ucsc arboretum

colleenb202

There are beautiful different plants and flowers. Its a peaceful place where you can take your time, and great for photo ops., not to mention the hummingbirds that visit there.

mini

I was lucky as the day I decided to to to University of California Santa Cruz arboretum was the same day it was also "free" admission day. I enjoyed walking the 1/4 mile Hummingbird Path and seeing all the beautiful and unique plants.

MBbrandt

Nice place to take a stroll and learn about plants fro Australia, New Zealand, South África and Calofornia. I believe th we spring would be a better time to visit. it was very hot and dry and out of the plants had bloomed, but the walking paths are nice. There are lots of birds and this is also a location the Monarch butterflies migrate to in the large Eucalyptus grove. Worth a visit

EllenM130

A lovely arboretum off High St. with lots of native California plants and a lovely little gift shop.

JimBrown

My wife and I live in the mountains above Santa Cruz, and love to go out walking. This is one of our favorite places to walk -- quiet, nicely organized arboretum layout, plants are from all over the world and are well labeled, no one bothers you.

Dooglebug

Perhaps Spring is the best time to visit this place. We went there today (end of July) & while it has quite the variety, everything needs to be watered. The place appeared unkempt and neglected. Most plants (except for the succulents) were dried out and browning. Even the drought-tolerant species looked parched. I wanted to turn on a sprinkler. I am sure that when it rains, the place looks more luscious, but it was a disappointment to us. That said, if you are a true plant lover, you will likely enjoy the variety of Australian, South African, & Kiwi plants in the garden. The little gift shop has some really unique gifts.

543davel

What a glorious place to visit. Get your camera ready if you are a garden and plant lover.You can spend anywhere between one and three hours, depending on your interest level. Garden plants from various corners of the world, easy/flat walking trails, self-guided, open 9am to 5pm, $5, free parking.

travelbunnystlouis

Very interesting collection of plants. I found plants from Australia and New Zealand that I had not seen before. It is hard to find the entrance if you take the incorrect route, maybe stop and ask.

Dee_Green15

The Arboretum of UCSC is worth a visit if you are interested in Botanic Gardens. The grounds offer a rich variety of plants from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and California. The volunteer staff charged us a $10 entry fee when we parked our car near the entrance gate. The volunteer guide was very friendly and easily engaged in a chat with us. We discovered that he is a fellow "Boston Transplant" here in Santa Cruz. He provided us with very useful directions at the begin of our tour of the grounds of the Arboretum. We took our sweet time walking through the Arboretum on this nice and sunny Sunday afternoon. There were picture opportunities galore. Get out your phones and start to shoot if you want your friends on fb to spend time on your profile and enjoy pictures of plant life in vibrant colors!We highly recommend visiting the Arboretum. In fact, we are planning on going back to the Arboretum when we have friends visiting us in Santa Cruz.PS: We only could give it 4 out of 5 stars because it lacked in one important aspect of a truly relaxing Sunday afternoon - Peace. The road surrounding the area is rather noisy.

935jackiel

I just love to walk around and look at what is blooming. They have a wonderful gift shop and you can purchase plants there as well. They are not just the ones you see in big box stores...they are unique and beautiful. I have a few in my garden that are doing very well.

ru2020bmb

I came across a brochure at the hotel for the Arboretum and was looking forward to going as admission is free the first Tuesday of the month. Neither the address listed on the brochure, or the listing my GPS found got us there. Oh it got us to the campus, but there was no signage near the address listed to direct us to the arboretum. I think if you are going to have brochures made for an attraction it should list the specific address to get there, not just for the entrance to the campus. After driving around for 30 minutes, we just gave up. Hence the low rating. ( the next day I came across a different address when surfing the web, but didn't want to be frustrated again if we couldn't find it, so I didn't bother to try again.)

CAjoyjoy

The idyllic UCSC campus has a 40 acre garden with tours! This is not your manicured yard with perfect little color-matched plantings! This is a real treat within a mile or so walking area. You wander from California terrain to South African to Australian ecosystems with most plantings identified. It is a treat to watch the hummingbirds in the open at the spring season. And there is a little shop and restroom as well.

YeseniaC522

The Arboretum is an excellent spot for a stroll amongst some amazing vegetation. The place is quiet and lovely although the verity of flowers is limited due to the smallish size of the place. Depending on what time of the year you visit you can find great things such as butterflies or hummingbirds in large numbers. Be sure to stop by the gist shop, it is volunteer run and has an unexpected nice selection of gifts and cool items to buy.

Jones211

I stop here every time I come to visit my daughter attending UCSC. Great gardens, plants and trails, Well sectioned and a terrific shop. I purchase my succulent wreath frames here. Love this little gem.

pattyTurlock_ca

A wonderful self walking tour of world wide plants. Lots were in bloom. I was envious of many I can't plant because of frost in the central valley. Hilly walking and many paths. Souvenir shop had plants for sale. Bathrooms were creatively painted and clean, The paths were not crowded with people. I think there is a fee but none was collected. I believe snacks were available but we didn't use the opportunity.