Arnold Arboretum, Best of Boston

I can’t spend too much time in a city before I have the urge to get back into nature. Lucky for me, Fredrick Law Olmsted has designed many green spaces around American cities. One of them is the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University [125 Arborway, Boston, MA 02130] in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood, the largest park in Boston’s Emerald Necklace: Six parks which span over seven miles and serve as a backyard for city residents and a place of interest for visitors like myself.

arnold_arboretum_Before we even got inside the park we were awed by a spectacular tree with rainbow ivy guarding the entrance.

arnold_arboretum_7The arboretum is large enough to wander for a few hours, but not so big that you can get seriously lost. There are maps scattered around the trails so you can see where you are, what you want to view, and how far you want to go.

arnold_arboretum_3The park was ablaze with color, trees of every shade lighting up the world on a dreary day.

arnold_arboretum_2 arnold_arboretum_1We walked through the woods and spotted a fat happy toad.

arnold_arboretum_6Making our way marveling at the trees we meandered up Bussey Hill where we spotted partial views of the city skyline.

arnold_arboretum_4We watched the blue jays, cardinals, and chipmunks preparing for winter. When walking around the lakes there were a few roses still in bloom, the flower being a rare sight in the arboretum where trees reign king.

arnold_arboretum_5It was a beautiful time to visit an arboretum, peak foliage, but I’m sure all seasons are lovely here. Even with a light drizzle it was worth it to walk around these majestic trees and breath some fresh air, right outside the city limits.

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