Autumn at the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden
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The must-do in Dallas is visiting the beautiful Arboretum and Botanical Garden. This world-class attraction opened in 1984, making it one of America’s newest gardens. It is repeatedly ranked as one of the top gardens in the world, thanks in part to the staff & generous volunteers continuing dedication to preserving both the history and nature.
After visiting on a recent fall trip to the city, I can say that this place truly is beautiful and worth planning a visit just to Dallas to see. During the fall season, you will get to enjoy a special exhibit known as Pumpkin Village, in addition to the regular gardens. I love attending festive autumn events throughout the country and this is just one of many I would recommend to any fall/Halloween lovers out there.
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 have limited time, a stroll around the beautiful grounds should definitely top your bucket list, no matter what time of year your visit falls.
A bit of history
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 Arboretum foundation. The city of Dallas eventually purchased the home as the official location for the arboretum, thus making his dream 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.
19 beautiful gardens: A tranquil escape from the city congestion
The space is divided into 19 gardens, all of which are incredibly beautiful, colorful, and well maintained. Each and every garden is extraordinary. The standouts include for me were: 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.
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 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 the city, I recommend taking a tour for the history lesson alone. This was our first time visiting the city and we learned a lot along the way. They run at 4 different times, so it should be easy to incorporate a ride into your plans for the day.
Here are a few more pictures from the various gardens. It’s definitely a gorgeous place to spend an afternoon surrounded by nature. I recommend a spring or fall visit to enjoy the plants in bloom minus the scorching heat.
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.
According to the staff, the maintenance of the gardens requires 30 staff members and at least 12,000 hours worth of horticulture work for each event! It pays off as the autumn event is really spectacular. Everything is so organized, well maintained, and visually stunning.
Pumpkin Village: The top autumn event in Dallas
The theme changes every year for this award-winning event. During my visit, the theme was “The Adventures in Neverland.” The beloved story of Peter Pan was incorporated into a festive display via the use of thousands and thousands of pumpkins. This has always been one of my favorite Disney movies, so I enjoyed the creativity.
The extravagant display includes more than 90,000 pumpkins, plus 4500 Chrysanthemums and 150,000 more fall blooming plants. It’s been featured on many best-of lists. Fodors called it “one of America’s best pumpkin festivals.” Past themes have included “The Wizard of Oz” and “Cinderella.” So you will have something new to look forward to anytime you visit.
Take a look at all those pumpkins!
I loved all the nostalgic displays based on the Disney classic including Captain Hook’s pirate ship, the Lost Boys hideout, and the Darling’s London home. It’s a beautiful display that will appeal to all ages. Kids can have a blast playing around the youthful setup, while the adults marvel at the artistic creativity. Photo opportunities abound at every turn.
Another special event they offer this time of year is a Harvest Tea celebration, with seatings at 11am-2pm. A special 3 course afternoon tea is held in the gorgeous DeGolyer Tea Room, although 26 hour advance reservations are required.
So many cute fall photo opportunities throughout the arboretum, so you are sure to see a lot of families taking photos. The theme changes every year, so you can return and create new memories each season! Fortunately our visit fell on a weekday so it wasn’t as crowded as we expected.
Learn more about this festive annual event
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 the city 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. I recommend it to any history buffs out there. This extravagant home has been listed on both the National Register of Historic Places as well as the Texas Register of Historic Places.
We quickly learned that 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, my 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 adding a visit here to your city itinerary. 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
Address: 8525 Garland Rd, Dallas, TX 75218.
Hours: 9am-5pm.
Pricing: Tickets can be ordered online or via the ticket booth. Adult admission is $22, child aged 2-12 is $18. Add an extra 3 bucks for weekend visits. 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.
Discounts: Bank of America cardholders get admission for $3 and free parking (Promo held on the first full weekend of each month. Each visitor must show their bank card).
House tours: 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.
Tram tours: Daily at 10am, Noon, 2pm, and 4pm
Accessibility: Sensory backpacks, complimentary wheelchairs
Bad weather policy: 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.
Pricing/hours current as of 2026. Please check with the arboretum for updates.
Dining options
Dining options include several casual cafes and a more formal dining experience at the Restaurant DeGolyer. Afternoon tea requires an advance reservation of at least 26 hours. You can also bring your own food in and enjoy a picnic.
Even better, I recommend checking 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. So delicious!
What else to do in Dallas?
I recommend taking in the beautiful views of the Dallas skyline at Reunion Tower. From the 470 foot observatory, you will enjoy grand views of the city. This is a great activity for new tourists and they have a lot of informational exhibits which you can enjoy along with the views.
