Tips for Visiting Adkins Arboretum
A trip to the Arboretum offers something special during every season of the year.
Visitor's Center
This should always be your first stop at the Arboretum. Staff can assist you in planning your visit, including orientation to the site, special programs and exhibits offered, and information about what’s in bloom, birds on the wing, and other subjects of interest. Ask the staff to borrow an audio tour to take on your walk. Housing a gift shop, bookstore, art gallery, and restrooms, the Visitor's Center is open 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and Sunday noon–4 p.m.
The Visitor's Center is closed Thanksgiving Day and December 24 through 31. Call 410-634-2847, ext. 0 with questions about visiting. Click here to learn how you can become a member and help make the Arboretum accessible to all.
Accessibility and Accommodations
Adkins Arboretum strives to make all visitors feel welcome. We are committed to providing all visitors with exceptional experiences in nature.
Our Visitor's Center is on one level and accessible from the parking lot via a paved walkway and a decked bridge overlooking the wetland. All the public rooms, offices, and restrooms are accessible.
Our site amenities, including the South Meadow Overlook, Pavilion, Wetland Platform, and Nestled in Nature Terrace in the North Meadow, are all accessible by varying surfaced trails—stone dust and gravel, mowed grass, and mulch.
Our five miles of trails vary in grade, surface material, root exposure, and shade. Please check in with our front desk team to review our map to determine the best trail for your visit.
To schedule a visit by golf cart, please contact us at info@adkinsarboretum.org to schedule your visit with a trained volunteer golf cart driver. We can accommodate 3 to 5 passengers.
For questions or assistance, please call 410.634.2847, ext 100, or email info@adkinsarboretum.org.
Self-Guided and Guided Walks
The highlight of any Arboretum visit is a walk along our five miles of paths through a variety of habitats, dry open upland meadows, maturing hardwood forest, and lush wooded bottomland. The paths are well marked so that you can explore them on your own. Click here to view a map of the Arboretum's scenic paths. On the first Saturday of the month, enjoy a one-hour guided walk through the Arboretum meadows and woods led by an Arboretum docent naturalist. Advance registration is required.
What's in Bloom?
Highlights of what's in bloom each month are featured on printed guides available in the Visitor's Center. The guides can also be viewed here.
Group Tours
Guided tours for groups are arranged by appointment. The Arboretum also offers an expanded community outreach series of educational programs that can be presented by request to civic organizations, garden clubs, retirement communities, community centers, and libraries throughout the region. Email Executive Director Ginna Tiernan or call 410-634-2847, ext. 270 to schedule.
Programs and Events
A variety of educational programs for adults and children and special events for all ages are held at the Arboretum throughout the year. These include programs on plant identification, gardening with native plants, land conservation, ecology, and nature-related arts and crafts. Click here for the programs & events calendar.
Art Exhibitions
The Arboretum hosts an ongoing exhibition series of artwork on natural themes by regional artists, including an annual juried art show held each February and an outdoor sculpture show each summer. Art exhibitions are displayed in the Visitor's Center gallery.
Ticks & Chiggers
We share our grounds with lots of critters, and some can be a little pesky. Dress appropriately and plan ahead with whatever bug repellent and protection you are comfortable with. Click here for more information.
Reminders
- Enjoy the plants without disturbing them.
- Respect the quiet and solitude others seek.
- Bike the Arboretum paths and give those on foot the right of way.
- Leash your dogs at all times on the grounds.
- Picnic tables are located near the entrance to the woodland paths and at nearby Tuckahoe State Park.