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East Texas Arboretum

Located west of Tyler at the intersection of Texas Highway 31 and Texas Highway 19 is the City of Athens in Henderson County.

The East Texas Arboretum & Botanical Society provides over 100 acres of natural East Texas nature and beauty.

Areas include the Discovery Barn, Dream Garden, Little Red School House, plus numerous gardens and trails.

The historic Wofford House Museum, built in 1850, was relocated to the Arboretum several years ago. It now stands as a reminder of early pioneer days complete with period furnishings, memorabilia, and a seasonal garden.  

The Arboretum is located at 1601 Patterson Road, Athens, TX 75751 (Hwy 175 inside Loop 7). For more information, phone 903.675.5630.

East Texas Arboretum Traveler reviews and photos at TripAdvisor

Mast Arboretum

Held each year is the popular Nacogdoches Azalea Trail in the spring. Over 25-miles of driving trails are carefully marked and mapped, and walking trails cover the stunning Ruby M. Mize Azalea Garden on the campus of SFA, the largest azalea gardens in the state of Texas. Details about the Nacogdoches Azalea Trails

The Mast Arboretum is a ten acre garden along LaNana creek at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches.

Download the Mast Arboretum Visitors Guide (PDF)

Phone 936.468.1832 for tour information, seminars and more information.

Purchase your tickets online in advance of your visit, or upon arrival at the Visitor Education Pavilion

Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden

Nestled along the eastern shore of White Rock Lake is the 66-acre, nationally acclaimed Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden, featuring 11 display gardens with year-round beauty and inspiration.

Over 1,000,000 visitors a year enjoy the gardens and events at the Arboretum.

The Arboretum opened its doors in 1984, combining the 44-acre DeGolyer Estate and the 22-acre Alex Camp House to create a horticultural masterpiece in North Texas.

Today, 19 named gardens and numerous areas combine to create a premier Dallas landmark and visitor attraction. 

And the Arboretum continues to expand, with new features such as the Children's Adventure Garden and "A Tasteful Place".

Thousands of flowers in bloom in the spring at the Dallas Arboretum (Staff Photo)

Master plan for the Longview Arboretum

Longview Arboretum

The Longview Arboretum & Nature Center  provides an ecologically sustainable city park that reflects the character of Longview and fosters interaction between the landscape and its visitors.

The gardens were opened in November of 2019, and include the Longview Arboretum Visitor Center at 706 West Cotton Street.

The Arboretum shares parking with Maude Cobb Activity and Event Center, it covers 26 acres of watershed from Grace Creek and borders the JR Curtis Garden for the Blind and The Green.

Dirt work began in August of 2017, and a formal ground breaking for the Longview Arboretum was celebrated in September of 2017.

Phone 903.212.2181 for more information or visit the website of the Longview Arboretum.

The Gardens at Texas A&M

The Gardens span 27 acres of beautiful public gardens and green space on the Texas A&M University West Campus.

The first seven acres, the Leach Teaching Gardens, opened in 2018 and feature 21 demonstration gardens and a climate-controlled pavilion. Currently, the garden design team is finalizing its plans for the second phase of development.

Students and visitors can relax and learn simultaneously in a peaceful sanctuary on campus.

It is located on the campus of Texas A&M at 556 John Kimbrough Boulevard.

For details and information about opening dates/times, visit the Website of the Gardens or phone 979.458.4910. Learn more about the Gardens on Facebook

Andy Anderson Arboretum

Another local College Station garden is the Andy Anderson Brazos County Arboretum located at 1900 Anderson Street. It is situated on 17 wooded acres bounded by the cemetery, Bee Creek and Business 6, and features a shelter and an interpretive trail system that emphasizes native Texas plants.

Originally known as the Brazos County Arboretum, it was renamed in 1986 in honor of D.A. "Andy" Anderson, a former Mayor of College Station.

Also nearby is the Butterflies in the Brazos Butterfly Garden. The 26.5-acre Bee Creek Park is also located here.

Seasonal Interest Garden at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin (Staff Photo)

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

One of our favorite nature centers is the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, located in the southwest section of Austin, Texas. We have visited there numerous times, and on each trip we see new things and learn more about nature!

The University of Texas at Austin Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center is the official state botanic garden and arboretum of Texas. The Center promotes its mission to inspire the conservation of native plants through its internationally recognized sustainable gardens, education and outreach programs, research projects, and consulting work.

The Wildflower Center was originally established as the National Wildflower Research Center in 1982, and later renamed the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. It covers an area of 284 acres.

"The nature we are concerned with ultimately is human nature" ... Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Tyler Rose Garden

Tyler is the Rose Capital of America, the location of the Tyler Rose Garden, the nation's largest municipal rose garden, spanning 14 acres. The city is also the site of the Annual Texas Rose Festival held each October.

The gardens include over 38,000 rose bushes and over 600 different varieties, as well as reflecting pools, walkways and fountains. It was listed in 2011 in Livability.com's top 10 most inspiring gardens in the USA.

The IDEA Garden is located in the Southeast corner of that garden with the goal to inspire the visitor to “Innovate, Demonstrate, Educate & Apply” good gardening practices.

Beaumont Botanical Gardens

This 23.5-acre garden of ever-changing beauty is located near the entrance to Tyrrell Park, a 500-acre City of Beaumont Park. 

A paved Friendship Walk offers excellent views of the various theme gardens, as well as providing easy access for strollers and wheelchairs. 

Benches along the way invite visitors to rest a moment and “take time to smell the flowers.”  The Beaumont Council of Garden Clubs raises funds for development and maintenance of the gardens, and oversees their management. 

Beaumont Botanical Gardens Website

Tyler Azalea and Spring Flower Trails

A highlight of the spring season in East Texas is the 8-mile long Tyler Azalea Trail guiding visitors through neighborhoods of brick streets, residential gardens and historic homes.

The first Azaleas were planted in Tyler in 1929 by Maurice Shamburger, in the Lindsey Lane area. Other neighbors soon followed, and the area became well known for its springtime beauty.

Today, over 100,000 people from all over the USA visit Tyler each spring to attend the Azalea Trail. Two marked routes exist today: the Lindsey Trail and the Dobbs Trail.

Helen Lee's Daffodil Garden

During February and March each year, East Texas area is treated to millions of blooming daffodils and other flowers at Helen Lee's Daffodil Garden.

We highly recommend a trip to see the gardens and walk among the blooming flowers, dogwood trees and redbud trees. Admission is free, but a donation is recommended, and appreciated, to help fund maintenance of the grounds through the year.

The garden is located between Tyler and Gladewater, just south of U.S. Highway 271, about 21 miles from downtown Tyler and about 7 miles north of Interstate Highway I-20.

The two country roads (CR 3104 and CR 3103) leading to the gardens from U.S. 271 are narrow, but paved.

The garden opens, depending on the weather, in mid-February and remains open through March or until the daffodils are no longer in bloom. The garden is open during this time seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. 

For road conditions in the gardens and predicted blooming schedule, contact the Mrs. Lee's Daffodil Gardens at 903.845.5780 or visit their website. The road through the gardens is dirt/gravel, and one-way, but an easy drive.

Two large parking lots are available in areas with massive areas of daffodils and ideal for walks and photography.

The Lee Daffodil Gardens photo gallery on this website.

Blue Moon Gardens

Edom, Texas is just a short drive west of Tyler towards Ben Wheeler and Canton at the intersection of FM 279 and FM 314.

Blue Moon Gardens is a well known nursery just east of Edom.

The quality of all of their plants and herbs is excellent, and their selection of butterfly and hummingbird-friendly plants is huge.

The grounds themselves at Blue Moon are very well done and make a great place for walks, and the inside gift shop and garden center are not to be missed!

Phone 903.852.3897 for hours and other information.

Shangri La Botanical Gardens

The formal 252-acregardens contain more than 300 plant species. Adjacent to the Botanical Gardens is a bird blind which allows visitors to observe nesting birds in Shangri La’s heronry.

The Nature Center includes a hands-on exhibit called the Nature Discovery Center, a laboratory, and three outdoor classrooms located deep in the cypress swamp. 

Website of Shangri La Botanical Gardens

Davey Dogwood Park

Davey Dogwood Park is home to more than 200 acres of picturesque roads meander throughout the park.

The park is featured during the annual Texas Dogwood Trails Festival from late March to early April. Admission is free.