Featuring Custom Murals, Peacocks, Plantings and Plenty of Shade
Summer at the Arboretum kicks off on June 1 and continues to August 14. It will feature music, food, custom mural art and family fun in the 66-acre Dallas garden. A highlight, carried over from Dallas Blooms, includes a massive pair of 13-foot-tall floral peacocks featuring ornately planted tails measuring more than 36 feet across.
From June 4 to 9, the Dallas Arboretum will feature local mural artists Alli Koch, MOM, Will Heron and Favio Moreno as they create custom Birds in Paradise-inspired works. In the Lakeside Exhibit Area, these artists will be painting custom garden-inspired murals on massive outdoor canvases.
You are invited to an exclusive “Meet the Artists” night in the garden on July 26. The topiaries remain through August 7, and the completed murals through August 14. In June, the garden will display more than 50,000 new plantings with impatiens, lobelias, begonias, salvia, marigolds, zinnias, caladiums, lantana, vinca, and pentas.
There will also be 300 tropical elephant ears and 500 cannas creating the garden’s signature summer look. In addition, each week will feature free live music, seasonal food demonstrations in A Tasteful Place and fun family activities such as Bubble Picnics and special Movie Mondays, Dallas Zoo animals, Lucas Miller the Singing Zoologist and Window to the Wild. There are also live bands performing every weekend.
To complement the peacocks, the Dallas Arboretum will conduct bird-centric programming featuring guided hikes, expert talks, live bird demonstrations and petting zoos all summer long.
For a complete list of dates, visit On Family Fun Weekends. Activities include face painting, petting zoo, photos and more. Frozen Fridays also feature cool frozen treats from local shops for purchase. Holiday weekend events include face painting, petting zoo, party bands and vendor markets.
Father’s Day and Juneteenth Weekend Events
Jim Ryan, Dallas Arboretum board chairman, said, “Summer at the Arboretum is a wonderful time to visit as the garden is lush and cool in the shade. We have created even more shaded areas for you to enjoy, and July and August are affordable options for families.”
Don’t miss an opening weekend full of events to celebrate Father’s Day and Juneteenth, including a curated photographic exhibition by local photographer Don Thomas II, who was recently featured on WFAA-TV and in D Magazine. Admission in July is $5 per person ages 2 and up.
Entrance is free to Rory Meyers Children’s Adventure Garden on the weekends of June 18-20 and July 2-4, thanks to a generous donation from the Kelley Family. Parking is $11. Reservations are required and need to be made online at DallasArboretum.org in advance.
$5 July Admission and August is only $3
August Dollar Days return at $3 per person ages 2 and up. Admission to the Rory Meyers Children’s Adventure Garden is an additional $3 per person.
New shaded structures:
- Jeanne’s Pavilion along the Paseo near the entrance to the concert lawn is a perfect place to stop and rest under fans and heating bars; and on Saturdays and Sundays from 12 to 2 p.m. from now to November, a pianist performs for those picnicking on the lawn or strolling by the site.
- Nancy’s Knoll has two-level areas overlooking the concert lawn. During the day, visitors can enjoy picnics or rest under the trees here.
- The Richard Grant Octagonal Fountain Courtyard provides more seating around the original fountain belonging to the DeGolyer family. But now the horticulture has been reinterpreted, making it a garden highlight.
Advanced timed tickets are required for entry to the Arboretum by calling 214-515-6615 or visiting: www.dallasarboretum.org/
