The Arboretum State Botanical Garden of Kentucky

My first Unilocal review in Lexington! And what a great way to start. My boyfriend came down here for job training, so I tagged along and decided to explore a bit. Just a quick drive and I was at the Arboretum. The natural beauty of the area is breathtaking. I walked along their paved trail for a bit, but kept noticing smaller trails that branched away from the main path. Go. Down. Those. Branch. Trails. At the risk of sounding too cheesy, I felt like Alice in Wonderland. They were much shadier and closer to the wildlife. The ladies at the Visitors Center are all really friendly as well. If I lived in Lexington, I’d go here as much as possible.

I love, love the Arboretum! It’s has a great walking path, that is even and smooth, and well taken care of. It can be a little hilly depending on where you walk, but it’s an easy walk.
There are a lot if informational posts to tell you about local flora and fauna. It’s family and dug friendly and a nice oasis close to campus.
If you’re looking for a nice afternoon walk, give the Arboretum a try!

One of my favorite running spots! UK does a great job of keeping the arboretum maintained year-​round. Along the 2-​mile path are signs with information that showcase the different regions in Kentucky.
There have been many additions and improvements made in the past few years, including a gated children’s garden area (with admission fee), a wooded trail area, a bridge over a small creek area, a wildflower field (with pretend buffalo– you have to see for yourself), and a memorial statue honoring flight 5191.
The coy pond and rose garden path are very pretty areas more centrally located next to the visitors center with lots of benches– ideal for reading or relaxing and enjoying the sun on a nice day.

I was on the site for the 2015 Kentucky Botanical Symposium, the second day of which featured guided tours at The Arboretum, led by prominent ecologists and botanists. I can vaguely recall the lazy university farm that this was when The Arboretum began in 1980, many years later it’s now a landscape that showcases native trees, shrubs, and wildflowers that represent Kentucky’s seven distinct eco-​regions.
The first tour through the arboretum’s Shady Lane Woods was an eye opener. Winter creeper (Euonymus) covered large sections of the ground throughout the woods. Since North America has only one native evergreen ground cover (Bignonia), settlers brought their ground covers with them (your English ivy, etc.). In the case of the Euonymus it soon bolted the garden walk and now covers many Kentucky forest floors, crowding out native habitat. Another invasive found in the Shady Lane Woods is red mulberry, which is difficult to distinguish from the native white mulberry. The second tour presented The Arboretum’s impressive array of native trees, shrubs, grasses, and wildflowers (including the recent discovered Rockcastle aster). Lastly, a tour of a complete set of indigenous oak trees (there are quite a few oak species in our state).

Beautiful place for a walk, run or picnic. The children’s arboretum is a gem. Well worth the membership. Our son loves coming her to explore, kick the soccer ball around or just to have a picnic lunch.
The park is very clean and well kept. We have enjoyed all our family outings here and have met so many nice people here along the way.

I love to run and walk my dog here. For running, the arboretum is perfect – the paved area is two miles, with each loop being a mile. It’s not flat, but most areas aren’t too steep so it’s a nice variation. It is very nice scenery.
While I keep a roll on me, I do wish they would stock doggy clean-​up bags. There are some posts where it looks like people have stocked impromptu doggy bags, but it may also be trash.

If you need a good outdoors exploring fix, an afternoon running trail, or just a relaxing stroll, this is the place to do it. The various gardens, exhibits, and trails all around the Arboretum make up a tremendous asset to the university as well as greater Lexington. Not to mention the full cast of birds and wildlife seen across its expanse: it’s almost like an aviary/​arboretum/​wildlife zoo all in one. Great for all ages.

My favorite park in Lexington. It’s easy to get to. It’s free. It’s beautiful. 100 acres of land with 2 miles of paved path, a Children’s Garden, a visitor’s center and a variety of demonstration gardens. Check out their website for special events too.
On any given day, 8 months out of the year, you’ll see families playing frisbee/​catch in a field, couples having picnics, people jogging/​running, people walking their dog (s), and friends just taking a walk. On quieter days you can catch a peak of some small wildlife (rabbits, squirrels, birds). Even on a winter day you can experience the simple beauty and peacefulness the season has to offer.
Go take a walk Lexington!

Very pretty park! The grounds are very well kept and the park is quiet and peaceful. This is a great place for walking, talking or a little bit of both. There are walking paths and benches throughout and the vegetation is pretty remarkable. Nice park!

We only stayed 1 night in the area on the way through to Norris Lake and we had our Pug with us so were limited on what we could do. There were lots of areas at the garden that allowed dogs as long as on a leash. One area that didn’t allow pets my husband stayed with her and I took a quick peak. The park is free but there is an area that you have to pay a few dollars to view and I’m sure it’s worth it. since the free parts were worth that much. will definitely come back without the dog :)

Flowers, trees, birds, grass, structured plantings, and trails all come together at the Arboretum. It’s a beautiful place to relax, meditate, and let the stress fall away.

The weather was awesome yesterday.
I am always looking for family-​friendly places to take my son and wife. This is certainly one of them.
Lots of space to walk, experience nature, and learn about Kentucky geography.
There is a little bit of something for everyone here. I saw a lot of runners, walkers, and some cyclist
Note: if you are riding a bike be sure that you are in the designated area.
One of my favorite parts was looking at how the University of Kentucky was combating exotic invasives in the forested walkway.

Amazing place, fun to explore. It is in walking distance from my house and I have volunteered there many times.

This is my absolute favorite place to run in Lexington, my toddler’s favorite place to play, and just a beautiful way to enjoy being outdoors with a great location near campus and downtown. The 2 mile walking/​running trail is great and I really like that the parking lot divides it in half with each half being one mile. That makes it really easy to track miles while running! The gardens behind the visitor’s center are really beautiful as well and I love how many small corners there are to explore, as well as two fountains and a goldfish pond.
I do wish the water fountains and restrooms were open for extended hours (they’re open during weekday business hours only), which would be very nice to people exercising. Also, I love that they have a children’s garden, but the fee is too much for my son and me to go regularly. It is $ 3 each and they do offer a daily activity, but spending $ 6 to take my son to a story time is too much. It’d be great if they could only charge for the child (since they are the ones participating and potentially using materials), or if they offered a summer membership or pass, I’d be very interested in that as well.
Despite these 2 things that I would love to see improved, the fact that the Arboretum itself is here, well maintained, and free earn it a 5 star rating from me!

A magical gem, and for many, memories
By Parham P Baker
The Arboretum is, of itself, a wonderful place. I’ve been wandering there for years to enjoy plays and for incredible, colorful and educational close-​to-​home walks. With woods, a koi pond waterfall, a kids area, hundreds of truly fantastic flowers, trees and shrubs and more roses than you can count, this place is a magical gem.
It is particularly nice in late spring when the flower plots have been planted and are in full bloom. Make sure and see the huge oaks in the wooded area. This is a place where everyone can soak in the color and magic of the natural world.
But for some of us, the Arboretum holds a much larger place in our souls. It is the home for the Memorial to those who lost their lives in the crash of Comair Flight 5191 at Lexington’s Bluegrass Field.
On the morning of Sunday, August 27, 2006, 47 passengers boarded Comair Flight 5191, bound for Atlanta. At around 6:05 the flight attempted take off on an incorrect, short runway. All of the passengers and two of the three crew members perished in a fiery crash past the end of the runway.
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On Saturday, August 27 2011 a memorial was unveiled at the Arboretum in a ceremony honoring those lost. The memorial features a flock of stylized cast aluminum birds spiraling from the ground skyward, one for each person who left us. Many of the birds in the sculpture hold a cylinder where family members have put some memento of their loved one.
It is a beautiful and fitting memorial. It was the culmination of the hard work of many family members of those lost, a talented and deeply understanding sculptor, and others in this community… a community that rose after the accident with incredible support for those impacted by the crash. Most notable of those supporting the families was the Hospice of the Bluegrass who also provided the space at the Arboretum for the memorial.
When you walk, jog, or rollerblade by and see these birds take flight at the Arboretum, take a just a few minutes, read the names around the marble base, and breathe a prayer for those lost… and those left behind.
And enjoy the wonderful setting that is the Arboretum.

Beautiful place to go for a run! I come through Lexington fairly often for work and always make it a point to head over to the Arboretum. Although I can’t seem to get the pronunciation of arboretum correct, I won’t let that count against this beautiful place. Concrete path that runs about 2 miles with a wooded offshoot. Go running at sunset and see some beautiful views behind the Baptist hospital. Great spot!

I like to park here and ride my bike. No I do not ride on the paths at the garden as they don’t like that but good place to park as the bath rooms are great and free parking. Nice central location to have good ride around Lex.

The park design seemed very simple. Not sure if that is by purpose from the people overseeing the park but I figured with the UK School of Agriculture there plus all the wealthy folks in that area that this place should be some stunning looking park.
Sure seems like a great place for a picnic, maybe a run or yoga.

An excellent place to take a walk and enjoy the scenery.

Great place to walk or picnic. The 2 mile walk goes by quickly while you look at the beautiful trees, plants and flowers.