Rentals FAQ Rentals FAQ Image FAQ Catering We require that you use one of our catering teams for your event. Each offers a variety of menu options, price points and services. We recommend you check them all out!    Catering by Brunos   267-240-5624  Seedling & Sage   215-885-2037  Power Events   267.254.9810  Joshua's Catering   215.224.1800  Feast Your Eyes Catering 215-634-3002 What’s Included  All private event rentals include admission to the Morris with access to 92 acres of woodlands, meadows and gardens, accessible restrooms and garden pathways, and free on-site parking. Staff is on duty throughout your event. Details for specific types of events are listed below. Please note, catering and other vendor fees are calculated separately.  With our Wedding Rentals:   Exclusive use of the historic carriage house Visitor Center and grounds for four or five hours of event time, depending on your contract  Reception tent with hard surface floor, lighting, space heaters, and fans  Ceremony chairs, tables and chairs for the reception, and accessory tables  A green room for the wedding party available up to two hours prior to event start  A five-passenger golf cart and driver to transport you around for photos and help guests who need assistance in the gardens  With our Evening Rentals: Exclusive use of the historic carriage house Visitor Center, or our Out on a Limb treehouse feature, and grounds for three or four hours of event time, depending on your type of event and contract specifics   Either the reception tent with hard surface floor, lighting, space heaters, and fans or our Out on a Limb treehouse feature, depending on contract specifics  Tables and chairs for dining, and accessory tables  With our Daytime Rentals:   Access to the event areas detailed in your contract for set up and activities  Audio-visual equipment for our Upper Gallery meeting space only  Tables and chairs for your event or meeting Rates Daytime Event Rates McLean Room The McLean Room is our …

Impact Report Impact Report Image Impact Report July 2023 – June 2024 Read the latest Impact Report below, or download the PDF  here .  Past Impact Reports 2023 – 2024 • 2022 – 2023 •  2021 – 2022 • 2020 – 2021  • 2019 – 2020 • 2018 – 2019 • 2017 – 2018 • 2016 – 2017  • 2015 – 2016 • 2014 – 2015 • 2013 – 2014 • 2012 – 2013 … Impact Report …

Penn Treaty Elm’s Lightning Protection System Gets an Upgrade Morris Arboretum & Gardens Urban Forestry Consulting team helps manage the approximately 6,500 trees on the University of Pennsylvania campus, including the Penn Treaty Elm which requires a plethora of strategies to protect and maintain its biological health and structural stability. One feature of its defensive gauntlet is a lightning protection system, and the Morris has developed a sturdier, adjustable, more sustainable system dubbed the Morris Lightning Protection Attachment. Morris Arboretum & Gardens Urban Forestry Consulting team helps manage the approximately 6,500 trees on the University of Pennsylvania campus in the heart of West Philadelphia. While there are many great trees on campus, the Treaty Elm is undoubtedly the biggest. For this large, mature tree with a wealth of cultural and historical significance, we employ a plethora of strategies to protect and maintain its biological health and structural stability. Image Photo 1: Penn Treaty Elm on College Green is an iconic part of Penn’s landscape. One feature of its defensive gauntlet is a lightning protection system. As per American National Standards Institute (ANSI) A300 Tree Care and industry best-management practices, the Treaty Elm lightning protection system consists of a conducting copper wire that begins in the upper tree canopy and is attached to the trunk/scaffold limbs all the way down to where it is grounded in the soil below. Due to the Treaty Elm’s prominent location, accessibility to people, and rightful popularity, the staples that attached the lightning protection conductor to its trunk were frequently being pulled out, even after they were hammered back in. These detachments could potentially disconnect the copper wire conductor from the ground, compromising its effectiveness. Also, these staples are not adjustable, so the tree will eventually overgrow and subsume the staples and copper conductor. The standard staples …

Holiday Garden Railway Holiday Garden Railway Image Get a jump on holiday fun at the Morris Arboretum & Gardens! Due to high demand, Holiday Garden Railway is opening ONE WEEK EARLIER this year! Trains start running Saturday, November 23 through Monday, December 30.  Free with general admission. Image Holiday Garden Railway Make your holiday even more magical with a visit to the Holiday Garden Railway, as it is transformed for the season with thousands of twinkling lights! See the enchanting model rail cars in a festive wonderland of lights and sounds, a marvelous experience for visitors of all ages. Saturday, November 23 – Monday, December 30 Free with general admission. Sponsored in part by: Image   FAQ Holiday Garden Railway: Daytime Viewing When can I see the trains? The Holiday Garden Railway is open daily, 10 am–4 pm from November 24 through December 30. The Morris is closed on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve, and New Year’s Day. The trains cannot run in heavy rain, snow, or ice. Do I need tickets to see the trains during the day? No, daytime viewing of Holiday Garden Railway is included with general admission. Advance tickets are no longer required to visit the Morris; you can purchase online or in-person.  Can I visit during the day and stay for Nighttime Express? No. Nighttime Express requires a separate advance ticket. Are the trains inside or outside? The Holiday Garden Railway exhibit is an outdoor miniature display. It’s a third of a mile track with loops and tunnels surrounded by plants and twinkling lights. Is the exhibit handicap accessible? Do you have wheelchairs? The site is wheelchair and stroller accessible, however the path within the site is narrow and has a downward slope.   Holiday Garden Railway: Nighttime Express Due to limited parking, you must purchase tickets with specific arrival times.  Please stay on the path. Walking into the lights off the path is dangerous, please help us keep everyone safe and stay on the path.   …

Know Before You Go Know Before You Go Image Pet Policy No pets, aside from registered service animals, are allowed at the Morris.   Tree & Garden Rules Image We ask that you be respectful of the Morris, including: No climbing on or sitting in trees; no walking or standing in flower beds or other off-limits parts of the Arboretum; no climbing into fountains; and no tampering with any living thing in the Morris. These regulations are for the safety of both our guests and our plants. Picnicking in the Morris is allowed in the designated picnic areas. No cooking is allowed. Pets (aside from service animals) are not permitted. No bicycles, scooters, rollerblades, skateboards, Frisbees or other game equipment. Admittance outside of regular visiting hours is prohibited. The use of all tobacco products (including smokeless tobacco) is prohibited anywhere on the property.   Accessibility Arrival Accessible parking is available in the parking lot just beyond the Widener Welcome Center. In the event that the lot is full, we offer overflow parking near the entrance kiosk. Vehicles may use the loading zone in front of the Welcome Center to unload passengers when needed. Access to the Welcome Center is barrier free. Mobility The Morris property includes some hilly terrain. There is an ADA-approved paved walking path with less than 5% grade and benches strategically situated throughout the Morris but walking some areas could prove challenging. The majority of the Morris, including the Out on a Limb exhibit, is accessible from the paved pathways. Mobility Scooters & Wheelchairs We offer complimentary mobility scooters and wheelchairs for mobility-challenged guests to use around the Garden during their visit. We have three electric scooters and two manual wheelchairs available to check out on a first-come, first-served basis in the Welcome Center. For mobility scooters, guests must be at least 18 years of age and complete a waiver and policy form at the time of check-out. Mobility …

The Story of the Lone Wolf Beech The American beech tree ( Fagus grandifolia ) that stood proudly in the meadow next to the metal sheep along the entrance drive has a storied past and a new future.  The American beech tree ( Fagus grandifolia ) that stood proudly in the meadow next to the metal sheep along the entrance drive has a storied past. Long before the entry drive, the magnolia slope, and even before the Morris family purchased the land to create their Compton estate, the front slope was draped with pastures. In the middle of one of these pastures stood this beech, a “lone wolf” tree that offered a shady respite for grazing livestock. This tree was already a notable specimen in the 1909 survey, listed as F. ferruginea (a synonym for F. grandifolia ). Image Magnolia Slope facing Northwestern Avenue circa 1908. The lone wolf beech is the first tree on the right and is secured inside a fence to protect it from livestock. We are a place of trees, and we deeply revere the many legacy trees in our collection. The lone wolf American beech on our front slope is one that we particularly cherish. In 1987, as the new entrance driveway was installed up the Magnolia Slope, special care was taken to give this tree a wide berth. This act of reverence allowed the tree to thrive, untouched by the encroaching construction. For decades, this beech welcomed visitors to the Morris Arboretum & Gardens with its iconic form:  a single trunk with three main branches or leaders forming a rounded canopy. However, this unique structure led to future problems. As the multiple leaders grew and pressed together, they caused issues with compressed wood and trapped bark, creating fissures where they were joined. Essentially, these branches were choking each other out and becoming a breeding grounds for potential diseases. In 1997, a large portion of one stem broke off during a violent summer thunderstorm. Given the dubious nature of this tree's structure, we realized this could mark the …