America’s Oldest Public Arboretum – The Arnold Arboretum in Boston
Disclaimer: We are not paid to promote any restaurant, hotel, activity, product, or attraction. All opinions are subjective and based on our personal experience. Your experience may be different.
The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, located in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Boston, is the country’s oldest public arboretum (est. in 1872). At this beautiful free public space, you can explore 281 scenic acres of trees and shrubs. There are hundreds of different varieties of trees, all of which are conveniently labeled.
As someone who is not familiar with every plant, I love that they label everything. It’s a great educational destination for anyone interested in botany, and also anyone else who just want to enjoy nature in a quiet setting.
The amazing bonsai collection
My favorite collection was definitely the Larz Anderson Bonsai Collection. I have always been obsessed with bonsai trees ever since watching The Karate Kid series as a kid in the 80’s and 90’s. I love the amount of detail in each bonsai tree. Bonsai trees are a true art form that require much knowledge and patience – I would never have the patience to trim the trees myself, so I love seeing them in gardens around the US. The ending result is a most unique and artistic miniature tree. Many of the trees are several hundreds years old!
Enjoy a few pictures we took of the collection. Unfortunately, it was a super sunny day, and thus, quite hard to capture the detail. I would love to come back and capture some better shots when the sky is a bit more overcast.
A quick escape from urban life
This arboretum is located about 20 minutes outside of downtown. For tourists tired of history, crowds, and congestion, it is the perfect place to escape for a few hours of strolling and getting back to nature. Relax and spend some time away from work and modern life, take photographs, and learn about new plants and trees.
There are several benches located throughout if you would like to simply relax and enjoy the sights and sounds of nature. I had a great time learning about the different trees from all over the world. I also thought it was a beautiful place to temporarily escape the summer tourist congestion. Most of the time, Mike and I are out there walking The Freedom Trail and visiting other popular tourist sites, so a visit here was a nice change of pace.
Enjoy a few pics we took in the different gardens. Besides the Bonsai, the arboretum is also home to an Explorers Garden, the highlight here being 2 of the largest Franklin trees in the world. You can also take a self guided tour of the Bradley Rosaceous Collection which features roses in every hue, plus hawthorn and crabapples. In the Conifer Collection, you will be able to see Dawn Redwoods, golden larch, and bald cypress. If you visit in the fall, you will get to see the leaves change color which I imagine would be gorgeous.
The beautiful Dawn Redwood Tree is one of the highlights of the collection. According to the arboretum, this dawn is the first to grow in North America in over 2 million years. The arboretum even uses this tree in its’ logo. You can read more about the history of this tree on the arboretum website.
I recommend visiting this arboretum if you are a nature lover looking for a quiet, relaxing weekday or weekend afternoon. Taking a walk here is a great way to get in some exercise, learn about new plants and trees, and enjoy a beautiful summer day. It’s the perfect place to decompress if just for a bit!
The best part of all is that admission is completely free. Since moving here, I have found out that there are many attractions around the city that are free. This has been one of the biggest perks of moving here!
Location/Parking
The Arboretum is located about 20 minutes outside of downtown. Free parking is available on the side streets near the entrance (there is no parking lot). Hours are sunrise-sunset, 7 days a week. Admission is Free. There is a visitor’s center, which is open from 10am-4pm. The Horticultural Library is open by appt, Tuesday-Friday, from 10:00am-3:45pm.
Address: 125 Arborway, Boston, MA
UPDATE: Since moving to the Providence metro, Mike and I have been exploring both popular tourist attractions (many of which are free) and hidden gems in and around the city. I consider this gorgeous garden one of the city’s best free gems.
