You don’t have to venture into West Philly to get out of the Penn bubble we love to whine about but secretly are too scared to leave. If you have a free day, Morris Arboretum is a perfect urban escape for the Locust Walk-weary Penn kid. The official arboretum of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the gardens span 92 (92!) acres of natural Pennsylvania beauty. Take a walk in one of the 23 gardens, check out the sculptures, enjoy a sandwich and coffee at the on-site cafe and, if you’re really ambitious, try taking a class.
Gardens Each garden of the Morris Arboretum estate has its own unique character and collection of flora. The Cottage Garden has a wide variety of old-fashioned roses and perennials planted in the cottage garden style (think white picket fences and pastel colors). The English Park is a wide open field surrounded by plants mainly from China, including a collection of maples, witchhazels, dogwoods and cherries. Check out Azalea Meadow, Holly Slope and Japanese Hill, where rocks, bridges, paths, water, trees and shrines are arranged according to the rules of Tsukiyama-niwa to create an image of nature.
Sculptures The Morris Arboretum is home to countless sculptures of all different styles, mediums, sizes and origins. Catch the African Queen, a contemporary Shona sculpture carved out of serpentine by an unknown Zimbabwe artist or Two Lines Variable, a 30-foot-tall structure composed of two tapering stainless steel blades that move and change with the wind’s currents.
Classes Not just a collection of flora and art, the Morris Arboretum is also a place of learning. Nature lovers should look into classes such as Advanced Plant Health Care and Understanding and Managing Wetlands. Whether you want to explore Philly’s nature scene, hone your climbing skills or learn how to test trees for decay, you’ve come to the right place. If you’re not quite Jane Goodall, you can still get your nature on with slightly less intimidating classes such as Attracting Birds to the Backyard and Beekeeping for Beginners. However, not all Arboretum classes have names like Incredible Insects and Bug Olympics; you can also take the Journal Writing Workshop with award-winning writer and creative writing teacher Janet Falon.
Hours: Weekdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Weekends, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Cost: Free for Penn students How to get there? By SEPTA: Take either the R7 to Chestnut Hill East, or R8 to Chestnut Hill West. Then catch the “L” bus going towards Plymouth Meeting. Get off at the Germantown Avenue & Northwestern Avenue stop. The arboretum is a five minute walk down Northwestern Avenue. By bike: 12 miles, approximately 50 minutes. Bike along the Schuylkill River Trail until you reach Ridge Avenue. Go left on Ridge Avenue until you cross a bridge over Wissahickon Creek. Turn right on the bike trail immediately after the bridge. Follow the trail about 7.5 miles to Northwestern Avenue. Turn right up Northwestern Avenue, continue on, and the entrance is on your right.
