A peaceful and tranquil place inside UC santa cruz campus. A rich selection of plants and trees in a well maintained grounds. There are several benches and tables and nice pathways to spend several hours in the nature.

Love this place and its free first Tuesdays. Not your typical arboretum with a decidedly desert flair. New Zealand, Australian, South African, succulent/aroma, and California conservation gardens. Beautiful in their own right. Plenty of room to wander without being too big. Perfect for picnics. The future domes don’t do much but are cool looking. Plant and gift shop open limited hours. $5 admission and ample parking. Don’t miss your chance to ride the life-size slug or their plant sale!

Seeing the hummingbirds was my favorite. Also, the dinosaur tree. 😮 I forgot the real name. But definitely will recommend to check it out. We also met this guy name Ferd he is a volunteer. He told us about certain plants and trees. We also saw the bench he dedicated to his wife. He even has his own next to hers. Its truly beautiful. ❤️

A fascinating collection of plants from several Mediterranean ecoregions of the world: Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and coastal California. There is also an aroma garden, a succulent garden, a Pelargonium area, a California native garden, and a butterfly garden. Next to the gardens there is also a major conifer collection.One of the most interesting features is a group of geodesic domes containing three future gardens, with plant groupings repeating inside and out that are treated with varying watering regimes. The three experimental gardens are meant to represent possible future climatic conditions: extremely wet, extremely dry, and extremely oscillating. The plantings have been left mostly alone to observe which species survive, which die away, and which thrive. The plantings are repeated inside the domes and outside. Those inside are kept in a slightly warmer environment to stimulate warming temperatures. Its a very thoughtful experiment that has been underway for some decades.Anyway, lots to see at any time of year. As a naturalistic garden, this place draws an abundance of wildlife, such as hummingbirds, bees, butterflies, squirrels, lizards, hawks, and more.

Great place to walk around and check out a lot of really great agriculture! Tons of different species Ive never seen before. Much larger than I expected.

Great place to see unusual plants. Lots of hummingbirds &flowers.Be sure to hit the plant store & take one home.

I love this botanical garden. It was better than the high priced botanical gardens at Gold Gate Park. The grounds are beautiful, peaceful, makes you want to stay all day. My new favorite place.

An amazing place to explore, walk, and learn! The different areas (Australia, NZ and South Africa) are all interesting and well labeled with multiple path options, teaching you about the plants and environment along the way. Would be a great place for nature study with kids but is quiet enough for a contemplative walk on your own. Be sure to check out the hummingbird path!

The South African Protea-foward garden took me back, the succulent and the aromatics were a must see. The New Zealand garden was a little thin - needs more hobbits!

Four stars because I wish they had a more extensive nursery. Gorgeous plants, however.

Pleasant and interesting gardens with emphasis on South African flowering plants and desert southwest.

I visit frequently as they have a beautiful native Australian garden which reminds me of home.

I went for the first time with my sister and we loved it. The arboretum is pretty big, it could take a few 2+ hrs to walk through it if youre really into plants. The staff is really friendly. Be aware the plant shop is only open for curbside pickup!

I was here on 9/21/2020.There is no parking fee, and small fee to walk around the garden.It has clean and very sanitized bathroom, a lot of benches to sit, and picnic tables.They have few different gardens.I really like succulent garden, and Australia garden.They have one of the largest selections of Portea family from South Africa and Australia.They are so big and huge plants.Those flowers are super beautiful and still really healthy looking.Those flowers very special, they are a smile from heaven.I think I was a little late to enjoy those stunning flowers, but because of that I will come back again.

So many plants I have never seen before. Huge lot, cool place to take a stroll. The shop was closed when I was there so I didnt get a chance to check it out but I will be visiting again.

Fantastic walk around. Very informative staff. Animals seen throughout - coyote, quail, rabbits, other birds. What a selection of plants, flowers, and trees.

Disappointed. Almost no bloom, not what people expected from a garden. Very bare. Lots of weird trees, I did enjoy watching the hummingbirds but not worth the $10 ticket price. It’s an honor system, I only saw one other couple dropping cash into the pay box.

Incredibly beautiful and so diverse! My favorite was the Australian garden and the succulent garden. Could spend 3+ hours here and only see a fraction of the beauty.

You could spend 3-4 hours here! So much to see, for free! An absolute gem

The Arboretum is a self guiding tour of a variety of ecosystems found in California. One can walk from hillside desert vegetation to a variety of other flora within 50 metres. We had only half an hour to explore and the gift/information shop was already closed. We will return next time we are in the area to gladly pay the modest admission fee ($5) and explore for at least several hours.

Loved this place. Great place to spend few hours or days if you are really interested. We stopped by while were doing HWY 1. It was a quick stop for us but it was well worth it.

Honestly one of the best Arboretums I have been to. The fact that it is on a university campus makes it all the better. The Australian garden and New Zealand gardens are the best. If you come during butterfly season you can see them in the eucalyptus grove. The staff here is extremely friendly and very willing to help you with any of your needs.

Humming birds heaven!

My family and I loved it here! The trails are easy to follow and the plants are all marked for reference. You can take a guided tour or walk it alone. It was relaxing, had wonderful photo ops and was oh so pretty =)

A wonderful place for exotic and giant flowering plants of the Portea family from South Africa and Australia.

What a great place! They have an amazing collection of banksia trees, an intriguing climate-change test area, and plenty of other features. Definitely worth a visit.

Although I can attest to succulents ability to wait for a storm, Id like to see them after a few . Great gardens! Ill definitely be back in the Spring.

It is a very beautiful place, great to go for a walk and enjoy the outdoors without having to worry about being lost. The plants are gorgeous and the wild bunnies are abundant. There is also an adorable cat who greets people when they walk by the office. It is somewhere I will definitely go out of my way to visit again anytime Im near Santa Cruz.

Great place for a hike. Lots of wildlife. Great birding, especially hummingbirds.

Wonderful place, if you have free 1 hour at Santa Cruz-stop by for relaxing time. Well done.

Way more expansive than I knew! Very cool to see horticulture from New Zealand and South Africa and Australia and of course California natives.

If you like plants then its pretty interesting. Otherwise its a little bare and very little pretty things you would normal expect at a garden.

I love plants. Took my horticulture class here and got a world class tour of Mediterranean biomes. A must-see! No excuses!

Amazing. So beautiful. Great place to wander, walk/talk with friends, picnic with littles, etc. Lots of special benches, and sometimes picnic tables, tucked away in your own little private area. Just choose where in the world you want to go, Australia, Africa, New Zealand.. Favorite is the succulent garden, aroma garden, and hummingbird paths. See a bunny almost every visit.

What a gem! Beutiful spot for an easy walk. You can spend anything between 15 mins to let the kids run around to a couple of hours walking the smaller paths. Lots of plants and beutiful trails.

People were very nice, quite informative, I enjoyed the evening very much

A relaxing change of scenery from redwoods and beach and city. Take a stroll, read the informational signs or just enjoy photography.

Great place to visit for plants from Aus, New Zealand and other places. Nice location.

Great picnic location a real hidden gem...

Wonderful meandering pathways. Deer, bunnies, lizards, hummingbirds and peculiar plants

What a beautiful and interesting gem in Santa Cruz. Our family visited these lush grounds over the holidays, and all four generations enjoyed the day.

Excellent place!!! So much Flora and natural landscapes.

Hidden gem of Santa Cruz! Must see for everyone. We will definitely come again, super nice arboretum ❤

Poorly maintained place. Confusing signs. Not worth your time

Amazing place. You should visit.

Nice arboretum, $5 per person is very reasonable. Saw lots of hummingbirds. Even on a beautiful Sunday afternoon it was so quiet.

Nice garden to visit. Not much crowd and lot of plants and birds to see. I was there to check out the migratory hummingbirds. Pay the fee online and enjoy your visit.

Great collection of unique plants, plus some interesting artwork.

So disappointed. Unkept, weeds everywhere, missing name tags. Plants didnt look well cared for. Wouldnt recommend. Maybe with covid-19 no has taken care of this this place. We always make the best of every situation so we still enjoyed our time.

I like that they separated the plants by country. Great that they label each plant. There are nice benches throughout. Bathrooms available.

Best to go in the mid winter. More blooms.

Spacious displays of plants from several world environments.

Awesome. Will visit again next year. Too much to get in just one visit.

Spent time with my daughter walking around. It was wonderful and not crowded

You can bring food and have a picnic, there are tables throughout the Australian section that are much nicer than the one table beside the parking lot.

The place is huge and nicely maintained. Definitely worth a visit if you are into plants

Nice

Sustainable Urban Food Initiative

Very beautiful to walk through, and hasnt been crowded.

Quiet, peaceful and lovely. Not crowded and masks are required

More of a walking tour than a greenhouse. There are several easy flat walking paths. The temperature is usually arid and hot, and there are not many facilities for water so bring your own. Some of the terrain is rough rocks and might not be accessible to everyone.The garden is split into several large sections like a zoo that represent different climates. Each section is large enough that you will be unlikely to see another person.There is also plentiful wildlife, during my visit I saw lizards, various birds, deer and lots of rabbits.

Beautiful gardens, plants from around the world and hummingbirds everywhere (especially African area). Quiet and peaceful especially on weekdays. Easy walking, mostly flat paths, many paved with plenty of shade.

Informational, Inspirational, Commune with nature & plants from all over the world, while never leaving the area. Great place for peace & quiet. $5 Entry; plenty of easy parking; wonderful gift shop for take- home memorials.

Georgous designs.

Wonderful gardens and walking area.

Beautiful gardens covering multiple regions of the world with similar climates. Has information regarding the research being done there too which was interesting. Highly recommend!

There is a great collection of plants from several places in the world with climates similar to Santa Cruz. There is a nice gift shop with plants.

Simply beautiful! A place to Meditate and to relax with family and friends. 🌷🌷

...its simple but beautiful!

Dont skip walking into/under the redwood grove canopy.

Lots to see. Easy to walk paths, but several spots in need of repair. Signage good on the foliage, but markings for trails could be better. Really liked the Butterfly Garden and Succulent Garden.

Beautiful garden with wonderful exotic plants from Australia, New Zealand and Africa. Full of hummingbirds and a few secrets to explore ;)

Great place to relax and enjoy a family day.

Beautiful. Loved the aroma garden.

A great place to take a walk through

Beautiful place to relax. Hummingbirds.

Nice strolling grounds, lots of birds and birders

Lovely! A different experience every time. You can see rabbits here as well as deer and a wide selection of hummingbirds and supposedly even bobcats and mountain lions.

Pleasant and attractive gardens.

Wonderful place to visit and learn. Great exhibition of Australian, South African and Californian plants. Nice easy walk with an experience docent guiding the tours. Go check it out!

I love this place and have enjoyed witnessing plants I have never seen, however, I find it to be quite ironic when the values of Santa Cruz as a whole are taken into account. Amidst all the attempts to restore native plants in the area, the extreme floral diversity here is not contained (nor is it truly containable) and is diffusing all types of non-native pollen in the air. Minus 1 star for that reason

Last time I was here I saw a bobcat!

I read that on average visitors spend half an hour here. I cant think thats right. We spent 4 hours there in upper 90s heat yesterday and still didnt see it all. There are plenty of nice wooden benches placed around for resting, observing birds, butterflies and just enjoying the place. Yes, the gift shop is nice and has a really nice selection of live plants, but I wouldnt list it as the highlight. In fact, I cant easily pick a favorite featured area. Anyone who loves our local unique climate should enjoy learning of the other places on the globe that share the same.Admission is very reasonable. Generalized map available paper or download to your phone. I would like a more detailed map because it easy to miss some of the many trails. I cant wait for cool weather to go mill around on an overcast day.Right now highlights are the scent garden (sages rule!), cactus and succulents.

Wow- what a great place to visit! I went to Santa Cruz to see Henry Cowell Redwoods park and wondered what else was in the area. I saw on Maps that UCSC had an Arboretum, open to the public, so went. So many neat plants, from the other world places with a Mediterranean climate. The Australian garden, the South African, the New Zealand, all were superb. Well worth the $5 parking fee. If you find yourself in Santa Cruz, definitely make the visit!

A wonderful place for a peaceful picnic

Very beautiful and inspiring garden. We can feel the care and passion of the team that works there. Thank you for this great experience!

Worth visiting for the white hummingbird, but otherwise felt unkempt and lacklustre

Plant lovers paradise, lots of mostly natural looking areas with some more formal gardens as well. Great gift shop with cool plants from around the world that you prob arent going to find at a regular nursery.

Such a sweet garden with such a cool concept! Love the different areas of the world, really makes me feel like Im traveling from place to place as I walk through the garden and smell the fresh air.

Hummingbird season is amazing!

Amazing collection of trees from all over. Absolutely worth a visit if you appreciate nature at all. Australian, South African and New Zealand themed gardens full of birds and butterflies.

We enjoy the peace and quiet here. Weve yet to experience crowds which is always a plus. The array of plant life and the various insects and lizards is diverse and interesting. The gift shop closes promptly so if you want a souvenir its helpful to arrive early. We especially enjoy the redwood grove at the back of the arboreteum. Well be back again soon....

Great place to visit. A must see when in the area. Very unique plant types you will only see here. Do it. Do not hesitate.

Nice plants!

Very Zen. Easy to wonder without coming across many other people. If you want to talk to a gardener, they are easy enough to find, but they leave you be.

This is a most invigorating place for kids and adults alike. My son comes alive, exploring here, and I find it peaceful and beautiful. We all enjoy strolling or running through the different gardens and pretending we are in different countries!

Loved the hummingbirds!

A wonderful place to walk the paths and explore! So many beautiful plants from around the world, and so many humming birds. Very peaceful. The people who work there are great too, very obvious they love what they do.

The Arboretum is gorgeous, with plenty of picnic benches in paradise begging for a lunch date. The plant prices in the shop are reasonable, and the front desk service is always friendly and helpful. My wife got us an annual family pass after going through it once, and we look forward to coming back again soon.

Just a beautiful place to enjoy and learn. Just dont go when its hot..