Directly in front of you, you’ll spot a shimmering creek with lush green trees arching overhead and soft grasses trailing along the banks-just follow the winding water to find the lush heart of the Arboretum!
Welcome to the University of California, Davis Arboretum, where the spirit of adventure grows right alongside the 22,000 plants and trees! Imagine it’s 1936, the world is bustling and UC Davis decides it needs a green, peaceful hideaway-so it plants the seeds for this 100-acre living museum. As you stand here now, you’re standing along the old north channel of Putah Creek, once a wild, meandering stream, now a peaceful haven where you might just spot a duck or two gliding across the water.
Picture the sun dancing through Valley oaks that have stood here for two centuries, their branches arching over winding paths that stretch for 3.5 miles-perfect for walkers, joggers, cyclists, and the occasional squirrel marathon. You can almost hear the quiet buzz of horticulturists puzzling over rare Mediterranean herbs, or see curious students examining the feathery leaves of acacias, each specimen carefully tracked in the Arboretum’s huge online database-talk about plant-ternet!
The Arboretum is like a world tour in one stroll. Over here, eucalyptus and kangaroo paws from Australia wave in the breeze. Around the bend, hardy desert cacti from South America soak in the sun. Sneak a peek into the Ruth Risdon Storer Garden to find perennials that laugh in the face of drought-who knew plants had a sense of humor? Wander a little further to the medieval-inspired moon-viewing garden, where you’ll almost expect to find a wise old wizard gazing into the night sky.
Scientists and students from every field use this place as an outdoor classroom, getting hands-on with everything from towering redwoods-one of the largest collections outside their native range-to tiny, spicy bush flowers that make the whole garden smell like a secret recipe. All of this is free to visit, day or night, so you might even catch a moonlit walk. And with 17 different themed gardens, you just might find yourself lost in a plot twist of petals or swept away by a mysterious new fragrance.
So take your time, breathe deep, explore at your own pace-here, every leaf has a story, and you’re part of the Arboretum’s next chapter!
