Discover Adkins Arboretum, an Exceptional Experience in nature
The path into Adkins Arboretum gives visitors a serene look across a small pond surrounded by Mid-Atlantic native plants. Adkins Arboretum is an oasis for the senses and an exceptional experience in nature. You might want to linger to see how many of the more than 600 species of native shrubs, trees, wildflowers, grasses, and ferns at the Arboretum you can observe, but the inviting row of red chairs will beckon you to the Visitors Center. Get your questions answered by the knowledgeable people in the Visitors Center. Grab a map or two, or borrow an audio tour. Restrooms and water are also available. Guided walks, lectures, demonstrations, youth education programs, native plant sales, art exhibits, and special events occur throughout the year.
Adkins Arboretum is spread out across 400 acres adjacent to Tuckahoe State Park, featuring five miles of trails that offer delights and surprises. Walking through Adkins is a relaxing, entertaining, and enjoyable experience. Although people are working on the trails, it remains peaceful and quiet. The trails are well-maintained. As an arboretum, 44 different trees are identified by small plaques and featured on a trail map available from the Visitor Center.
Outdoor Sculpture Invitational
June 1 – September 30, 2025, sculptures chosen from the 12th biennial Outdoor Sculpture Invitational, “Artists in Dialogue with Landscape,” are on display. Site-specific sculptures incorporate sunlight, natural beauty, seedpods, and even fungi into their installations. Other sculptures combine technology with nature for thoughtful installations. Neverneverland (A Sundial) by Stephanie Garon invites visitors to stand in the center and raise their arms to complete a working sundial. South Meadow is planted with native grasses and flowers, featuring an observation platform ideal for bird and wildlife watching.
Adkins Arboretum Points of Interest:
- Emily’s Garden, where kids can make mud pies, climb on logs, and use their senses to pick mint and smell the flowers
- First Light Village is a nature playspace complete with a giant turtle and two wigwams.
- Geocaches are available within a half mile from the Visitor’s Center, and listed on geocaching.com.
- The Wetland Boardwalk at Adkins Arboretum serves as a versatile space. It’s an outdoor classroom for our Youth Programs, a favorite spot for bird, frog, and turtle watchers, a stage for concerts and performances, and an ideal plein air location. This boardwalk is not just a walkway, but a place where you can learn, observe, and be part of the vibrant ecosystem of the Arboretum.
Land Acknowledgement from Adkins Arboretum
“The Arboretum is situated in the traditional homeland of the Choptank People, an Algonquin-speaking Woodland Indian tribe that lived along the Choptank River basin. As uninvited visitors to Indigenous land, we acknowledge our shared responsibility with you, our readers, to repair unhealthy relationships, restore a place out of balance, and steward life. We are all part of this journey.”
Adkins Arboretum
https://www.adkinsarboretum.org
12610 Eveland Road, Ridgely, MD
410-634-2847
Closed on Monday
Tuesday through Saturday 10 am – 4 pm
Sunday noon – 4 pm
Admission is free
Dogs are allowed on a leash.
