Cylburn Arboretum

I mentioned in my last post that Sarah and I headed to one of Baltimore's best kept secrets on Sunday: Cylburn Arboretum. Located near the adorable and trendy Mt. Washington and Hampden neighborhoods, Cylburn is one of the city's most gorgeous parks that sponsors a whole host of events to draw in visitors.

The grounds contain a state-of-the-art eco-friendly visitor center, complete with a living roof, composting toilets, and geothermal heating and cooling systems. The arboretum is also home to a historic post-Civil War mansion with beautiful architectural details, set off by stunning landscape design. Within the mansion is the arboretum's nature museum and administrative offices, but we headed out too early to explore the exhibits (and enjoy the AC!) indoors.

Much as I love to garden, I am far from an expert on horticulture. But I can tell that this place is positively thriving with all sorts of plants and trees to see. Cylburn contains a vegetable garden, rose gardens, herb gardens, a formal garden, a children's garden, a butterfly garden, and a greenhouse, among others. Short trails wind through the woods surrounding the grounds while paved pathways make it easy to navigate your way among the maintained gardens.

Cylburn is a beautiful spot for a relaxing walk, enjoying the beautiful summer weather (at least on those few days when the humidity is low!), picnicking, or even getting married (yes, they do weddings and Cylburn makes for quite a picturesque venue!). The Cylburn Arboretum Association offers all sorts of events, educational and otherwise, for visitors of all ages year-round - I'm especially looking forward to their holiday tea come Christmastime! It's a thriving horticultural hotspot within Baltimore's city limits that, unfortunately, most nearby residents have yet to visit. So if you're in the Baltimore area, I highly recommend making it over to the arboretum soon!

And here are some snapshots from our trip!

The gorgeous mansion.

One of many lion statues to be found around the property.

Sarah exploring an interesting structure we came across in the woods.

The leaves on these little guys actual moved when you touched them. Notice how the end of the frond on the left is all closed up.

Edible wineberries lined the wooded trails, making for a sweet and delicious breakfast treat on our walk!