Registration deadline is Thursday, September 22.
Members: $25 | Non-Members: $30
Morris Arboretum's Scarecrow Design Contest is back for the 15th year! Spooky Scarecrow is this year's design theme! It’s your chance to re-create a scarecrow version of your favorite spooky Halloween character for display at the Morris Arboretum! Scarecrows will be on display throughout the Arboretum from October 1 through October 31. Visitors will vote for their favorite scarecrow online to determine the winners. The top three scarecrows win a cash prize—top prize is $250.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2 – MONDAY, OCTOBER 10
Garden Railway
Free with Arboretum admission.
Weather Permitting
From refrigerated boxcars that carry bounties of fruit and other perishables, to grain cars that transport corn and wheat, come see the model harvest trains in our Garden Railway between Labor Day weekend and October 10.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10 | 11:00 am
Meet at Widener Visitor Center
Free with Arboretum admission.
Weather Permitting
Join an experienced guide to explore the extraordinary beauty of the arboretum captured in the collection of its Great Trees. Great Trees means more than size! They are remarkable specimens of historical, environmental, or unique-shaped species. The variety of the arboretum’s great trees is found in its champion trees, trees over 100 years old, trees from far-away places, and native trees that provide habitat for insects and other local wildlife.
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13 | 10:30 – 11:00 am
Meet in the Outdoor Classroom near Out on a Limb.
Included with admission.
In the event of rain, meet in the Upper Gallery of the Widener Visitor Center.
Join Melissa Lisbão-Underwood, the McClean Contributionship Youth & Visitor Education intern, for Storytime in the outdoor classroom. We will be reading Grandfather Twilight by Barbara Berger
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 18 | 1:00 – 4:00 pm
Meet at Springfield Mills, located directly across from the Arboretum’s main entrance on Northwestern Ave.
Included with admission.
Weather permitting.
Morris Arboretum’s oldest architectural feature is the historic grist mill, dating back to 1761 and situated along the picturesque Wissahickon Creek. On a guided interactive tour, watch one-ton millstones grind corn kernels, observe 160-year-old machinery transport and sift ground corn to produce meal, and even grind your own flour on a pedal powered mill.
WEEKDAYS: 10:30 am | Weekends: 1:00 pm
Meet at Widener Visitor Center
Free with Arboretum admission.
Weather Permitting
Our knowledgeable guides will design a tour around the interests of the attendees. Every tour is different so come back as many times as you’d like.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 1 - MONDAY, OCTOBER 31
Free with Arboretum admission.
October is “ArBOOretum” month, and the scarecrows are back! More than 30 scarecrows will be on display throughout the Arboretum beginning October 1 through Halloween! The theme this year is “Spooky Scarecrows.” Be sure to vote for your favorite, which will determine the top prize winners!
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 1 AND SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2 | 1:00 – 3:00 pm
Meet on the lawn in front of Widener Vistor Center.
Get into the fall spirit by painting pumpkins at the Arboretum! Pumpkins are $2 each and we will have all the colors you can imagine. And remember to wear clothes you can paint in!
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2 – MONDAY, OCTOBER 10
Garden Railway
Free with Arboretum admission.
Weather Permitting
From refrigerated boxcars that carry bounties of fruit and other perishables, to grain cars that transport corn and wheat, come see the model harvest trains in our Garden Railway between Labor Day and October 11.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 8 | 11:00am
Meet at Widener Visitor Center
Free with Arboretum admission.
Weather Permitting
Join an experienced guide to view a selection of trees, native to our area, that are well suited to local growing conditions. Native trees provide vital support — food, shelter, and habitat — for insects and other local wildlife. Within the Arboretum’s eclectic collection are a wide variety of native tree specimens, from huge tulip poplars to the smaller pitch pine and paw paw. Learn about these important plants and enjoy glorious autumn at the Arboretum.
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11 | 10:30 – 11:00 am
Meet in the Outdoor Classroom near Out on a Limb.
Included with admission.
In the event of rain, meet in the Upper Gallery of the Widener Visitor Center.
Join Melissa Lisbão-Underwood, the McClean Contributionship Youth & Visitor Education intern, for Storytime in the outdoor classroom.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 14 | 9:00am – 4:30pm
Haverford College
Philadelphia’s trees make our communities livable. They filter our air, regulate water flow, reduce carbon emissions, improve our mental health, and so much more. Unfortunately, our urban tree canopy faces a number of stresses and pressures, including pests and disease, storm events, residential development, and climate change (just to name a few).
Join us for the 9th annual Tree Canopy Conference at Haverford College, where we’ll be talking to experts in the field about loss and restoration, including case studies demonstrating ways that we can put plans in place to ensure that the city of the future remains green, livable, and ecologically sustainable.
Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for International Society of Arboriculture certified arborists will be available.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 16 | 1:00 – 4:00 pm
Meet at Springfield Mills, located directly across from the Arboretum’s main entrance on Northwestern Ave.
Included with admission.
Weather permitting.
Morris Arboretum’s oldest architectural feature is the historic grist mill, dating back to 1761 and situated along the picturesque Wissahickon Creek. On a guided interactive tour, watch one-ton millstones grind corn kernels, observe 160-year-old machinery transport and sift ground corn to produce meal, and even grind your own flour on a pedal powered mill.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 29 & SUNDAY, OCTOBER 30 | 1 pm – 3 pm
Meet at the Widener Visitor Center.
Weather permitting.
Come in costume and walk along our Spooky Scarecrow loop for trick-or-treating and candy for the kids! Our volunteer guides will be dressed for the holiday as well.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 30 | 11 am – 1 pm
Meet at the Widener Visitor Center.
Members: $25 | Non-Members: $30
Weather permitting.
Come along to our workshop and learn how to carve amazing pumpkins! We will supply the pumpkin along with all the specialized equipment you need for carving, as well as patterns and ideas to help you make a spectacular pumpkin. This program is for adults and children (8+) as we’ll be using sharp tools. We will meet in the tent behind the Arboretum’s Visitor Center. Wear clothes that can get messy!
WEEKDAYS: 10:30 am | Weekends: 1:00 pm
Meet at Widener Visitor Center
Free with Arboretum admission.
Weather Permitting
Get into the spirit of the season with our knowledgeable guides on a tour of trees and plants that may include “Little Devil” ninebark, witches’ brooms, pumpkin fullmoon maples, weeping beech, devilwood osmanthus, and more! Every tour is different so come back as many times as you’d like.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 3 | 6:30 – 8:30 pm
Meet at Woodmere Art Museum
Members: $20 | Non-Members: $25
In celebration of Native American Heritage Month, Adam DePaul, storykeeper of the Lenape Nation of Pennsylvania, will share stories of the Lenape and their relationship to the land—past, present, and looking into the future. The evening begins with a tribal drum performance led by Chief of Ceremonies Chuck GentleMoon DeMund and the Itchy Dog Singers, a group within the Lenape Nation. Reserve your spot for the lecture at morrisarboretum.org.
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 5 | 1:00 – 3:00 pm
Meet at the parking lot of the Horticultural Center at Bloomfield Farm.
Members: $40 | Non-Members: $45
Weather permitting.
Springfield Mills and the Miller’s Cottage date to 1760. They are the oldest architectural features at the Morris Arboretum, and the University of Pennsylvania. Springfield Mills holds an exceptional inventory of original mill works and related machinery that helps us interpret 19th and early 20th century agriculture and milling. Springfield Mills, along with other area mills, served as a valuable tool that converted the crops farmers grew into more usable products like corn meal and flour. We will explore stories about the history of the mill and how it was used over the centuries. We will also see the mill in operation and discuss what it takes to operate and maintain this amazing piece of history.
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 12 | 11:00 am
Meet at Widener Visitor Center
Free with Arboretum admission.
Weather Permitting
Join an experienced guide for our featured tour of the month. Explore the wide variety of conifers – both evergreen and deciduous – on display at Morris Arboretum. These notable specimens provide multi-seasonal interest with an array of forms, foliage, bark, and of course, cones!
The Arboretum is closed to the public today (9/6) due to potential flooding.
The Arboretum is open as usual. Click here for hours.
Please note: The Rose Garden is closed for maintenance every Thursday morning until noon.
Weather conditions may limit garden access to certain features even if the garden is open – please check the web site or call (215) 247-5777 for updates before visiting. Our visitors’ safety in the garden is our top priority. Therefore when inclement weather is predicted, we will make decisions about closing the garden accordingly.
