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Cylburn Arboretum is a beautiful, serene 207 acre park that emphasizes relaxation and reflection rather than physical recreation. The park is centered around two main buildings – the mansion and the visitor center. Surrounding those two buildings are botanical gardens, greenhouses, lawns and meadows and forested hiking trails. With the Cylburn Arboretum Friends and the Recreation and Parks Department taking care of the different gardens, meadows and trees, Cylburn Arboretum maintains a peaceful and inviting setting.

BRIEF HISTORY OF CYLBURN ARBORETUM

The mansion at Cylburn Arboretum was built in 1876 as a summer home for businessman, Jesse Tyson. The property was occupied by the Tyson family until 1942 when it was purchased at auction by Baltimore City for $42,300. Although the property was originally purchased as a park, the property was first used to house neglected and abandoned children. The mansion was used for that purpose from 1943 to 1957. In 1954, with children still living on the grounds, the Recreation and Parks Board created the Cylburn Wildlife Preserve and Garden Center. After that designation, the gardens and trails were developed and the park became the headquarters of the Horticulture Department. In 1981, the name was changed to the Cylburn Arboretum and that name exists as the official name of the park today.

For a more detailed history of Cylburn Arboretum, take a look at the Cylburn Arboretum Friends’ website here.

DIRECTIONS AND HOURS OF OPERATION

The Cylburn Arboretum is located at 4915 Greenspring Avenue. The property is gated and is open Tuesday through Sunday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. during the summer season. Hours of operation are subject to change and differ depending on the season. Check here for hours of operation.

The Vollmer Visitor Center has different hours. Summer hours are 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

AMENITIES

Cylburn Arboretum has three major types of amenities – buildings, gardens and hiking trails.

Buildings

1. Cylburn Mansion

Cylburn Mansion is a gorgeous building that serves two purposes today – as a museum and for offices. The museum portion of the building serves as a “horticultural library, bird museum, nature museum, herbarium, and a collection of wildflower paintings.” Although labeled as museums, they are more like exhibits. With respect to offices, the mansion serves as the office for the Horticulture Department and the Cylburn Arboretum Friends.

The mansion is open from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m the first weekend of each month. For information about tours or renting portions of the mansion for events, see the hyperlinks above.

2. Vollmer Visitor and Education Center

When you drive into the Cylburn Arboretum, you pass in front of the visitor center. Unlike the mansion, the visitor center is a modern construction that opened in 2010. The building contains bathrooms, meeting space, visitor’s center and patio area in the back of the building. The building can be rented for large events through the Baltimore City Recreation and Parks. For more information, see here.

3. Greenhouse Classroom

Next to a series of greenhouses used by the Recreation and Parks Horticulture Division is the Greenhouse Classroom. This space is used for lectures, educational workshops and as an event space. The classroom “seats up to 52 classroom-style, 75 seated, and 100 cocktail-style.”  Rental information can be found here.

4. Carriage House

The Carriage House is undergoing plans for renovation. It is not currently open to the public.

Gardens and Trails

1. Gardens

Near the mansion and visitor’s center are a series of gardens that house different plants and trees. It appears that the gardens are mostly maintained by volunteers and some of the garden space changes from year to year. Many of the plantings and trees are labeled to give visitors ideas for their own garden spaces. Below are just a few pictures of some of the garden spaces at Cylburn Arboretum.

While the gardens are beautiful, they are not extensive. You can easily get through all the gardens in an hour or less.

2. Hiking Trails

My favorite part of Cylburn Arboretum is the hiking trails. They have a number of short trails that tie into each other making for a longer hike. The longest up and back hike is probably around 2.5 miles. A trail map can be found here.

All of the trails are well forested and maintained and have a number of trail heads for easy access from the lawns and meadows outside the mansion and visitor center. For a city park, the wildlife is fantastic. It is possible to see woodland creatures including birds, deer, frogs, chipmunks and even the occasional snake. These trails are one of the few areas in Baltimore where you can get back into the woods and escape the hustle and bustle of the city.

CYLBURN ARBORETUM FRIENDS

Cylburn Arobretum has a very active “friends” group called the Cylburn Arboretum Friends or the Cylburn Association. They maintain a very informative website and provide educational programming for children using arboretum grounds. They also coordinate volunteers and fundraising and partner with other organizations.

The Cylburn Association is a non-profit organization and they work hard to make sure that Cylburn Arboretum is an asset for all. If you can, consider making a donation by clicking here so that they can continue their great work.

EVENTS

Cylburn Arboretum hosts a bunch of very popular events and lectures throughout the year. Check out the Cylburn Arboretum Friends website here for a calendar of events.

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