Arnold Arboretum

Arnold Arboretum is an outdoor activity in Boston, MA, part of the Boston guide. Cost: free.

125 Arborway · Boston, MA

Why you should go…

Founded in 1872 and run by Harvard, the Arnold Arboretum is the oldest public arboretum in North America, spread over 281 acres of Jamaica Plain and Roslindale. Frederick Law Olmsted helped design the grounds, which form the second largest link in Boston's Emerald Necklace. You can wander among more than 15,000 accessioned plants, including bonsai, conifers and the Explorers Garden. In May, Lilac Sunday brings tours, children's activities and picnics.

#arboretum
#botanical garden
#walking trails
#emerald necklace
#lilacs

What's around here?

The closest stops to Arnold Arboretum, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

Eat & Drink
Local Gem
Samuel Adams Boston Brewery
$25–$50
Sam Adams' working Jamaica Plain brewery, with tours, tastings, and a look at small-batch experimental beers.
1.5 mi awaySwitch it up: Eat & Drink
Attractions
Family favorite
Franklin Park Zoo
$25–$50
Zoo New England's 72-acre flagship in Olmsted's Franklin Park, gorillas, lions, and giraffes just a few miles from downtown Boston.
1.9 mi awaySwitch it up: Attractions
Museums
Local Gem
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
Under $25
A Venetian palace of art wrapped around a flowering courtyard, and home to the world's most famous art heist.
3.0 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums
Sport & Outdoor
Family Favorite
Boston Public Garden & Swan Boats
Free
America's first public botanical garden, weeping willows, the Make Way for Ducklings statues, and famous Swan Boats.
4.7 mi awayMore like this
Sport & Outdoor
Local Gem
Boston Harbor Islands National & State Park
Under $25
Ferry from Long Wharf to Civil War-era Fort Warren on Georges Island or Spectacle Island's beaches and skyline-view trails. Ferries run mid-May to October.
5.7 mi awayMore like this
Sport & Outdoor
Iconic
Walden Pond
$25–$50
Swim, hike the shore and visit a replica of Thoreau's cabin at the pond that inspired Walden.
15 mi awayMore like this