WELCOME!

The Connecticut College Arboretum is made up of 750 acres of landscaped campus grounds and Greenhouse, the Native Plant Collection, Caroline Black Garden, natural areas including Mamacoke Island and Bolleswood, and managed landscapes. The Arboretum serves a multitude of functions for the College and the greater New London Community, providing a welcome connection with the natural world and a place to get away for recreation and reflection.

The Arboretum is free and open to the public sunrise to sunset, 365 days a year.

Come take a casual stroll or self-guided tour, walk the trails, attend one of our public tours or schedule a private tour. All are invited to come and visit the Arboretum. All trails are suitable for hiking or casual strolling, with limited areas available for running. 

Please do not visit if you are feeling sick or exhibiting flu or COVID-19 like symptoms.

GROUP VISITS AND TOURS

Use our new online form to sign up for a guided tour or to notify the Arboretum office if your visiting group consists of 10 or more people. We kindly ask all visiting groups of 10 or more to inform the Arboretum office one week in advance of their visit.  In addition to the general policies, the activity must have no impact on the Arboretum grounds or plants.

If you will be attending a public tour, requesting a guided tour or visiting the Arboretum with more than 10 people please complete our Guided Tours and Group Visits online form.

Our Guided Tour Options

Arboretum Public Guided Tour

Visitors are welcome to join one of the Arboretum's knowledgeable docents for a free guided public tour the first and second Sunday of each month May through October. The first Sunday will be a tour of the Native Plant Collection and the second Sunday will be the Caroline Black Garden. Tours start at 10 a.m. and are generally 1 to 1.5 hours long.  

Private Docent-Guided Tour

The cost of a private docent-guided tour is $80 for groups of 20 or less. Groups of more than 20 will be charged $5 for each additional person. Please note that our private tours can be tailored for each group. Arboretum destinations for private tours include the Native Plant Collection or Caroline Black Garden. Private tours regularly start on weekdays at 10 or 10:30 a.m., but can start later or on Saturdays as needed. The private tour generally runs 1 hour and 15 minutes and cannot be booked for Sundays. Arboretum members at the Garden Club and Organizations (non-profit) level receive one free private tour per year. A minimum of 2 weeks notice is required to schedule a private tour.

ArboProject Youth Group Tour

Through the ArboProject, Connecticut College students lead tours for school-aged children in the Native Plant Collection, mid-September through early November and from the last week in March through the first week in May. A student tour guide can be booked for ArboProject tours from May through September.

ArboProject tours cover the changing seasons, plant life cycles, ecology and environmental conservation, and may be able to include specific topics discussed in school classrooms. ArboProject tours are free for student groups with a maximum of 30 participants, and include one Connecticut College student for every ten students. (If your group is larger than this, please contact the office to discuss details.) Tours regularly start at 10 or 10:30 a.m. and generally runs for 1 hour. A minimum of 2 weeks notice is required to schedule ArboProject tours.

GUIDED TOURS - GROUP VISITS FORM

Self-Guided Tour Options

Walk Through On Your Own

Visitors to the Native Plant Collection will find a notice board at the main entrance. For visitors arriving after office hours, a variety of informational brochures are available on a rack just outside of the Arboretum Office in Olin Science Center, room 103.

Take a Camel Tour of the Arboretum
 
Use your smartphone (or other similar mobile device) to hear audio clips and view images of the history, plants and seasonal highlights of several destinations in the Native Plant Collection. Simply download the tour content ahead of your visit and look for the QR codes to scan during your walk throughout the Arboretum to get more information on your smart phone! 

Arboretum camel tour QR scan

 

 

Number one Download the tour from the QR code at right. This download works best with a high-speed internet connection. If you are on campus use the ConnColl Guest wireless.

 

Number two If you do not have a QR code scanner, download a free application. Search Google Play or the App Store on your smart phone and install. Inigma is a good cross platform app.

 

Number three On your tour, scan the QR codes in the Arboretum with your smartphone. You do not need wireless or a cellular data connection after downloading the tour. Audio will automatically play. Manually scroll through images. 

GENERAL INFORMATION

Arboretum Admission Hours and Directions

General admission is free to the public 

Arboretum Hours

Open every day, Sunrise to sunset (including holidays)

Arboretum Directions & Parking

The Connecticut College Arboretum is located in southeastern Connecticut, about 5 miles inland from Long Island Sound.

The Native Plant Collection is located at approximately 830 Williams Street. Plenty of parking is available on Williams Street. 

The Caroline Black Garden is located across the street from the Connecticut College main entrance. Parking is available at 4 Winchester Road, just east of Route 32/Mohegan Avenue.
 
The walkable Campus Landscape is located at 270 Mohegan Avenue at Connecticut College. 
 
The Greenhouse is located on campus, on the south side of New London Hall.
 
Arboretum Natural Areas: The oak and hemlock forested Bolleswood Natural Area is located west of the Arboretum Pond; the Goodwin Natural Area is north of Gallows Lane; and the rocky, wooded, 40-acre Mamacoke Island in the Thames River is attached to the mainland by a small tidal salt marsh.