‘Arboretum’ Articles at Sweetnicks

A quiet little oasis tucked away in Wayne, New Jersey, let’s visit the Laurelwood Arboretum.

Since the Coronavirus pandemic hit, and we’ve been quarantined, I’ve made an effort to get my kids out of the house for an hour or two of family time in the fresh air and sunshine. While the rest of the time they have been largely sequestered at home, I feel the shot of fresh air and sunshine is much needed for positive mental health. They don’t necessarily agree, but they humor me and we compromise and stick to destinations that are within a twenty minute drive and largely isolated, to keep everyone safe.

And that’s how we ended up at the Laurelwood Arboretum. I am a sucker for a peaceful place where I can listen to the water trickle in a stream and take a slew of floral and fauna photos, so you know this checked all my boxes.

We found it easily, and pulled into the small parking lot. Since the state is still largely on lockdown, the Visitor’s Center is closed (along with the restrooms), so if you visit before things open up, keep that in mind.

We wandered aimlessly, following the trails in a large loop, and the place is such a meditative and reflective spot, I could have happily stayed for hours. It’s quiet, with little benches and bursts of flowers tucked in here and there, along with a few sculptures, and babbling streams. I stopped at every one, as my kids made fun of me, because trickling water or the sounds of the beach are legit my favorite sounds ever.

…

A tranquil beautiful setting tucked into Summit, the Reeves-Reed Arboretum is a great spot for a visit.

“Visit an arboretum” was on our Summer Bucket List because, although we have several arboretums in the area, we haven’t really visited one (although our annual visit to the gingerbread exhibit is at an arboretum, there is nothing floral to see in the dead of winter for sure). The bright skies and warm temps this afternoon made it a great time to visit (and a Groupon for frozen yogurt down the street turned it into a perfect afternoon).

The arboretum is very easy to find in a residential section of Summit. When I first saw the entrance gate, I thought it was closed, but as you approach slowly, it opens automatically, so don’t let that deter you (and the exit/gate is the same way). The property has several small houses/offices, and the starting point wasn’t entirely clear, but we found someone in the parking lot to ask and she pointed us to one of the smaller houses near the parking lot and greenhouse. In there we found a really friendly employee (and thankfully restrooms), who gave us a map and explained the different trails we could take through the property. She cautioned against going on one of the trails because of some recent overgrowth of poison ivy, and then she handed us a bag of fish food and asked us to feed the fish in the pond on the way through. She also told us where to find the (one) resident frog, who was exactly where she said he would be. She was awesomely helpful!

You have to look really closely, but he’s in this picture. I was actually surprised when we found him.

We took the path through wildflowers behind the building that housed her office and continued down to a path that led us to the Elephant Tree that she mentioned (which could not be more appropriately named), with a really cute picnic area, which reminded me of something out of The Flintstones.

…

Visit: Laurelwood Arboretum, Wayne, New Jersey

Visit: Reeves-Reed Arboretum, Summit, NJ {Summer Bucket List}