The Arboretum is lovely this time of year. While many of the flowers arent in bloom the tree leaves are gorgeous and the weather is great for walking on numerous trails. The Arboretum is large so spend some time picking a parking lot near where you want to go. Plenty of tree trunks and stumps are great for kids to climb plus lots of open spaces for running or cycling. Masks were required.

Great socially distanced place to pass the time. Good place to walk or ride a bike. I recommend bringing a blanket to sit under a tree with friends or read a book.It is really nice right now to watch the leaves change.

I will say this place is okay, and this is during a visit mid-October. Yes it is a large wooded area with some walking trails and driving roads mostly. Nothing greatly stands out as to why this is a destination.Strongly suggest to visit by car, and not on foot as the area is quite extensive. There is a cluster of exhibits at the start and then pretty much nothing but woods from what we saw.The awkward pillars in the middle of the field made no sense and werent really even artistic, like someone just placed columns there and said boom art.Maybe a better time to visit is during the spring when things are in bloom and buzzing but I can see a lot of people trying to get there and also crowding areas making it less fun. Overall I would say meh as my overall rating of the Arboretum.

Awesome place to explore by bike, foot, skates, or scooters. Cars are welcome in the larger parking lots, but its minimal parking the further you get into the other collections. For those that enjoy paddling, you can paddle along the Anacostia River to the dock by the Asian Collection.Speaking of which, nestled in the eastern portion of the arboretum are areas that are sometimes over looked. Like the Asian, Dogwood, Holly & Magnolia, and Conifer Collections.

We had a lovely walk on the Asian trail. There were many blooming camelia bushes-- at the end of November! Who knew that there are types of camelia that bloom through January? The Asian gazebo and overlook locations are very nice. The Arboretum is a very large area where you can bike, walk, or jog for hours among unique plant life. Highly recommended!

Very relaxing and peaceful. I took a nice 1.5 hour walk around the grounds. Its so scenic and serene. Id suggest just parking and walking around. Go in the middle of the week midday.

This is a nice long walk from my house so good exercise. However, ample parking spaces abound. BE SURE TO WEAR YOUR MASK EVEN IF ITS OUTSIDE! Everyone in the national park does this, its only respectful.Youll find more than just flowers here, theres the Corinthian columns and the stream that has been restored into its original meandering shape in order to study ecological restoration. The park is huge, so pack a picnic.The only negative right now is not all areas are open due to covid. Enjoy it while its warm.

Beautiful (and free) escape from the hustle and bustle of the city. Lots of parking available, strollers are permitted, and dogs on leashes are permitted. The capital columns are usually the popular area and can get crowded. We parking near the dogwoods and exploring from there. Lots of people come to bike or jog as well.

No bathrooms available that I could see, and we spent 2 hours there. Beautiful place...impressive historical columns.

One of my favorite places to bike. Walking, I get lost. I wish there were painted trail markers and route suggustions. And the security guard at the columns almost arrested a young father who was doing nothing wrong. They answered my email with a we will retrain him. He needs to be disarmed. And given a different job.

Great outdoor activity. Beautiful trees and plants of many varieties. Scenic to the max.

A large open space with plenty of room for picnicking and relaxing. Also trails for walking and biking. A lovely park. Sadly though, it is ill maintained in terms of an arboretum, especially the one representing our nation. There were many weeds, improperly labeled plants (or maybe just the original plant was taken over by something else) and an overall sense of neglect.

So beautiful. Great place to learn and get exercise.

If you havent been, you need to go. If youve only been once or twice. GO BACK!This place is full of great shaded spots to hang out with friends and your dogs. Theres so many people wanting to get out, and thus is one of the perfect places to do that right now.A few places are closed- Fern Valley for one. But there are so many places that are open, that its not a problem at all. Its a beautiful backdrop for a day of relaxing, with so many cute spots for photo ops with friends!I cant wait for the next day my husband and I can go back to just explore with our dogs again.

Wish some of the exhibits would reopen but well wait patiently. The kids loved the koi pond and just being able to run around with plenty of distance between us and others.

Great place to go exercise.Enjoy the view.The bonsai tree house is beautiful.

Beautiful place to escape city life. I found this place by accident while looking for parks to visit near dc, ideally in DC :). There is free parking for everyone (which is a huge plus coming from the suburbs of VA ... a big reason I dont go to DC is because of paid parking).The ambiance is beautiful with well-kept gardens and butterflies. There is a lot to walk through and its very enjoyable. You can also take pictures with those columns and be basic AF like everyone on instagram :) lol.

Wonderful walk on a gorgeous (and warm) Fall day. Beautiful to explore and see something different each time I visit. If in DC, you should add this to your Must Do list.

If your looking for a place to just get away, but dont have the time to drive an hour each way, swing by the U.S. National Arboretum. The Arboretum has plenty of places to stop for a picnic, nap in the sunshine, take in the Bonsai exhibit, or you can just sit still and take in all that the US National Arboretum has to offer. There is no entry free just to roam the Arboretum. The Arboretum also offers tours and they even have a cellphone tour! Now swing by and enjoy the tranquility that the Arboretum provides right in D.C.

Always a joy to visit the National Arboretum! Try to go at least once a season to see what’s blooming or dying. Always relaxing and an amazing respite from the infinite grays of the city.

One of my favorite places to visit! Every time Im here I see something new and/or different but always exciting! Next time well bring our bikes..see you there.

Great space.. But very nosey people staring and being intrusive as i was simply sitting on my blanket with my service dog... People suck..mind you own business and stop making others feel awkward because you dont have a life...ugh

Great place to visit whilst in the area to get a break from the hustle and bustle.Liked the fact that you can drive around most of it and then park up near the main sites especially on such a hot day that we visited on .

Ive had the opportunity to visit other arboretums throughout my travels and I must say that this one does not shine as brightly as I would think our Nations representative arboretum should.The park left me with the sense that the trees were just planted in groups of similarity without much concern for associated ground cover or hardscaping.There abounds plenty of walking space and paths to stretch your legs. If mobility is an issue for you then access to various areas can be accomplished by car. At this time though, check online for access due to Covid restrictions: only certain gates are open for vehicle entry during limited times of the day.Was hoping this would be a calming, peaceful exploration in our Nations premier arboretum but was left with the sense that it was a really nice park

Disappointing for whats supposed to be an arboretum in the nations capital, because I expected to see something among the best. There is an unfortunate lack of both maintenance and landscape design, with plants haphazardly strewn about and many areas overgrown. I dont know if the disrepair was a symptom of the lockdowns, but either way, it felt like more of a park. No idea what was up with the DANGER: RAW SEWAGE signs all over the place.

Really wanted to see the bonsai museum but it was closed...Will def be back.The pictures say the rest...

The columns are my favorite and I like the fact that it big enough to get a very good cycling exercise by riding around while enjoying the beautiful plants, flower gardens, trees and vegetations from different parts of the world.I just wish they could keep it open longer during the summer for visitors to explore, especially for those getting off work at 5pm. Just a wishful thinking.

Close to the city, yet a really nice break. The park provides some great walking paths and changing scenes through its themed gardens.

This is America, National Arboretum looks like my local forest preserve... Wow I would think that the Nation would take more pride in what it considers its special place... No not worth a special trip - ok, if you live in the hood and walk. Run or ride your bike...

This is a wonderful place to go and get away RIGHT IN DC. Not as remote as soon of the VA/MD state parks or NPS facilities, but very enjoyable nonetheless. If youre interested in botany, you will enjoy the wide variety of plans and if youre not, its very beautiful, especially in the spring and fall!

Beautiful park. Great walk and bike paths. Friendly community of patrons.

One of my favorite places in Washington DC... A gem! I love visiting during any season, really. There is always something to see there but the spring time is THE best time ever.

A hidden gem. A place to truly escape the city and feel like youve traveled miles into the country side. Besides Rock Creek Park, nothing else in the city compares to the beautiful, quiet and serene solitude you can find here.

Beautiful area to walk, bike or even (slowly) drive around. Popular place for photo shoots.

The gardens are very well maintained and have diverse species. On the downside, the space is more designed towards exploring with a car, there arent many walkways.

Paid for by our taxes and run by the government, this place is an unqualified treasure for the people of the United States, so come enjoy it alone or with family and friends. An utter balm to mind and body to walk around this and make use of the benches. Ive been coming here since grade school and will never get tired of it.

A great place to see fall colors and keep social distance.

Beautiful!!!! Just so much hassle for taking pictures. We brought a tripod so that the kids and I could take pictures together but were not allowed. You have to have a permit. The tripod was just for my cellphone.

The US National Arboretum is like an oasis in a desert of office buildings and tourists. Its a silent retreat close to the eastern corner of the district and might be easy to miss upon first glance.Think of the arboretum as a botanical garden featuring mostly trees, and it definitely felt like a sprawling, outdoor museum. Be sure to come prepared as there might be a lot of walking involved, although there are parking lots close to each of the outdoor exhibits.They have a lot of unique exhibits, the ones that we enjoyed a lot are the bonsai collection and the herb garden. The National Capital Columns area is a very solemn and picturesque place and is a great spot to relax and reflect. We did not have a chance to explore the other areas, but we do plan on doing so soon.The arboretum is open everyday from 8am to 5pm, and is only closed on Christmas Day. Parking and admission are both FREE(!) and they do take donations if you feel compelled to do so. We were pleasantly surprised with the beauty and tranquility of the arboretum. Its away from the hustle and bustle around the National Mall, but to us, thats a good thing.

Love the herbs plantation and varieties of trees.The columns are unique too

Great place to go looking for cherry blossoms in the spring, and youll miss the major crowds! They also have blooming magnolias in April. It feels like you have completely left the city, although you havent. Its a beautiful location and easy to access by car or bike. I would highly recommend a day here, just be prepared to walk a lot! Other options are to drive the park, and stop at intervals if a full park hike is too much.

Serenity; come here and find your inner sanctuary. A extremely well-kept arboretum with tranquil walks through magnificent gardens. Free to enter and hundreds of parking spots. A nice little escape from the inner city life. Visitor center has restrooms if need be, as well as helpful staff members for any questions you may have. Theres a lot of history to take in here. Would recommend to most anyone.

The arboretum is a modicum of tranquility. It is a great space to take your dog, have a picnic, bring a bike, or go for a run. Not only is the arboretum free, but so is the parking. The National Capitol Columns are a sight to see and the bonsai exhibit was breathtaking.

Beautiful and peaceful! Would recommend biking through it as you can see much more of the park that way.

What can I say that others havent. Best to get there early to avoid the crowds.

This is one of the most eye-pleasing places in DC! If you love to see natural beauty its here. Meticulously displayed Bonsai, Beer Garden with informative labeling, plus real columns from the Capitol with a new water feature! Take your lunch and sit at a bench. Bird watchers will marvel as well!

We love taking our dog here for walks. Beautiful with lots of nice walking paths.

We got to visit the bonsai pavilions today and OMG, it was just mind blowing! How is this not a lauded, tourist destination of the city?! It was fantastic. Beautifully arranged, with small garden walks between collections. There is a tree there that survived the bombing of Hiroshima and was then gifted to the United States as a town of good will. It is 400 yrs old!So go! Go see the bonsai!! :D

My favorite place for bike riding in DC! The conifer area is just magical! Highly recommend!

This place is absolutely beautiful. What a hidden treasure! I hope to be back

What a brilliant escape from the busy, noisy city. This place is beautiful and the exhibits are so much fun. Well worth a trip, but bring a car as there arent many walking paths in-between some of the exhibits and they can be a far walk.

The park was so beautiful and the environment was both friendly and great for family oriented memories that can last a lifetime.

So this is a terrific space for a picnic or to get some exercise and walk around. As some have mentioned, its a really large space and I think was designed to be traveled by car to the different areas. Pre-COVID, this was probably pretty reasonable. Currently, you should drive in as deep as you can and then walk around. Dont park at the lot right off NY Ave. Its a long walk to most other stuff.The reason Im taking a star is that I wish NPS would invest a bit more here. The pathing is poor, and most people end up walking on the roads alongside vehicle traffic. Theres little to no signage which makes it all seem less contiguous. The signs that do exist are massively faded. This could be a lot more cohesive as a space if there was a little more thought and investment put in.

Eventhough everything indoor is basically closed, the open aired areas and walking paths are more than worth the trip!!!

Nice (and clean), beauty, and familiar place to be. You can walk by its paths and enjoy the nature.

The Arboretum is one of the most beautiful places in DC. It is so much more than just a really really nice garden. Despite its massive scale, you can see instantly that there was a lot of thought and passion that went into turning this once swampy pasture into a living catalog of horticulture. I love everything about this place from the space itself, to the great programming schedule. I usually visit at least once a month because every season showcases different varieties of plants. Pro-tip: Dont try to see the whole thing in one day. Not only would this be physically very difficult, because of the square mileage, but also you will miss out on the mindfulness that accompanies venturing into this serene and historic landscape.

A DC urban oasis thats fun & informative. Oh yeh...& trees

Pretty paved walking path, wooded dirt trails, ponds with frogs, bonsai trees, open grassy areas, pretty columns, moving water feature to entertain kids, parking could be more plentiful.

Best place for one day picnic, keep note park close at sharp 5PM

Beautiful grounds with lots of walking trails. I like to see the azaleas blooming in the spring. There’s also an herb garden, a beautiful visitors center and some nesting eagles.

The US National Arboretum is truly my favorite garden in the DC area! Their bonsai collection is magnificent and the whole garden is a great place to go from Spring to Autumn to relax in nature!

Nice for a stroll or if you need some fresh air

Seems to have been designed with cars, more than pedestrians, in mind.Also, quite underwhelming given it’s the “national” arboretum. Far better-maintained ones exist across the country and in much smaller cities too.

Love the Bonsai Garden. Bring water, hat, lotion. Leave your dog at home and have a babysitter watch your young kids so you can spend some quality time alone.

Great place to get a way from the busyness of the city and spend some time amidst nature and trails. Great photo opportunities and roads for biking. Definitely try and come during fall when the leaves are changing color! Its a little bit of a drive but oh so worth it!

Make sure to check out the bonsai tree museum, dont worry about the high number of bees in the spring almost all are the kind that cant sting. Magnolia trees are magnificent when in bloom, and its a quieter place to catch DCs famous cherry blossoms, though expect small crowds on weekends in high season. I biked in from West Virginia Avenue, but seems like some drivers taking the R street entrance had to wait a while. Make sure to bring food and water if you plan to bike or walk the whole gardens! There are no refreshments in the grounds, but quite a few places that would be great for picnics!

Beautiful 1,400 acres of gardens and park. Great place to spend the day walking.

Lots of open space and beauty in an often overlooked part of DC.

I visited in February, before you usually get leaves or blossoms, but it was still awesome. I can only imagine how lush this place must be when its not winter. Still, the lack of crowds gives a relaxed, meditative feel. Looks like plenty of parking and options for self guided tours. I especially recommend the bonsai exhibits.

Great place to walk and rest. Huge! (which is an advantage to me)

Relaxing place to read. --not very busy. Nice to get outside during the pandemic.

Beautiful and well kept. There was a grass exhibit which I thought was really cool. Of course, my friends loved the expansive bonsai exhibit. There were multiple exhibits to see, but it is an expansive park. If you have difficulty standing too long, Id recommend you bring an assistive device.

This is a beautiful and serene location. I found the columns to be in the center of ample parking and ample trails.

Such a pretty spot! It’s really huge! There’s a lot to explore and everything is really immaculate. It’s a great spot for a picnic, dog walk or lawn games. There’s also the Bonsai museum here as well that’s incredible. Definitely worth a stop!If you don’t want to drive they also have bikes at the entrance that you can rent to ride through!

There are many parking lots and good attractions. Good for kids and grown ups ;)

A beautiful, serene place to walk. The old Capitol columns are cool to see and make for great photo backgrounds.

The National Arboretum is one of my most favorite places to go. Most people don’t even know what an arboretum is its a park / gardens of trees. I’ve visited here in the fall and spring most of the time during my stay in Maryland for business. I live in Florida where everything is lush all the time and you see nature’s burst of colors is absolutely amazing from Winter to Spring. There are so many different flowering trees here from white to pinks to red purple it is truly a beautiful place for the soul. There’s also a wonderful bonsai exhibit where some of the trees are hundreds of years old it is truly a gem of DC.

I loved this because it is a part of American history and it looked pretty awesome. We went site seeing to several locations that day.

Beautiful place to escape the city for a little while! We thoroughly enjoyed walking around the gardens and identifying all the different kinds of plants. There is also the columns from the Capitol building before they remodeled, which is a neat addition to the gardens. The bonsai sanctuary was particularly interesting to us. Don’t be afraid of the wasps near the bonsais! There are signs telling you the wasps are called cicada killers and they don’t have stingers/won’t sting. We plan to come back to see all the pretty flowers this spring!

Very beautiful place to have a picnic and take a safe walk. Highly recommended.

Great place to be OUTSIDE! Make sure you check the new Covid hours.

Great place to visit, even if some of the buildings are closed due to COVID-19 precautions. Lots of lovely spots to just sit and have a peaceful moment or two.

If you like bonsai you should go. The outdoor exhibit was /is closed during the cold season. Arrangements and genus are fascinating. Someone there to share your interest at all times.

Whats more to say? The pictures say it all. This is a beautiful place especially in ore-Spring with everything just starting to bloom. There are miles and miles of trails, everything from herbs to ferns. Bike ride, walk, but find a parking place and get out and enjoy.

Not a lot of people go the the arboretum! Its a great place for hikes!

Great place for family walks at any time of year.

The place is beautiful and huge.. Enjoyed taking photos and walking around the columns and good hikeMany nice garden are located in the Arboretum.Make sure to see the 200 years old tree

One of DCs hidden treasures. Go see it if you get the chance.

This was a beautiful place with lots of plants.My children and I loved going there and plan on going again! I would highly recommend this place!

A wonderful place to ride bikes, picnic, walk, or just park and enjoy the view.

Beautiful grounds. Lots of shade for running, biking or walking and lots of open space! The columns are pretty cool to look at and are randomly placed in this park. The park itself is kind of hilly which makes running challenging but rewarding. Definitely one of the more peaceful and unique spots I’ve been to in DC since I moved here.

A little hard to find, but worth the trouble. Fantastic collection of native, foreign, wild, and intentionally bred plants. Good signage once you are in the arboretum. Clean & welcoming visitor center with bathrooms. For those a little less mobile, the opportunity to drive to different exhibits versus walk is nice. You can also bike and bring dogs along.On a personal note, I appreciated the haphazard display of crop plants and herbs. Its nice to provide the public an opportunity to see that what we eat comes from nature.

My wife loves flowers and nature. So we spent the morning looking at herbs and bonsai trees. Then we had a picnic on the grass. She absolutely loved it.

Everyone that works there are amazing, flowers were still blooming, must do in the spring

I cant wait to come back to see this place during the summer when everything is growing out and blooming! Still a great location to go for a jog or bike since the weather has been tremendous this winter for outdoors activities

Beautiful venue. Must return to study the many trees and the herb garden. Simply breathtaking!

One of my favorite spots in DC. Anytime of the year. There are ~10 miles of trails where you can run (pavement and on dirt combined). The bonsai museum is a must-see and always brings me a sense of peace when I visit. If you want to explore the rest of the park, I recommend bringing your bike or driving (parking is available in many areas within the arboretum). From the Asia section, you can even walk down to the Anacostia River and have a picnic. You might even spot a bald eagle here as there are designated nests.

A huge green oasis in the middle of Northeast DC. Check out the koi pond, it finally has fish in it again!

This used to be amazing place. I understand limiting certain places here, but its very disappointing that they also shut down all of the out door gardens. Dont expect anything but the columns until further notice is given.

A beautiful location to see a variety of botany and vegetation, with plenty of wide open spaces to roam. Note that it is a large area and can be slightly confusing to navigate. You can tour it in a car, or on foot if you are up for plenty of walking.