CANCELLED – Family Night Hikes

About This Event

Click here to register

*For Arboretum members, remember to create your Arboretum account to get the discount at checkout. For instructions on how to create an account click here. To create an account click here.

Come experience the Arboretum in a whole new light (or should we say, a whole new dark?), as we explore the gardens at night. Our Night Hike programs begin with a storytelling session, followed by a hike through the gardens with interactive botanical explorations along the route. We explore a different theme each month! Jackets, comfortable walking shoes, and water bottles are recommended. This is an adventure your family will not soon forget!

Registration is required for both children and adults, and includes admission to the Arboretum. Pre-registration is encouraged, as hikes sell out quickly.

Per session:
$10 for Arboretum members
$15 for non-members
Children under two years old are free but must be registered!

*LATE ARRIVAL POLICY:  Because our Night Hikes take place after the Arboretum is closed, staff will not be present to allow latecomers entry once the group has begun their trek into the gardens.  We recommend arriving 10 minutes early to ensure you are not left behind!  Refunds will not be granted to registered guests who miss the hike due to tardiness.  

Garden Sweets & Treats
February 8 & 22
5:30-7pm
When you get a box of chocolates or a bag of candy, it’s hard to imagine these sticky treats where once a plant half a world away. Come with us as we hunt down the botanical origins of our favorite treats. Hear wacky stories of how some very dull looking plants became scrumptious treasure, and touch, taste, and smell the ingredients of our favorite candies in their raw form!

Amazing Insects
March 14 & 28
5:30-7pm
We’re going on a bug hunt! This hike will start with us making our very own bug collecting “bug pooters,” before venturing out to the gardens to check out the creepy crawly critters that call the arboretum home. Using real equipment, we will learn how and why scientist safely observe insects. What do they learn from them? How do insects impact plants in nature? What kinds of fascinating evidence do they leave in their wake? We shall see!

Secret Garden
April 4 & 25
5:30-7pm
There is a mystery brewing at the Arboretum and your family can help us solve it. Kids and parents will help hunt down, locate, and decode clues that will help us find the key to locating a stolen treasure and escaping the gardens. On the way we will discover the secret language plants around us. All is not as it seems!

Bumpy, Fuzzy, Smelly Gardens
May 9 & 23
5:30-7pm
For once we are asking you to “Please touch the plants!” Taking a walk through the garden, we will discover all the amazing ways plants light up our senses other than just looking pretty. Explore the smelly wonders of the herb garden, the sun-shielding fluffiness of some succulents, and delightful array of textures from sequoias to sphagnum. Why are these plants so fuzzy and funny? Let’s find out?

Prehistoric Discoveries
June 6 & 13
5:30-7pm
See the world through the eyes of the dinosaurs as we explore the prehistoric garden! Observing plants that have remained very similar to the ancient ancestors, we can learn a lot about how ancient fauna lived. How did the earth look to an ancient sauropod and what did it eat? How do we know? Along the way we will make our own faux “fossils” that kids can take home.