Arboretum Adventures

This blog post will cover the cost difference in the normal Arboretum ticket and the discounted ticket offered by the Comet Center to students as well as the overall experience of visiting the Arboretum.

Cost

Picture of pumpkins and flowers
at the Arboretum.
© 2013 Macy Sheehan

Visiting the Arboretum normally costs $15 (dallasarboretum.org, n.d.), but buying a ticket from the Comet Center gives a student discount that reduces the price to $11 (UTD Office of Student Affairs, n.d.). The Arboretum ticket provided by the Comet Center doesn’t include access to the Children’s Garden, though: that will cost an extra $3 (dallasarboretum.org, n.d.). 

Arboretum parking costs $10 in person and $5 online (dallasarboretum.org, n.d.), but neither payment form offers verification of parking. The Arboretum is located 27 minutes away from The University of Texas at Dallas campus and can also be reached by bus with an hour and 48 minute ride (Google, 2013).

Experience

Picture of Arboretum pond's infinity edge.
© 2013 Macy Sheehan

The Arboretum’s entrance looks overwhelming due to the mass of people trying to figure out where to start, but past that point the crowd breaks and typically only 2-3 groups are around the same place at once. Even with people around, the Arboretum holds a tranquil air and showcases verdant lawns, eclectic, healthy plants, sculptures, and more. The infinity edge pond provides a contrast between nature and industrialization by showing buildings just beyond the ledge of water while other ponds show koi and aquatic plants. 

Picture of pumpkin and gourd
house on display during Fall at
the Arboretum.
© 2013 Macy Sheehan

With 12 named gardens (dallasarboretum.org, n.d.), the Aboretum hosts a wide range of sights that need more than an hour to look at fully. For Fall, the Arboretum displays pumpkins, gourds, pumpkin houses, teepees, and more, offering pauses along the path that will keep the visit going. The Arboretum’s displays also act as good photography backgrounds, making for a Kodak moment with the beautiful landscapes.

The Arboretum holds events from teas to concerts to adventure bundles (dallasarboretum.org, n.d.) depending on the day; at other times of the year they have different themes than pumpkins, such as the Bloom’s Festival in Spring (dallasarboretum.org, n.d.). Additionally, the Arboretum may rope places off as inaccessible due to wedding or other events during the visit: even so, many other sections are available to explore.

Bibliography

Google. (2013). Retrieved from https://maps.google.com/ 

(n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.dallasarboretum.org/ 

The University of Texas at Dallas Office of Student Affairs. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.utdallas.edu/cometcenter/tickets/