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All events at the Arboretum are free.

Ongoing

Exhibits

photo of tree branches in a vase

Guided Tours

Plan Your Visit

Little Explorers

Little Explorers

Join us at the Arboretum as we read and discover new things about the natural world. During this one-hour program for our youngest guests and their grownups, we will read a nature inspired story, do a craft, and go for a nature walk to continue exploring the theme.

Hunnewell Lecture Hall
Get Tickets 42 tickets left

The Buzz About Bats

As the sun sets, the bats come out! Join Arboretum Horticulturist Brendan Keegan and Matt Kamm, Associate Director of Field Conservation at Zoo New England, for a Bat Walk in the Conifer Collection, using specialized microphones to listen for and identify bat species in the landscape.

Bussey Street Gate
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Tai Chi at the Arboretum

Tai chi is a Chinese martial art known for its slow, intentional movements which act as a form of moving meditation for practitioners. Join International Tai Chi Gold Medalist and referee Hongsheng Jin for this one-hour tai chi class, appropriate for beginners and experienced students alike. The class will begin with breathwork and stretching, continue with a moving meditation and a walk practice, and conclude with a formal tai chi practice.

Leventritt Shrub & Vine Garden
Get Tickets 31 tickets left

Full Moon Walking Meditation

Take in the sights and sounds of the arboretum under the light of a full moon. Facilitator Bob Linscott will lead the group through mindfulness in nature practices and a meditative sound bath as we meander along the paved road to our final nighttime viewing location on top of Bussey Hill.

in front of the Hunnewell Building
Sold Out

Plankton Painting

In this experimental photography workshop led by local artist and scientist Jess Holz, participants create ‘paintings’ using microscopic plankton collected from the Arboretum’s ponds. Participants use a microscope in combination with software which creates video akin to timelapse photography- acting at the decisive moment, participants snap photos of the trails created by these microscopic creatures. Participants will learn basic identification of microscopic pond life while getting a fascinating glimpse into their dynamic behavior, such as the helical paths of flagellates and the water currents generated by rotifers as they feed.

Hunnewell Lecture Hall
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Sold Out
Morning Fitness Walk

Morning Fitness Walk

Join docent Lisa Gaquin for a brisk early morning walk along the inside perimeter of the Arboretum. This walk will be fast-paced, energetic, and will involve walking over hills and rough terrain. Note that this is not a traditional tour: you may hear some information about individual trees and history, but the main goal is to get outside and get some exercise! Bring good walking shoes, water, and walking poles if desired.

in front of the Hunnewell Building
Get Tickets 39 tickets left

Conifer Collection Tour

The conifer collection at the Arnold Arboretum is a magical place to visit at any time of the year, as it is especially rich in history and diversity. Docent Cristina Squeff will lead participants through this collection explaining key identification features and sharing relevant stories about individual trees. 

Bussey Street Gate
Get Tickets 8 tickets left

Research Spotlight: Native Caterpillars and Invasive Plants

Can native caterpillars help control our non-native, invasive plants? That’s what researcher Michael LaScaleia is trying to figure out through his research at the Arboretum. Join us for a Research Spotlight program to learn about Michael’s research and search for some of these caterpillars in the landscape. This walk will include some boggy areas, so waterproof shoes are recommended!

in front of the Hunnewell Building
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Get Tickets 21 tickets left

The Cosmic Tree: A Universal Symbol of Life: Flowering Trees

Cosmologies are ways of understanding the nature of the universe, of experiencing the world in all its variations including the visible and the invisible. Over millennia trees have served as the mythological archetype of the world’s axis (axis mundi), the pole through the earth’s center which connects the worlds above and below. Within a cosmic-magical model of the world  (imago mundi), trees also evolved in various cultures to possess innate spiritual powers or as conduits for communication with the holy or sacred.

During this tour we will discuss angiosperms, the largest and most diverse group in the plant kingdom. All flowering trees are angiosperms, but not all angiosperms reproduce in the same way, so you may not see blooms and flowers but plenty of leaves. 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?

Centre Street Gate
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Get Tickets 26 tickets left

Poisonous Plants

Hidden among the beautiful flowers and innocent-looking shrubs of the Arboretum are some of the world’s most sinister poisons. White snakeroot, yew and even the beloved rhododendron are all filled to the brim with toxins that have both enticed and tormented people for generations. Join Manager of Adult Programming and Events Sarah Nechamen for a walk to learn about these poisonous plants, the chemicals they contain, and the strange histories they carry with them.

Bussey Street Gate
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Sold Out
Little Explorers

Little Explorers

Join us at the Arboretum as we read and discover new things about the natural world. During this one-hour program for our youngest guests and their grownups, we will read a nature inspired story, do a craft, and go for a nature walk to continue exploring the theme.

Hunnewell Lecture Hall
Get Tickets 66 tickets left

The Buzz About Bats

As the sun sets, the bats come out! Join Arboretum Horticulturist Brendan Keegan and Matt Kamm, Associate Director of Field Conservation at Zoo New England, for a Bat Walk in the Conifer Collection, using specialized microphones to listen for and identify bat species in the landscape.

Bussey Street Gate
Subject Matter:
Sold Out

All-Ages Insect Safari

Join us for an interactive look at all the tiny critters that crawl, fly, or slither through the Arboretum landscape. We will have sweep nets and bug boxes to catch bugs in Kent Field, digital microscopes to get a closer look, some fun bug crafts, and an entomologist to help us identify everything we find. This is an all-ages, interactive program: come prepared to move around and get up close with some bugs and insects!

Bridge off of Hemlock Hill Road
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Get Tickets 31 tickets left

Trees that Shaped Civilization

Join docent Paul Eldrenkamp for a visit to five groups of trees that each played a particularly significant role in shaping five very different civilizations: Eastern White Pine, Cedar of Lebanon, Western Red Cedar, Oaks, and the five sacred trees of the Kiso Forest in Japan. Accessibility: This walk will include paved roads and woodchip […]

Bussey Street Gate
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Get Tickets 6 tickets left
Morning Fitness Walk

Morning Fitness Walk

Join docent Lisa Gaquin for a brisk early morning walk along the inside perimeter of the Arboretum. This walk will be fast-paced, energetic, and will involve walking over hills and rough terrain. Note that this is not a traditional tour: you may hear some information about individual trees and history, but the main goal is to get outside and get some exercise! Bring good walking shoes, water, and walking poles if desired.

in front of the Hunnewell Building
Get Tickets 62 tickets left

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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Get Tickets 25 tickets left

Haunted Botany: A Performance for a Forgotten Forest

The towering Eastern White Pine once dominated New England forests and served as an important symbol for Indigenous peoples, but the British Royal Navy’s thirst for tall, straight, trees to use as ship masts eventually led to the destruction of the vast majority of old growth pines in Massachusetts. Join Gwyneth Shanks and AB Brown for a performance piece highlighting Pinus strobus’s dramatic colonial history in which American settlers fought back against King George’s large-scale destruction of their forests, leading to direct resistance, riots, and eventually to the Boston Tea Party itself.

Peters Hill Gate
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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 […]

Centre Street Gate
Subject Matter:
Birding at the Arboretum

Birding at the Arboretum

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. Bring binoculars if you have them!

in front of the Hunnewell Building
Subject Matter:
Sold Out
Little Explorers

Little Explorers

Join us at the Arboretum as we read and discover new things about the natural world. During this one-hour program for our youngest guests and their grownups, we will read a nature inspired story, do a craft, and go for a nature walk to continue exploring the theme. The weekly themes are inspired by what is happening seasonally at the Arboretum.

Hunnewell Lecture Hall
Get Tickets 25 tickets left

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
Subject Matter:

Spooky Plants: The Garden that Bites Back

As we ramp up for the spooky season of Halloween, join the Manager of Adult Programming and Events for a walk focused on the most sinister plants in the Arboretum’s collections. Armed with spiky thorns, sticky latex, and chemical warfare, these sinister species defend themselves from hungry herbivores—and sometimes from humans who wander too close.

in front of the Hunnewell Building
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Get Tickets 28 tickets left

Conservation in a Changing World

Part of the mission of the Arnold Arboretum is stewardship of the earth’s botanical diversity and its essential value to humankind. This one hour tour through the landscape, led by docent Vicki Amalfitano, will highlight important Arboretum historical conservation efforts that have preserved distinct native and exotic species, and current efforts in our living collections to mitigate habitat disruption and climate impact. Learn about plant expeditions to preserve species in the face of climate change and new pathogens, research initiatives, as well as the Arboretum’s green initiatives and local collaborations to improve our urban canopy.

Subject Matter:
Get Tickets 30 tickets left

The Cosmic Tree: A Universal Symbol of Life: Ginkgoes & 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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Get Tickets 29 tickets left
Little Explorers

Little Explorers

Join us at the Arboretum as we read and discover new things about the natural world. During this one-hour program for our youngest guests and their grownups, we will read a nature inspired story, do a craft, and go for a nature walk to continue exploring the theme. The weekly themes are inspired by what is happening seasonally at the Arboretum.

Hunnewell Lecture Hall
Get Tickets 25 tickets left

Conifer Collection Tour

The conifer collection at the Arnold Arboretum is a magical place to visit at any time of the year, as it is especially rich in history and diversity. Docent Cristina Squeff will lead participants through this collection explaining key identification features and sharing relevant stories about individual trees. 

Bussey Street Gate
Subject Matter:
Get Tickets 30 tickets left

Charles Sprague Sargent and the American Forest

Many are aware of Charles Sprague Sargent’s role as first director of the Arnold Arboretum, establishing it as the world-renowned institution it is today. Far fewer are familiar with the deep influence he had over how Americans have come to think about forests, forestry, and wilderness. Docent Paul Eldrenkamp will lead a tour that explores the history of the idea of the forest in America- and how Sargent helped shape that idea.

Bussey Street Gate
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Get Tickets 30 tickets left

Little Explorers

Join us at the Arboretum as we read and discover new things about the natural world. During this one-hour program for our youngest guests and their grownups, we will read a nature inspired story, do a craft, and go for a nature walk to continue exploring the theme.

Hunnewell Lecture Hall
Subject Matter:
Get Tickets 1 ticket left

MassQ Ball: Color

MassQ Ball 2025: Color is an intergenerational, cross-cultural celebration of the arts and culture of Boston’s many communities of color. A co-production between multidisciplinary artist Daniel Callahan and Black arts organization Castle of our Skins, The MassQ Ball will feature a star-studded lineup of artists, performers, activists and culture bearers from a wide range of artistic traditions and backgrounds. Through sound, sculpture, movement and spoken word, MassQ Ball 2025: Color will showcase the beauty, diversity, and color of our commonwealth and wider world amidst the breath-taking backdrop of the Arboretum’s conifers.

Bussey Street Gate
Subject Matter:

Olmsted and the Arnold Arboretum

Frederick Law Olmsted, considered the father of landscape architecture, designed some 500 public spaces in North America. The Arnold Arboretum is the only arboretum he designed, a National Historic Landmark, and a model for others around the world. Docent Bill Beizer, will identify the elements of the Arboretum that best reflect Olmsted’s philosophy and approach to landscape design.

Bussey Street Gate
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Get Tickets 30 tickets left
Little Explorers

Little Explorers

Join us at the Arboretum as we read and discover new things about the natural world. During this one-hour program for our youngest guests and their grownups, we will read a nature inspired story, do a craft, and go for a nature walk to continue exploring the theme. The weekly themes are inspired by what is happening seasonally at the Arboretum.

Hunnewell Lecture Hall
Get Tickets 25 tickets left

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
Subject Matter:
Get Tickets 30 tickets left

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
Subject Matter:

The Cosmic Tree: A Universal Symbol of Life: Ginkgoes & 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
Subject Matter:
Get Tickets 30 tickets left

Oak Collection Tour

Oaks have been more closely associated with the development of human civilizations across the northern hemisphere than any other genus of tree. From the Royal Oak to the Charter Oak to the Emancipation Oak, from wine and whisky barrels to tall ships to the roof of Notre Dame, from King John to Shakespeare to Leonardo da Vinci, oaks have been inextricably entwined with the human experience. Join docent Paul Eldrenkamp as we learn more about the cultural history of oaks and explore what it is that makes them so useful, so distinct — and so essential.

Centre Street Gate
Subject Matter:
Get Tickets 30 tickets left

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
Subject Matter:
Get Tickets 30 tickets left

Conifer Collection Tour

The conifer collection at the Arnold Arboretum is a magical place to visit at any time of the year, as it is especially rich in history and diversity. Docent Cristina Squeff will lead participants through this collection explaining key identification features and sharing relevant stories about individual trees. 

Bussey Street Gate
Subject Matter:
Get Tickets 30 tickets left

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
Subject Matter:
Get Tickets 24 tickets left

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
Subject Matter:
Get Tickets 30 tickets left
Little Explorers

Little Explorers

Join us at the Arboretum as we read and discover new things about the natural world. During this one-hour program for our youngest guests and their grownups, we will read a nature inspired story, do a craft, and go for a nature walk to continue exploring the theme. The weekly themes are inspired by what is happening seasonally at the Arboretum.

Hunnewell Lecture Hall
Get Tickets 25 tickets left

Trees that Shaped Civilization

Join docent Paul Eldrenkamp for a visit to five groups of trees that each played a particularly significant role in shaping five very different civilizations: Eastern White Pine, Cedar of Lebanon, Western Red Cedar, Oaks, and the five sacred trees of the Kiso Forest in Japan.

Bussey Street Gate
Subject Matter:
Get Tickets 30 tickets left