The Arboretum celebrates nature, fosters an understanding of relationships between humans and their natural world, provides cultural opportunities for the community, and serves as a community center for environmental education, horticulture, and urban forest renewal. The Arboretum emphasizes research on the environment and attention to conservation issues.

Each year we have over 200,000 visitors from throughout the U.S. as well as many other countries. Many individuals participate in scheduled tours and events. We also feature the Kentucky Children’s Garden, which is a safe 2 acre outdoor learning environment designed to help children 2-10 years old discover plants and the environment.

There's an integrated combination of various “child-scaled” theme gardens and garden-like elements for experiential play. Our most popular features include the wading stream, a model train layout, a pioneer house for dramatic play and raised beds in fun themes.

The Arboretum also proudly presents the Walk Across Kentucky, which is a diverse and unique Kentucky native plant collection and living museum that captures the spirit of the Commonwealth's landscape. It features a two-mile paved walkway for visitors to explore the seven physio-graphic regions of Kentucky:
The Bluegrass
The Knobs
The Pennyrile
The Appalachian Plateau
The Cumberland Mountains
The Shawnee Hills
The Mississippi Embayment

Keeping our gardens beautiful, fresh and exciting takes tremendous effort. A gift to The Arboretum from a recognition or dedication event has a lasting effect. Such events include a birthday, wedding, anniversary, a birth of a child, a memorial, or even a congratulatory wish.

The Arboretum also accepts monetary donations of all sizes, which can be earmarked for: Greatest Need, Rose Garden, Walk Across Kentucky or the Kentucky Children's Garden.

The Arboretum began in 1991 as a joint effort between the University of Kentucky and the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government.

In March 2000, The Arboretum was named the “Official State Botanical Garden for the Commonwealth of Kentucky”.

Local

Eat and Drink

• Parkette Drive-In Restaurant - Lexington (3.0 miles) - Parkette is a 66 year old Lexington landmark and Icon. We are best known for our Double-Decker Chees...
• Hartfield & Co. - Paris (19.4 miles) - HARTFIELD & CO., FORMERLY THE GENTLEMAN, IS A SMALL BATCH DISTILLERY LOCATED IN PARIS, KY. WE ARE TH...
• Lover's Leap Vineyards and Winery - Lawrenceburg (20.9 miles) - Lover's Leap Vineyards and Winery is a family owned, fully operational, 60 acre farm containing ...
• Chenault Vineyards - Richmond (21.7 miles) - Located on 470 acres of beautiful Kentucky countryside, Chenault Vineyards is located 30 minutes sou...

See and Do

• University of Kentucky Arboretum State Botanical Garden of Kentucky Lexington (0.0 miles) - The Arboretum celebrates nature, fosters an understanding of relationships between humans and their ...
• UK Art Museum Lexington (1.5 miles) - The University of Kentucky Art Museum is an encyclopedic museum that promotes the understanding and ...
• UK Art Museum Lexington (1.5 miles) - If you are in Lexington, Kentucky and want to see works by Ansel Adams, Romare Bearden, Mary Cassatt...
• Singletary Center for the Arts Lexington (1.5 miles) - The Singletary Center for the Arts is the performing arts center for the University of Kentucky. A p...
• University of Kentucky Art Museum Lexington (1.5 miles) - The University of Kentucky Art Museum is an encyclopedic museum that promotes the understanding and ...

Shopping

• Berkshire Trains & Vintage Toys - Lexington (0.9 miles) - Model Railroad and Hobby store. We have an operating O Scale layout and Railroad Memorabilia to view...