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    • Chinese Path, Explorers Garden

    Explorers Garden Tour

    The Explorers Garden rests in a microclimate just below the summit of Bussey Hill. This nearly five-acre site provides ideal growing conditions for many species that have been challenging to grow in less protected areas of the Arboretum. As such, it has proven to be a perfect testing ground for plants collected in the expeditions of E. H. Wilson in the early 1900s to the NACPEC  (North America-China Plant Exploration Consortium) expeditions of our own time. Join docent Marie Herbert for a guided tour to learn more about some of the plants showcased in this special collection and to hear stories of the plant exploration expeditions that brought them to the Arboretum.

    Centre Street Gate
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      A wooden bowl with a natural, uneven edge featuring dark, rough bark. The smooth, light-colored wood contrasts with the jagged, textured rim. The bowl rests on a neutral gray background.

      The Art of the Woodturner

      Woodturning is the art or process of fashioning wood into various forms and shapes by means of a lathe. Returning to the Arnold Arboretum for the 11th year, The Art of the Woodturner will again offer visitors the chance to see an amazing variety of woodturned pieces: large and small, functional and sculptural.

      Hunnewell Lecture Hall
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        A group of people sit in a circle on chairs and logs in a forest, listening to a person standing and speaking among tall trees, with sunlight filtering through the branches.

        Rescheduled Forest Bathing

        *Rescheduled from September 26* Slow down and awaken your senses on a guided sensory experience in the Arnold Arboretum. Forest Bathing, inspired by the Japanese practice of Shinrin-yoku, is a restorative sensory exploration that supports health and healing for all beings. From increased cerebral blood flow to stronger immune defenses, come discover for yourself what happens when we unplug, slow down and open our senses to notice more of our natural surroundings. All the prompts, invitations, sharing and ways of participating are optional and open to interpretation.

        Flora Way Gate (Formerly Bussey St Gate)
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        Red maple leaves

        Korean Trees of the Arboretum

        As the Arboretum’s new exhibit on the history of plant collection and collaboration with Korea premiers in the Visitor Center, join Keeper of the Living Collections Michael Dosmann for a tour of Korean trees in the landscape. From the Hunnewell Building to the Explorer’s Garden, this walk will cover some of the quintessential plants that hail from the Korean peninsula.

        in front of the Hunnewell Building
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          Black and white picture of trees with a man in white dress standing in the foreground, and the words "Living Connections: The Arnold Arboretum and Korea" overlaid

          Exhibit Opening for Living Connections: The Arnold Arboretum and Korea

          For more than a century, the Arnold Arboretum has been connected to Korea through plants and scientific exchange. The new Living Connections exhibit brings together rare archival images, living collections, and contemporary partnerships to explore Korea’s botanical heritage and the evolving relationship between the Arboretum and Korean institutions. Living Connections traces a story from early plant exploration to modern collaboration, showing how historic collections continue to support research, conservation, and cultural understanding today.

          Hunnewell Visitor Center
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            Meadow Road and Visitors in autumn

            Autumn in the Arboretum

            Autumn is one of the most beautiful times of year at the Arboretum, with leaves changing color and all sorts of unique seeds and fruits appearing on the branches. Join docent Vicki Amalfitano for a tour to learn about all the changes that happen in the Arboretum’s collections in the fall.

            in front of the Hunnewell Building
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            Three-leaved poison ivy, a large thorn, and a jagged leaf

            Wicked Plants: A Botanical Halloween

            On the afternoon of Halloween, stop by the Hunnewell Lawn to learn about the most sinister plants in the Arboretum’s collections. Armed with spiky thorns, sticky latex, and chemical warfare, these plant species defend themselves from hungry herbivores, other plants—and sometimes from humans who wander too close. Others try to poison their neighbors, practice explosive seed dispersal, or even glow under black light. Drop by for this family friendly event and experience Halloween, Arboretum-style.

            Hunnewell Lawn
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              Aerial view of Peters Hill, including the road that loops around it

              Rescheduled Peters Hill Tour

              Learn about some of the amazing trees on Peters Hill during this ninety-minute tour led by docent Paul Eldrenkamp. You’ll get a chance to explore a few of the interesting collections in the landscape, learn about the history of this part of the Arboretum, and get a view of the Boston skyline from the second highest point in the city.

              Poplar Gate
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              • Four people stand in a garden holding percussion instruments

              Rhythms in the Garden with the Iris Percussion Quartet

              Join the Iris Percussion Quartet, based out of the Boston Conservatory at Berklee, for a performance focused on fallen leaves and the Arboretum’s Leventritt Shrub and Vine Garden. Working with small percussive instruments and found objects, Iris will bring together a unique program that celebrates the Leventritt in the peak of fall–including some brand new pieces composed specifically for this concert.

              Leventritt Shrub & Vine Garden
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                A red-winged blackbird in flight. The bird is black with red and yellow on its shoulders.

                Birding Walk

                Embark on a birdwatching tour in the Arboretum’s landscape with docent and birder Donna Sullivan. This two-hour tour is suitable for adult beginners as well as more experienced birders.

                in front of the Hunnewell Building
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                  Meadow Road and Visitors in autumn

                  Autumn in the Arboretum

                  Autumn is one of the most beautiful times of year at the Arboretum, with leaves changing color and all sorts of unique seeds and fruits appearing on the branches. Join docent Vicki Amalfitano for a tour to learn about all the changes that happen in the Arboretum’s collections in the fall.

                  in front of the Hunnewell Building
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                  An Eastern Kingbird is perched on a twig. The bird has a black head

                  Birding at the Arboretum

                  Have you ever wanted to learn more about the feathered friends you see and hear on a walk through the Arnold Arboretum? If so, please join birders and volunteers TJ and Allison for a leisurely 90-minute bird watching walk.

                  in front of the Hunnewell Building
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                    A large, lush tree with spreading branches and roots stands at the center of a circular frame filled with leafy greenery, symbolizing life, growth, and interconnectedness.

                    The Cosmic Tree: A Universal Symbol of Life: Ginkgoes and Conifers

                    Docent Katrina Scott will lead this interactive tour with stops for moments to reflect on specific trees and the stories associated with them. Were they revered or feared? A home for deities or tricksters? We will begin at the Walter Street Gate to visit the oldest ginkgoes at the Arboretum, then head up the Conifer Path and diverge to walk, rest, and reflect among various conifers, eventually ending by the yews near Bussey Brook and Hemlock Hill Road.

                    Walter Street Gate
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                      A white gilled mushroom growing out of a tree trunk

                      Mushroom Hunt

                      Hundreds of mushrooms hide beneath the Arboretum’s canopies, silently blossoming into unique forms then withering away again just as quickly. Join local mushroom enthusiast Maria Pinto to search for these fascinating organisms on the Arboretum grounds, both edible and poisonous alike. Along the way you will learn what mushrooms to look for in different habitats and seasons, how they move through ecosystems, and what the Arboretum’s unique collections affect what mushrooms you might find here.

                      Flora Way Gate (Formerly Bussey St Gate)
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                      A great horned owl with striking yellow eyes perches on a weathered tree stump, surrounded by blurred green foliage in the background.

                      Owl Prowl

                      Dusk is a perfect time to look and listen for Great Horned Owls, often heard calling throughout the Arboretum’s collections. Join Arboretum Horticulturist Brendan Keegan and Matt Kamm, Associate Director of Field Conservation at Zoo New England, to hear about the owls’ breeding and nesting behavior, learn how to go owling ethically, and possibly hear and see a few owls as well.

                      Flora Way Gate (Formerly Bussey St Gate)
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                      A man points to a white flower on a mountainside

                      The Regal Lily and the Redemption of E.H. Wilson

                      Join Keeper of the Living Collections for a story of a flower and the early 20th Century explorer who ventured to the other side of the world, away from family and modern convenience, to collect it. The regal lily (Lilium regale) was not just an object of desire but one of such value that it would underwrite one of the most significant collecting expeditions of the day. Yet, its beauty almost betrayed the collector, nearly taking both his reputation and his life.

                      Hunnewell Lecture Hall
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