Join us for the first Lilac Sunday since 2019! We’ll be celebrating 150 years of Arboretum history and 112 Lilac Sundays.
Experience the springtime bloom of our renowned collection of nearly 400 lilacs. Visit for tours with Arboretum experts, hands-on children’s programming, and more.
Hunnewell Building, Arnold Arboretum, 125 Arborway, Boston
On Saturdays and Sundays in April, join us for a 90-minute walk through the Arboretum! Tour seasonal plant highlights and learn about Arboretum history from a trained docent.
Hunnewell Building, Arnold Arboretum, 125 Arborway, Boston
On Saturdays and Sundays in April, join us for a 90-minute walk through the Arboretum! Tour seasonal plant highlights and learn about Arboretum history from a trained docent.
Hunnewell Building, Arnold Arboretum, 125 Arborway, Boston
Join us for a free, 90-minute walk through the Arboretum! Tour seasonal plant highlights and learn about Arboretum history from a trained docent. The walk is geared toward adults, and starts from the kiosk in front of the Hunnewell Building at 125 Arborway.
Hunnewell Building, Arnold Arboretum, 125 Arborway, Boston
Join us for a free, 90-minute walk through the Arboretum! Tour seasonal plant highlights and learn about Arboretum history from a trained docent. The walk is geared toward adults, and starts from the kiosk in front of the Hunnewell Building at 125 Arborway.
Participate in the Arnold Arboretum’s 2021 Tournament of Trees! Get to know this year’s Sweet Sixteen contenders (March 3–9) and cast your votes in this fun bracket style tournament. Let the March Tree Madness games begin.
Hunnewell Building, Arnold Arboretum, 125 Arborway, Boston
Families need nature at all times of the year! Meet inside the main gate at the Visitor Center. We’ll make paper chickadees and go on a StoryWalk to learn how a little bird can bring back the Sun! Free and open to all, most suitable for children ages four through ten.
Hunnewell Building, Arnold Arboretum, 125 Arborway, Boston
Winter is the barest of times in the Arboretum; however, there is much to see and much happening in the landscape. Join a docent for a walk on the bare side—notice shapes, textures, even the personalities of plants that are often missed when the land is heavy with green. You will see buds already forming and the dried seeds that are more visible when leaves are gone.
Hunnewell Building, Arnold Arboretum, 125 Arborway, Boston
Families need nature at all times of the year! Meet inside the main gate at the Visitor Center. We’ll sneak about and see what our furry friends are doing as winter draws closer. Get a tattoo, play with puppets, and read a StoryWalk®.
Bradley Rosaceous Collection, Arnold Arboretum, 125 Arborway, Boston
Join the Arnold Arboretum for tours, family activities, and festivities inviting you to discover the diversity of the rose family (Rosaceae) which includes more than four thousand species. Many of the rose family taxa are of great importance to humans and the agricultural economy, and are vulnerable to extreme weather that is becoming the new norm. Come learn more about the many fruits of the rose family, a welcome buffet for our local wildlife.
Hunnewell Building, Arnold Arboretum, 125 Arborway, Boston
Families need nature at all times of the year! Join the Arboretum for a family hike where you will look for seeds that fly, seeds that float, seeds that get buried away, and seeds that travel through an animal’s stomach.
This event is free and open to all and most suitable for children ages four through ten.
Hunnewell Building, Arnold Arboretum, 125 Arborway, Boston
Venture into the Arboretum landscape with caterpillar expert Sam Jaffe. Sam will wander the landscape highlighting host plants and the insects they support, focusing his attention on caterpillars, moths, and butterflies. Bring a camera to document your discoveries and a notebook to record identification tips and plant suggestions for expanding the array of butterflies your garden or park can support.
This event is suitable for adults and children ages 12 and older. Children must be accompanied by an adult at all times.
Hunnewell Building, Arnold Arboretum, 125 Arborway, Boston
Families need nature at all times of the year! After meeting inside the main gate at the Visitor Center, you'll visit a nearby forest inside the Arboretum and learn what plants and animals live there. Visitors will get a chance to play with forest puppets, get a tattoo, and read a StoryWalk ®.
Free and open to all, most suitable for children ages four through ten.
Lilac Sunday has been celebrated at the Arnold Arboretum since 1908. The lilac collection at the Arnold Arboretum is among the premier collections of these plants in North America and is singled out each year for a daylong celebration on May 12.
Tours of the lilacs and family activities are available from 10:00am to 3:00pm on Sunday, May 12. Pack a picnic! Picnicking is permitted on this day only, but food must be brought in to the Arboretum. There will only be lemonade, slush, and ice cream available on site during event hours. The landscape is open from dawn until dusk...
Peters Hill Gate, Arnold Arboretum, 125 Arborway, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
Join our docent for a tour of the other end of the Arnold Arboretum, the southern end. Peters Hill became part of the Arboretum in 1894 and continues to charm with its special character, collections, and history. In autumn, the amazing view from the summit takes on a new tapestry of color, spreading out in the landscape below you. Learn the history of the land, along with information on the woody plants located here, like the collection of crabapples fruiting in many colors on the northern slope.
Arborway Gate, Arnold Arboretum, 125 Arborway, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
This autumn, experience the birds of the Arboretum with expert birder and Arboretum volunteer Bob Mayer. Catch a glimpse of migrating birds as they fly south and get acquainted with our resident birds as well.
Hunnewell Building and Lawn, Arnold Arboretum, 125 Arborway, Boston
Discover the Fog with kids in four family drop in activities. At the Arnold Arboretum's own Fog x Hill, you can join us as we celebrate the Emerald Necklace Conservancy's Fog x FLO by artist Fujiko Nakaya. On September 15th, drop in for our Hydrophobic Lab to find out how fog interacts with other elements (ages 8 and up).
Hunnewell Building and Lawn, Arnold Arboretum, 125 Arborway, Boston
Discover the Fog with kids in four family drop in activities. At the Arnold Arboretum's own Fog x Hill, you can join us as we celebrate the Emerald Necklace Conservancy's Fog x ... Read more about Fog x Kids: Family Drop Ins
Hunnewell Building, Arnold Arboretum, 125 Arborway, Boston
Enjoy a free guided tour of the Arnold Arboretum landscape with a knowledgeable docent. Tours are appropriate for adults and last approximately 90 minutes. History, highlights of the landscape, seasonal interest and more!
