The Native Plant Collection, Caroline Black Garden and natural areas are open.  

While visiting, please adhere to the following precautions:

  • Do not visit if you are feeling sick or exhibiting flu or COVID-19 like symptoms.
  • Practice appropriate social distancing by staying at least 6 feet from other people at all times. 
  • Wash your hands, carry hand sanitizer, and cover your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing.
  • Avoid surfaces that are touched often, such as handrails, fences, gates and equipment.

The Arboretum serves a multitude of functions for the College and the greater New London community.

For students, the Arboretum provides a welcome connection with the natural world, a place to get away for recreation and reflection.

For the College's academic program, especially botany, biological sciences, and environmental studies, the Arboretum is a living laboratory just a few steps from the classrooms and residence halls. Generations of faculty and students have used the forests, meadows and wetlands for teaching and research.

The Arboretum consists of over 750 acres of Plant Collections including the Native Plant Collection, the Caroline Black Garden, Campus Landscape and Greenhouse and Natural Areas including Mamacoke Island and Bolleswood. All areas are open to the public every day from sunrise to sunset. All trails are suitable for hiking or casual strolling; limited areas are available for running.

Guided Tours

Visitors are welcome to join one of the Arboretum's knowledgeable docents for a free guided 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. Advance registration are required, please email arbor@conncoll.edu by 12 noon the Friday before the tour to confirm your spot.

Native Plant Collection tours meet at approximately 830 Williams Street, New London. Plenty of parking is available on Williams Street. 

The Caroline Black Garden is located across the street from the main entrance at Connecticut College. Parking is available at 4 Winchester Road, New London which just east of Route 32/Mohegan Avenue.
 
Self-Guided Tours

Visitors to the Native Plant Collection will find a notice board and a self-guided tour brochure at the main entrance on Williams Street. Additional information is available at the Arboretum office in Olin Science Center, room 103 directly north of the main College entrance on Route 32. For visitors arriving after office hours, a variety of informational brochures are available on a rack outside the office door.

Private Guided Tours

Private guided tour destinations include the diverse Native Plant Collection, the exquisite Caroline Black Garden, or the beautiful campus international trees on campus.

$80 for a group of 20 or fewer (add $5 for each additional person).

* One free private tour per year is a benefit of membership for garden clubs and others who join the non-profit organization category.

The tours take approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes but can be tailored to meet the group's needs.

Youth Groups (Arbo Project Tours)

Students from Connecticut College lead tours for school-aged children in the Arboretum's Native Plant Collection from mid-September to early November and from the last week in March until the first week in May. (If you would like to visit between May and September, our docents may be available to lead tours.) The tour runs for approximately one hour and covers topics such as changing seasons, plant life cycles, ecology and environmental conservation. The possibility also exists to tailor a tour to include specific topics being discussed in your classroom.

Arbo Project tours are offered free of charge. We prefer to keep groups to a maximum of forty students with one Connecticut College student guide for every ten students.

Please plan on giving at least three weeks notice to schedule your tour. Tours can be arranged by calling 860-439-5020 or emailing arbor@conncoll.edu.

Take a Camel Tour of the Arboretum

Camel Tours Logo Use your smartphone (or other similar mobile device) to hear audio clips and see images of the history, plants and seasonal highlights of several destinations in the Native Plant Collection. Tour content is simply downloaded in advance of the expedition and then accessed by scanning QR codes on site. When you walk the grounds, look for QR codes to get information on your smart phone.

1. 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.

Camel Tour QR Code 2. 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.

3. Go to a destination in the Arboretum with a QR code and scan the code 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.

For Groups Visiting the Arboretum

Private groups with more than 10 people wishing to visit the Arboretum are required to inform the Arboretum office of their visit at least one week in advance. Please call 860-439-5020 or email arbor@conncoll.edu to inform us of the date, time, and intended activity as well as a contact person and phone number. In addition to the general policies, the activity must have no impact on the Arboretum grounds or plants.