Holden Arboretum: A Living Museum in Kirtland, OH

It was only supposed to be a quick break on a long drive to western Ohio. An arboretum sounded nice for lunch and some running around for the kids.

But then we spent three unexpected hours exploring and having a wonderful time!

The Holden Arboretum in Kirtland, Ohio is admittedly nowhere near the Finger Lakes (four hours from Rochester and about five from Ithaca or Syracuse), but I often get questions about destinations to visit for a weekend within a few hours’ drive. The Cleveland area definitely fits the bill and has lots to offer, as we discovered. 

And the Holden Arboretum is just to good not to share! So let me tell you more about the adventures that await you there.

I hope that if you’re ever headed to Ohio, you’ll find a way to add this lovely place to your route.

What is the Holden Arboretum?

At over 3,600 acres, consider the Holden Arboretum a giant living museum of nature and fun.

It’s situated in Kirtland, OH, a small city just outside of Cleveland.

The arboretum is actually half of the Holden Forests & Gardens. The other half is the Cleveland Botanical Garden, which I’m told is also beautiful. It’s in the city of Cleveland.

Together, the institutions feature over 20,000 plants and plant groupings.

Albert Fairchild Holden created the arboretum as a memorial to his daughter, Elizabeth, who died in 1908 at the age of 12. His sister, Roberta Holden Bole, had a key role in ensuring it was located in Ohio (rather than the estate going to Harvard University’s Arnold Arboretum) and donated the first 100 acres in 1931.

Visiting the Holden Arboretum

On a Friday in mid-June we could tell the arboretum is popular (it gets 350,000 visitors a year), with school classes and people of all ages milling about. But it’s large enough to not feel overly crowded.

The staff is very friendly and happy to talk to you. We enjoyed conversations about plants and animals and working and volunteering at the arboretum. We also learned that a fair amount of research is conducted here on topics such as plant physiology, forest and soil ecology, and evolutionary ecology.

I especially liked that the arboretum felt welcoming to people of all ages and abilities. There are tram tours and many fully or partially paved paths that work well for wheelchairs or strollers.

Now, at $20 for adults and $14 for children (kids under 2 are free) in 2023, the entrance fees can add up quickly for a family. But I do think it’s worth it if you make a nice day of it (bring a picnic!) and take advantage of the many different activities included. 

And if you live nearby a membership is definitely worth paying for.

Also look into reciprocal memberships such as the NARM (many Finger Lakes museums participate) or the American Horticultural Society (again, many FLX members), which will get your family in for free. (This is how we found the Holden Arboretum in the first place. I looked at institutions that are part of our NARM membership through the Cornell Johnson Museum.)

What to do at the Holden Arboretum

You’ll probably start your visit at the Corning Visitor Center. Located near the parking lot, it features an art gallery, a small gift shop, and a library, plus vending machines and restrooms. 

I especially enjoyed the ponds and Holden Butterfly Garden in the back. Besides butterflies, we also spotted a bird’s nest with chicks cheeping loudly for their worm lunch.

Grab a free map to get oriented in the terrain. But there are also frequent, color-coded signage and friendly staff you can ask, so it’s hard to get lost for too long.

We didn’t have time to visit every corner of the arboretum, but we wandered through the beautiful Wildflower Garden and Paine Rhododendron Discovery Garden and past many big and small ponds on our way to the attractions that most interested the kids (and there were many!).

The first highlight was a temporary exhibit of works by LEGO artist Sean Kenney. Running through September 4, 2023, it displays 14 sculptures made from tens of thousands of bricks each.

I don’t want to give too much away, but examples include a monarch butterfly built from 60,549 bricks in 377 hours and a bald eagle consisting of 42,198 bricks and built in a mere 184 hours…

Max (8) and Miki (5) kept running ahead of us looking for the next sculpture. They were also way ahead of us on the 202 steps up the Kalberer Emergent Tower. It’s 120 feet (equivalent to 12 stories) high and built from wood.

Open from April through November, it’s designed to withstand 110-mile-per-hour winds. You get gorgeous distant views, including — on a clear day — of Lake Erie.

The Murch Canopy Walk also takes you into the treetops. It consists of four platforms connected by four suspension walkways that take you in a 500-foot loop, 65 feet above the forest floor.

It’s a relatively short walk (you can go around again if you want), but it’s a cool way to get immersed in the woods. And yes, it can feel a little disconcerting to look down, but the bridges are built to even hold heavy wheelchairs.

Next time we’ll also visit the Buckeye Buds Adventure Woods that a staff member highly recommended for kids. The nature playground has two ziplines!

As you explore, there’s a fair amount of walking involved, but there are benches and shade and endless gorgeous views all around.

As an alternative, you can opt to take a narrated, 45-minute tram tour for an additional fee.

Practical information for your visit

• website: holdenfg.org/holden-arboretum/gardens-and-attractions
• address: 9550 Sperry Rd, Kirtland, OH 44094, phone: (440) 946-4400.
• parking: plenty, free.
• admission: pay in advance online (save $1) or at the gatehouse as you arrive; find current fees here, special discounts for groups, seniors, veterans, Museums for All.
• reciprocal entry: through NARM, American Horticultural Society, Reciprocal Admission.
• membership: various levels and benefits, you receive reciprocal admission to over 345 participating gardens and institutions. You can apply your tickets towards a membership within a week.
• accessibility: electric scooters for rent ($20), manual wheelchairs free, find a list of complete or partially paved paths. A staff member told me that wheelchair users regularly travel across the entire Canopy Walk.
• special events: check the calendar for a variety of events, including summer concerts in the forest, talks, markets, yoga, food tastings and more.
• dogs: allowed on leash in outdoor areas; service dogs also allowed indoors and on attractions (except trams).
• food: There’s a grab-and-go cafe with salads, fruit, snacks, drinks. You can also find a vending machine in the visitor center. Or bring your own picnic and head to the picnic tables near the visitor center.

You may also be interested in:

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• If you like to learn more about nature, you may also enjoy the Cornell Lab of Ornithology or the Museum of the Earth in Ithaca, NY.
• Also consider the Lime Hollow Nature Center in Cortland, NY or the Cumming Nature Center in Naples, NY.

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