Minnesota Landscape Arboretum
Display gardens, tree collections, prairie, woods, research plots, sculpture, and a three-mile drive make this university arboretum a full landscape rather than a flower stop.
Artwork inspired by Josephine Lutz Rollins
The Arboretum’s collections answer practical Minnesota questions: which trees endure winter, how cultivars differ, what supports pollinators, and how design changes across slope, soil, shade, and water. Labels and research links make beauty useful.
The grounds are too large for casual wandering without a plan. Choose the central gardens, Three-Mile Walk or Drive, prairie and farm, or a seasonal collection such as lilacs and crabapples. Timed entry and special-event traffic can alter access, especially during bloom and winter lights.
- Area
- 1,200+ acres
- Operator
- University of Minnesota
- Collection
- Northern-hardy plants
Quick guide
- First choice
- Choose gardens, woody collections, or restored prairie
- Research lens
- Notice which plants genuinely survive Minnesota winters
Choose one plant question and follow it across the landscape
- Start with
- Use Three-Mile Drive for orientation, then leave the car to experience plantings at walking speed.
- Look closely at
- In the Harrison Sculpture Garden, test how scale and sightlines change as art meets open landscape.
- Connect the story
- Seek northern-hardy collections to understand which ornamental plants can actually withstand Minnesota conditions.
- Plan around
- Check seasonal road, tram, and building access because the large grounds cannot be covered efficiently on foot alone.
Good to know
The entrance reservation controls vehicle arrival, not just a building ticket; popular bloom weekends can sell out.
Notice these
- Three-Mile Drive
- Harrison Sculpture Garden
- Northern-hardy plant collections