appear 100 years old. On an interesting side note, this was the first house in Dallas to have air conditioning. Imagine suffering through a stifling Texas summer without air!

Tours of the luxurious 21,000 square foot home are available daily and last about an hour. This extravagant home has been listed on both the National Register of Historic Places as well as the Texas Register of Historic Places.

The DeGolyers loved art and incorporated design elements from their travels around the world into the overall theme of their property – the end result is both eclectic and mesmerizing. There are many rare and unique decorative pieces throughout each room in the house, some original, others recreations.

A few photos below of unique design elements and artifacts found throughout the house…Note: the house was very dark, and thus, the photos did not come out as well as expected. I recommend exploring the beautiful property for yourself as pics do no justice!

Overall, I highly recommend a visit to the Dallas Arboretum. Whether you have time for a half day outing or are simply looking for a place to escape the city congestion for an hour or so, the Arboretum lives up to its’ reputation as a refreshing oasis in the middle of a bustling city. After just a short stroll around the manicured grounds, you will easily see why locals call this outstanding garden “the crowning jewel of Dallas.”

Location & Pricing info

The Dallas Arboretum is located at: 8525 Garland Rd, Dallas, TX 75218. Hours are 9am-5pm. Tickets can be ordered online or via the ticket booth. Adult admission is $20, seniors $16, and $12 per child aged 2-12. Entrance to the Rory Meyers Children’s Adventure Garden requires an additional small fee. Tram rides are free, although first come, first served.

Parking at the arboretum is $15, although cheaper parking can be found in nearby garages. Also, you will receive a discount by booking online.

Discount admission on various dates. Check the website for further details.

Free tours of the DeGolyer house area available every half hour beginning at 10am. You will ring the doorbell a few minutes prior to the tour start time.

The arboretum offers a Rainy Day policy where you receive free entry (with 3 months) if rain falls during your visit. This is nice as you do not have to lose out after paying a hefty admission fee.

Dining options

Dining options include several casual cafes and a more formal experience at the Restaurant DeGolyer. Afternoon tea requires an advance reservation of at least 26 hours. Call 214-515-6511 or email [email protected] to reserve your spot.

Even better, check out a local restaurant while you are in town. A fabulous casual lunch option known as Torchy’s tacos is located just minutes away. This popular casual Tex-Mex restaurant first opened in Austin and has expanded to include several locations in Texas, Colorado, and Oklahoma. They offer a huge menus of tacos which are all a la carte so you can mix and match to your heart’s desire.

Fried avocado tacos at Torchy's in Dallas, TX — The Fried Avocado taco is a must try!