Explore Cylburn Arboretum, Baltimore's Urban Oasis

Baltimore is a vibrant, bustling city — in fact, it's the 30th most populated city in the United States. There's so much for visitors to see and do here: museums, galleries, theatres, historical sites, restaurants, waterfront attractions, major league stadiums... and the list goes on. When you need to find a quiet reprieve from the flurry of activity of your Baltimore getaway, we encourage you to wander through Charm City's immaculate parks and green spaces. One such urban oasis is Cylburn Arboretum, a place of natural beauty and learning with hundreds of specimen trees and plantings, gorgeous gardens, wooded trails and a historic mansion.

Since it's open year-round, you can visit Cylburn Arboretum anytime you're a guest with us at Rachael's Dowry Bed and Breakfast. Originally the home of wealthy businessman Jesse Tyson, the estate was purchased by the city of Baltimore in the early 1940s and temporarily served as a home for abandoned children before being turned into a public park. Today, the 200-acre park is a popular destination for nature lovers, hikers, bird watchers, and anyone looking for a peaceful and beautiful escape from the city — without ever having to leave it.

As a living museum of woody plants, Cylburn Arboretum's specimens of trees, shrubs and woody vines is impressive. You'll find a collection of oaks, maples, pines, spruces, magnolias, boxwoods, dogwoods and more throughout the expansive grounds. There also are numerous beautifully planted flower gardens to explore. Each meticulous garden is filled with colorful and fragrant shrubs, perennials and annuals. Snap an Instagram-worthy picture in the gazebo in the Nathans garden or by the arboretum's only water feature in the Larrabee garden.

Cylburn Arboretum boasts 3.5 miles of woodland trails punctuated by native plants and wildflowers. These nature trails wind through the forested areas of the park with easy to moderately difficult terrain providing opportunity for some outdoor exercise or to observe birds and wildlife. The Circle Trail, which circles the mansion lawns, is a good place to start, with wildflower identification markers all along the path.

All of the property's buildings — the historic Cylburn Mansion, Vollmer Visitor Center and Greenhouse Classroom — are temporarily closed to the public except for special events, but stay tuned to the Cylburn's website for reopening information. In the works is a new Nature Education Center that will open in 2023. This state-of-the-art exhibit and training space reclaims the estate's old carriage house and expands upon it to create offices and a museum.

Be sure to check out the fantastic lineup of events held at Cylburn Arboretum throughout the year, including the popular Market Day. Held during Mother's Day weekend, it features plant and gift vendors, live music, and food trucks. There's also the ArBREWetum Halloween event, the Holiday Greens Sale, and countless guided wellness and education activities. Come see for yourself why Cylburn Arboretum is truly the crown jewel of Baltimore's park system.