matthaei botanical gardens & nichols arboretum

If you would like to find a quiet refuge.for a few hours - you couldn't find a more suitable place. Wander the paths, take your kids to the kid- friendly trail or enjoy the truly splendid enclosed botanical garden. There is a really thoughtful shop to find a special present to take with you or a waiting at home child.

I just love this place. Clean, beautiful trails and full of Birds (it has maximum number of Birds reported when compared with any place in the whole Washtenaw county)The Huron river flows through the edge of this park and is really nice to be there.

Matthaei Botanical Gardens is small but nice for a town as small as Ann Arbor. Nichols Arboretum is a good place for a walk on a nice day.

The koi pond was definitely my favorite part, but I also enjoyed all the desert-related plants off towards the back. I would definitely go back again.

My wife and I visit a lot of botanical gardens in our travels. This is well worth the trip if you like that kind of stuff. Indoor settings, outdoor gardens, and a quiet walk along a brook.

The gardens and the arboretum are beautiful! There are walking paths for a nice stroll, and the gardens are beautiful in Spring and Summer. The arboretum has a wide variety of plants and exhibits. They hold plant swaps and flower exhibits, as well as seed exchanges.

My fiance and I took our engagement photos at the indoor part of the Botanical gardens. It was wonderfully warm and humid with lots of greenery, exotic smelling plants and flowers. We enjoyed our time there and our pictures turned out beautifully.

One of my favorite places to visit in Ann Arbor! Mathai Botanical Gardens has a large greenhouse and exotic flowers plants and fish indoors for all seasons and outdoors has a beautiful bonsai exhibit as well as a number of other gardens. My two year old son utterly loves coming here to see the gigantic goldfish. Parking is challenging but it's a small price to pay for such as a unique free place to go

I'm in love with Nichols Arboretum. Being that I'm a trail runner, I'm always looking for trails for running when I'm traveling. If one uses all the singletrack trails in the Arb, you can get do about a six mile run. You can run along the Huron River on one side. There are stairs, overlooks with views, and some great hills (my favorite). I can't wait to run here again.

We have visited The Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum on several occasions with our grandson. It is a spot we all enjoy. The various gardens display a variety of flora and provide interesting contrasts. It is a walk around space, so children can enjoy a certain amount of activity, within reason! Added bonus, the outdoor flora also provide habitat for a variety of fauna, especially birds, spring and fall. Additional plus according to our grandson is an available gift shop with a variety of options!

I'm not sure why these are listed together - I suppose they're operated by a single entity. The Botanical Gardens are northeast of Ann Arbor, and the Arboretum (or "The Arb" as we locals always call it) is in town on the east side. Both are great places to go spend an afternoon in a curated natural area, peaceful and pleasant. Matthaei also has a very nice conservatory.

Although my visit took place on a cold, blustery day, there was much warmth in the visit to these gardens. I was first impressed with the colorful mosaics decorating the entryway, then made my way in to the arboretum to enjoy the natural colors. The building is divided into climate-centered zones from arid with dozens of types of cacti to a handful of 45+ year bonsai. From there I ventured outside to do the blue trail, about 1.5-2 miles, again through a range of trees, bushes, and back to view the herb garden right outside the building. I would love to visit again in the summer but pleased to have had a pleasant afternoon in nature.

This is one of the few places I don't mind paying for parking.It is simply a wonderful place to spend a couple of hours enjoying the natural world. It has plants that are spectacular , nice trails and gardens. I only wish they leave the gardens open later in the fall.They close about 6 pm

it's always beautiful and peaceful. i especially liked the peony garden, but parking is always crowded and difficult.

The trails here are really nice - I do about 6 miles a week here. I've seen many deer early in the mornings. Go early to see the deer and enjoy the trails as peacefully as possible.