The Arboretum at Penn State (370 acres), which contains the H.O. Smith Botanic Gardens, is a new arboretum being created by The Pennsylvania State University adjacent to its University Park campus in State College, Pennsylvania. It will become Penn State's second arboretum, joining the Arboretum at Penn State Behrend, which was created in 2003.[1]Our State College journey planner makes visiting The Arboretum at Penn State and other State College attractions simple, and helps you make a travel plan personal to you.
The arboretum's master plan was developed from 1996 to 1999 by Sasaki Associates. Specific plans for landscape and botanic gardens and their associated facilities were completed in 2002 by MTR Landscape Architects LLC, and the first tree, a white oak (Quercus alba) was dedicated in 2005. A donation of $10 million was needed to begin the construction of the Arboretum and on May 18, 2007, this donation was received from Charles H. "Skip" Smith. The construction of Phase I of the H.O. Smith Botanic Gardens, named in honor of Mr. Smith's father, was completed in fall 2009 and the gardens were officially dedicated on April 25, 2010.
In July 2014, the Arboretum finished construction of and opened the Childhood Gate's Children's Garden. It includes a limestone cave, stone amphitheater for events, and other attractions for children. The Children's Garden has many native Pennsylvania plants and is a microcosm of the regional landscape.
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The Arboretum at Penn State reviews
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The Arboretum has to be one of my favorite parts of the campus. Always enjoy walking around the path and love the relaxing/zen places. Love the bat cave, yet I am always scared to go thru it. I just..... more
The Arboretum has to be one of my favorite parts of the campus. Always enjoy walking around the path and love the relaxing/zen places. Love the bat cave, yet I am always scared to go thru it. I just..... more »
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Who doesn't like flowers? Our garden club toured the Arboretum on Friday, October 8, 2021. Our guide was a lovely volunteer whose knowledge of the area was outstanding! These gardens were...
Who doesn't like flowers? Our garden club toured the Arboretum on Friday, October 8, 2021. Our guide was a lovely volunteer whose knowledge of the area was outstanding! These gardens were... more »
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We absolutely love the Arboretum at Penn State! I took my 2 little kids (4 and 8) and spent most of the day there. They had so much fun exploring the Children’s area and also love the water fountain. It’s so well maintained and beautiful!! Then we ended the day with creamery ice cream, which you can walk to from there.
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Just a place to let your mind go ..
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