The Arboretum, State Botanical Garden of Kentucky

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Join Arboretum staff Sumi McCarty and Megan Buland for a hands-on exploration into building hypertufa planters for your ...
09/01/2026

Join Arboretum staff Sumi McCarty and Megan Buland for a hands-on exploration into building hypertufa planters for your home garden. Lighter than cement and easy to mix up with components found in at your local hardware store, hypertufa can serve as an ideal base for creating DIY planters and pots. Participants will leave with one hypertufa planter to take home at the end of class.

Pre-registration and pre-payment are required to secure your spot in this class. Cost is $20.00 per person and seats are limited.

Friday, September 11th, from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm, at the Dorotha Smith Oatts Visitor Center at The Arboretum (500 Alumni Drive Lexington, KY 40503)

On Saturday, September 5th, The Arboretum parking lot, visitor center, and Kentucky Children's Garden are closed.Footbal...
08/31/2026

On Saturday, September 5th, The Arboretum parking lot, visitor center, and Kentucky Children's Garden are closed.

Football season at the University of Kentucky means The Arboretum parking lot will be closed on any Saturdays that UK has a home football game. This is because the parking lot is being used for reserved parking for the game.

While the grounds will remain open to visitors, getting to them becomes a bit more difficult.

The Kentucky Children's Garden, outdoor restrooms, and Dorotha Smith Oatts Visitor Center will also be closed on UK home game Saturdays.

Game day parking requires a pass, which can be obtained through UK Athletics at https://ukathletics.com/football-gameday-information/

Tailgating is not allowed at The Arboretum. Visitor parking re-opens after the game has ended.

On the week of a home football game, The Arboretum visitor center will be open Mondays, from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. The Kentucky Children's Garden will be open Wednesday through Friday at the regular hours.

The following schedule gives a week-by-week preview of when the visitor center and KCG will be open:

Aug. 31st to Sept. 4th (Monday - Friday, closed Saturday)
Closed September 7th for Labor Day
Sept. 8th to Sept. 11th (Tuesday - Friday, closed Saturday)
Sept. 15th to Sept. 19th (Tuesday - Saturday, KCG open!)
Sept. 21st to Sept. 25th (Monday - Friday, closed Saturday)
Sept. 29th to Oct. 3rd (Tuesday - Saturday, KCG open!)
Oct. 5th to Oct. 9th (Monday - Friday, closed Saturday)
Oct. 13th to Oct. 17th (Tuesday - Saturday, KCG open!)
Oct. 19th to Oct. 23rd (Monday - Friday, closed Saturday)
Oct. 27th to Oct. 31st (Tuesday - Saturday, KCG last day open!)
Nov. 2nd to Nov. 6th (Monday - Friday)
Nov. 9th to Nov. 13th (Monday - Friday, closed Saturday)
Nov. 16th to Nov. 20th (Monday - Friday)
Nov. 23rd to Nov. 24th (Monday - Tuesday, Thanksgiving Break, closed Saturday)

Summer may be slowing down, but many of our native wildflowers are still in bloom here at The Arboretum. Native lobelia ...
08/29/2026

Summer may be slowing down, but many of our native wildflowers are still in bloom here at The Arboretum. Native lobelia species, like the great blue lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica) and cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis) pictured here, are just beginning to put on an impressive show for Arboretum Visitors. You can spot these native lobelia species in several locations around The Arboretum, including in the Arboretum Woods, and along the boardwalk that runs through the center of the new pollinator meadow in the Bluegrass region of the Walk Across Kentucky.

Photo credit: Craig Sargent

Along the path through our gardens, the Story Walk for the month of August is "Outside In" written by Deborah Underwood ...
08/28/2026

Along the path through our gardens, the Story Walk for the month of August is "Outside In" written by Deborah Underwood and illustrated by Cindy Derby. The focus of this book is on how nature touches every part of our lives, even when we are indoors. Through poetry and watercolor illustrations, readers experience our connectedness with nature.

The Arboretum provides a great space to be "outside in" nature. With a diversity of ecosystems, plants, and animals, visitors can encounter their natural environment in a personal way.

Story Walk panels begin at the Dorotha Smith Oatts Visitor Center, wind through the Horticultural Gardens, then end by the Kentucky Children's Garden.

Today marks 20 years since the Flight 5191 tragedy. The Arboretum is honored to serve as a place of reflection and remem...
08/27/2026

Today marks 20 years since the Flight 5191 tragedy. The Arboretum is honored to serve as a place of reflection and remembrance for our community to gather and remember the victims, families, and first responders of Flight 5191. A special public commemoration will take place today at 1:00 PM.

To help ensure a safe and respectful experience for all guests and event attendees, the Kentucky Children's Garden will close at noon today.

If you plan to visit today, please anticipate higher visitor traffic, as well as temporary impacts to parking availability and Visitor Center accessibility. We appreciate your patience, understanding, and respect for all those attending to pay their respects.

This past Sunday, The Shared Shelf was installed at The Arboretum near the Kentucky Children’s Garden. It provides free ...
08/26/2026

This past Sunday, The Shared Shelf was installed at The Arboretum near the Kentucky Children’s Garden. It provides free books and educational resources for the community. This project was spearheaded by one of our Arboretum volunteers, Katie, a Human Health Sciences and Neuroscience major at UK. Be sure to stop by and check it out!

The Shared Shelf is a University of Kentucky student organization dedicated to promoting literacy and a love for reading throughout the Lexington community. The Little Free Library provides free access to books for all ages and educational resources focused on wellness, nature, and conservation.

Photo Credit: Zoe Stefanic

Important Visitor Notice: Early Closure of the Kentucky Children's GardenOn Thursday, August 27, the Kentucky Children's...
08/25/2026

Important Visitor Notice: Early Closure of the Kentucky Children's Garden

On Thursday, August 27, the Kentucky Children's Garden will close early at 12:00 PM.

The Arboretum will host a public commemoration marking the 20th anniversary of the Flight 5191 tragedy beginning at 1:00 PM. We are honored to provide a space for our community to gather in reflection and remembrance.

Visitors should anticipate significantly increased traffic, limited parking availability, and impacts to access around the Visitor Center throughout the afternoon. To help ensure a safe and respectful experience for all guests and event attendees, the Kentucky Children's Garden will close at noon that day.

We encourage families and Garden visitors to plan their visit earlier in the day or return on another date. Thank you for your understanding as we support this important community remembrance event.

If you visit the Arboretum today, you may notice a tree crew working on several of the large oak and maple trees near ou...
08/24/2026

If you visit the Arboretum today, you may notice a tree crew working on several of the large oak and maple trees near our parking lot. While our dedicated staff does much of the pruning required at The Arboretum in-house, occasionally we bring in some extra help. In addition to some tree pruning, two trees that have been in decline will be removed, in order to keep the Arboretum grounds and walking paths accessible to all visitors.

It’s nearly time for the semester to begin, and we want to shout out the amazing interns we have been lucky enough to wo...
08/22/2026

It’s nearly time for the semester to begin, and we want to shout out the amazing interns we have been lucky enough to work with at The Arboretum this summer. Five undergraduate students from Landscape Architecture, Horticulture and Natural Resources and Environmental Science joined our staff to learn and get hands-on experience this year. We are so appreciative of all their hard work and dedication during their time at The Arboretum and wish them the best of luck with the semester ahead! A day at The Arboretum won’t be nearly as much fun without them around.

This sleepy orange butterfly (Eurema nicippe) was photographed feeding on a brilliant yellow zinnia at The Arboretum rec...
08/21/2026

This sleepy orange butterfly (Eurema nicippe) was photographed feeding on a brilliant yellow zinnia at The Arboretum recently. You never know what you will see when you take a stroll through The Arboretum. What will you see on your next visit?

Photo credit: Ward Ransdell

Address

500 Alumni Drive
Lexington, KY
40503

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 9pm
Tuesday 8am - 9pm
Wednesday 8am - 9pm
Thursday 8am - 9pm
Friday 8am - 9pm
Saturday 8am - 9pm
Sunday 8am - 9pm

Telephone

(859) 257-6955

Website

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