Matthaei Botanical Gardens
1800 N. Dixboro Rd. Ann Arbor, MI 48105 – Map
Tues – Sun 10am-4:30pm | Wed 10am-8:00pm | Closed Mondays
Matthaei Botanical Gardens has something for everyone: Outdoor garden spaces featuring bonsai, native plants, and perennials, a garden created just for kids, nearly 3 miles of trails, and an indoor conservatory filled with plants from around the world.
Nichols Arboretum
1610 Washington Heights, Ann Arbor – Map
Daily 8am-8pm
As you explore Nichols Arboretum you’ll find one of the richest landscapes in the region, including vast panoramas, broad valleys, and intimate dales and glens.
Nature Play Pop Ups
The Gaffield Children’s Garden at Matthaei Botanical Gardens is hosting weekly hands-on Nature Play Pop-ups for fall 2023. Young children will have hands-on fun while taking a closer look at nature, and parents will leave with easy ideas to encourage creative nature play at home.
Field Trips
We offer amazing opportunities for classroom groups to visit Matthaei in-person or virtually. Our field trips are easy to schedule, interactive, and fun.
Get to Know Michigan’s Bees
Discover the hidden world of Michigan’s native bees and their vital role in local ecosystems as we highlight their unique appearances, behaviors, and essential interactions with plants.
Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum is a transformative force for social and ecological resilience through the waters and lands we steward. We turn this commitment into action by:
- Positioning humans as active participants within the natural world and compelling the university community and our publics to negotiate the full complexity that entails
- Advancing partnerships, programs, user experience, and all that we steward to catalyze equity and justice in a radically changing world
- Emerging as University of Michigan’s premier partner for research, teaching, and public impact in sustainability, climate-forward practices, and biocultural diversity
- Promoting healthier communities, cultures, and ecosystems through active care and cultivation of the gardens, fields, natural habitats, and dynamic systems that sustain our world.
Learn more about our Strategic Plan at this link.
MBGNA News
Interview with Waasnodekwe – Northern Lights Woman
What is the significance of the Northern Lights for you and your tribe? For me, from the Anishinaabe perspective, the northern lights, Waasnoode, is a sacred act that we see that represents the word “waas” which is light and then part of it, “noode”, so it's to me...
Campus Farm experiments with composting stadium waste
Pilot project cultivates sustainability and experiential learning Compost from football games could be used to grow produce at the student-run Campus Farm, if a recent experiment goes well. This approach to managing the Michigan Stadium waste stream would capture...
Beavers settle in Fleming Creek
For the first time since the gardens were founded in 1907, beavers have made a home at Matthaei Botanical Gardens. Their dam and lodge can be seen from a trail near the Fleming Creek Overlook. “I first noticed the signs during a staff walking event on November 1st,”...
Rebirth After the Storm: Restoring Nichols Arboretum with Native Oaks
In late August, a fierce storm took its toll on Nichols Arboretum, and over a hundred mature trees were brought down from high winds and rain. Yet, within this chaos, we have found an opportunity for renewal, staying true to our commitment to promote environmental and...
Preserving Nichols Arboretum: An Interview with Natural Areas Manager, Jeff Plakke
In late August 2023, Nichols Arboretum suffered significant storm damage resulting in the loss of over 150 mature trees. Jeff Plakke's journey with MBGNA began as an Arboretum intern in 2003. With over two decades of experience and dedication, Jeff now works as...
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