Adkins Arboretum
Director: Ellie Altman
Location: 12610 Eveland Rd, Ridgely, MD 21660
Driving Time: About 40 minutes.
Directions from WC
Take 213 South to Church Hill (7 miles), make a left onto Rt. 300/ Sudlersville Rd. Make a right on Main St/ 19, than turn left onto Walnut St (still Rt 19). Follow 19 for a mile than turn right onto Station Rd/ 405, which you will follow for an additional two miles before intersecting with 301 South. Make a right onto 301 and stay on it for 6 miles. Next, turn left onto 304/ Ruthsburg Rd. Follow 304 for four miles, than turn right onto Damsontown RD/ 481. Stay on 481 for two miles, than turn left onto Crouse Mill Rd. At this point you will have seen several signs for Tuckahoe State Park and Adkins Arboretum, and can follow these. From Crouse Mill Rd continue past the pond and turn right onto Eveland Rd, the Arboretum is about a half mile on the right.
A Brief History of Adkins Arboretum
Adkins Arboretum was originally slated in 1972 to be the Maryland state arboretum on the grounds of Tuckahoe State Park, a 4,000-acre park bordered by Tuckahoe Creek in Caroline County. In 1980, the Arboretum opened with a donation from its benefactor, Leon Andrus, a native of Queen Anne's County. The Arboretum was founded with the mission of displaying all of the forest types of Maryland. By the late 1990s, with a new mission in place to display and study the indigenous plant communities of the Delmarva Peninsula, the Friends of Adkins Arboretum proposed to the state that they manage the Arboretum. A public/private partnership was made official in 1998 with the state granting a 50-year lease to the Friends of Adkins Arboretum. Today the Arboretum is self-supporting, receiving grants from federal and state agencies and from private foundations, as well as donations from members and friends and income from program fees, and gift shop and plant sales.
Sites of Interest at the Arboretum
- 400 acres of land with a variety of habitats and wildlife.
- 4 miles of paths including a self-guided nature walk through hardwood forests.
- Examples of native landscaping and ecosystems.
- 6 art exhibits per year, with a competition for local artists in January.
- An environmental film festival in the spring.
- Auditorium/ classroom space, can provide a/v, lunch, and lectures.
- Opportunities for funded research and internships.
Cost: $3 per head to enter the Arboretum, lecture space and lunch available on request at additional cost
Hours: 10-4 PM daily (except major holidays)
Art
- A variety of art exhibitions throughout the year, including both 2D and 3D art.
- An opportunity to work with the Arboretum to create multimedia resources such as their popular audio tour.
- An annual art competition, with a moneyed prize and exhibition opportunities.
- An expanse of scenic landscapes and flora for field sketching, painting, and photography.
Creative Writing
- Offer workshops on journaling and poetry.
- Scenic landscapes and gardens provide inspiration for observational writing, travel writing, poetry, etc.
Political Science
- A full-time Environmental Education Coordinator can provide lectures on environmental policy and government conservation practices.
Science/ Environmental Studies
- A variety of habitats including mature upland and bottomland hardwood forests, pine forests, meadows, wetlands, and streams. The meadows serve as habitat for a variety of birds, turkeys, foxes, deer, and other native animals, while the wetlands contain turtles, fish, frogs and many species of birds.
- A native plant garden and a dedication to education about native landscaping.
- An Environmental Education coordinator who can provide lectures on environmental policy, restoration, and conservation efforts.
- Provide internships and research funding for undergraduate studies in environmental science and horticulture, as well as a docent training program.
Additional Attractions
- Audio tour of grounds and trails that go into Tuckahoe State Park. Guided tours for groups can be arranged to specific interests.
- Classes and guided tours during the year, including journaling and poetry classes, plant identification, land conservation, ecology, native landscaping, plant propagation, planting buffers, and nature-related arts and crafts.
- Open for volunteers in a number of capacities, including planting, garden and grounds maintenance, and participation in educational programs. Also have openings for summer internships in environmental science and public horticulture.