Fullerton Arboretum

This is hands-​down the best thing in Fullerton. It’s like a big-​ass zoo for plants… thousands of species from all over the world, but not a cage in sight.
It’s pronounced «ARE — BOAR — EAT — UM»

The arboretum has got it all, every natural habitat you can think of, including classes for horticulture and garden fresh spices. It reminds me a lot of the garden at the OC fair grounds with its manicured setting. What sets it apart is how each different setting is cultivated, you can feel the temperature change, and it does this in such a focused area, it’s really incredible. There’s also a pretty impressive man-​made waterfall. This park is a great accomplishment.

Came here for the plant sale. Lots of vendors and we found a bunch of plants that you typically don’t see at the nurseries that we go to. I’d recommend you come check out the plants and then walk around in the arboretum.

What a cool place! I had no idea that Cal State Fullerton has this little gem right on campus. They have a couple of different areas, and I wish we had taken the time to visit them all. However, the bonsai garden was pretty awesome!

Fun adventure for the kids. So many beautiful flowers and cool looking trees. The whole family loved it. We will be back again.

Celebrating my son BJ graduation I’m a proud mama and a beautiful place to be, it has beautiful flowers and A very relaxing place to enjoy.

We love taking a stroll at the Fullerton Arboretum!
It depends when you go but some seasons are brighter with flowers while others are a bit more empty

This review is for the «Concert at the Lake» held at the South Lake, performed by the CSUF brass ensemble.
Pros: The arboretum was nice enough, we saw baby ducks with their mom, more ducks, roided out squirrels that come up to you, staring at you for food, the one koi fish we saw was huge, many butterflies.
Cons: We paid $ 20 for each ticket for a show that was supposed to be 2 hours (it lasted less than 45 minutes), «refreshments» that was basically WATER, which they called «wild water»?? filled with plants. Seriously, there are soccer practices with better snacks (chips and soda), on top of that the seats were set up in the sun so the handful of guests that were there were sweating, fanning themselves, and eventually moving to the shade off to the side.
You could tell they just threw the whole thing together sloppily and didn’t even bother giving a good show for the concert goers. I mean, how is 40minutes of playing = 2 hours?
And not to be mean but the music students should continue practicing because they honestly sucked and were not at a level to perform in front of people at all.
The arboretum is worth about a $ 3 donation (but when are they going to clean that filthy pond??) otherwise, don’t bother spending money for tickets to any of their «concert» scams. Besides the few senior citizens, there were about 2 – 3 other couples that got scammed as well thinking this was going to be a lovely music concert by the lake and you could tell they were disappointed. The arboretum is pleasant but not worth the money i paid for the «concert».

I give it a four because they close way too early at 4:30 p.m. that is a good starting time to take pictures.
It has mature cactus garden with many variety and I truly enjoy walking in there. Small but simply refreshing.

I came here on a whim and didn’t expect to not have enough time! I spent an hour here and thought it was much smaller until I kept going off on side trails. There are palms and trees similar to those on hikes that shade you from the sun. Then you keep walking and there’s a stream and lake. A few minutes later, you’re by a Bodhi tree, planted for the Dalai Lama. Then, I stumbled upon the motherload — the cacti and succulents reminded me of Arizona and I was away from the bustle of the campus. The rose garden has roses of all colors and I literally stopped and smelled the roses by the Heritage House that is still being repainted and restored.
This is a great walk, a great place to relax and not too packed with college students. There are open green spaces and tons of benches so I’m shocked by the lack of people! Those college kids have no idea what they’re missing out on.

Beautiful day, beautiful flowers, plants, trees, grounds, water features. Spring is a great time at the Arboretum and so is summer and fall, but Spring is special. The have the plant sale!
This year I think it is called «Veggiepalooza» and it was a really good way to pick up things to grow (and eat!) in your garden and a good price and support them. The volunteers were really nice and helpful and we just enjoyed walking around and looking. We didn’t buy (our yard doesn’t have space for growing) but other people wheeled out lots of plants in borrowed wagons that the Arboretum will let you use to get your purchases loaded in your vehicle.
Even if you don’t want to go to buy veggies to grow, it’s a neat place in the heart of north OC to wander.

An Urban Getaway that’s not big situated next to CSUF. (Ironically, when I was here for grad school, I never came here) Parking is free in the gravel lot. So what can you expect? Different sections including desert section with dry tolerant plants like cactus, children’s area with a smelling section (look for the chocolate plant that was planted by girlscouts), a pond with turtles and fish, also look for a big tree there where kids can try climbing. Just don’t fall.
Just off the kids area I think is a shed that has a guide who sells cold bottled water $ 1 and some snacks. Outside of the shed is some clippings and seeds for sale. Buy some, so you can help keep this place on going for later generations. Donation and volunteers is needed here. So if you have the time or money, you can make a difference.
Almost every bench will capture some shade, otherwise it’s very hot here if you decide to come in the afternoon. You can quickly finish this place in about 30 minutes or just leisurely stroll through in about an hour. There is a bathroom close to the entrance. There are educational tours always ongoing for school students so there’s a chance you might have to keep your voice down.

Wasn’t sure what an arboretum even was. Sounds like it’s a part of an earlobe or an anus. But when I found out our co-​workers and I were going to the arboretum, I was fairly certain it was not my anus. But I got lube just in case.
We got there around 11am, and I am delighted to report that the arboretum is quite the opposite of my anus. The park is a well-​manicured nice place to be that smells of flowers.
«OC’s largest botanical garden» reminded me of a number of things:
The historical Heritage House and huge plot of well-​landscaped land reminded me of Rancho Los Cerritos or Rancho Long Beach, but way less ranchy. Unless you are at a lizard ranch. I saw so many lizards at the Arboretum that I almost changed auto insurance.
The tranquility, koi fish in the pond, and the looming adjacent university reminded me of my alma mater’s Earl Miller Japanese Garden, though far less cultural, compact, precise, or Japanesey? Japannish? Japanoramic? Anyway…
More closely, the signage and turtle presence reminded me of Long Beach Nature Center, lush and shady. And it’s $ 31 cheaper than Huntington Library.
In short (too late): it’s a small, free version of Huntington Library with the history of a rancho, tranquility of a Japanese garden, the educational value of a nature center, and the latin name of a body part.

My husband and I truly enjoyed our evening Sweetheart Stroll on Valentine’s Day. It was the arboretum’s first event of this kind, and judging by the attendance, I suspect they will do it again.
Lighted pathways made for an easy walk through the different planting areas – it was surprising how many plants were identifiable in the dim light, either by their silhouette or their smell! You felt like you were on a little adventure in the woods, going from areas that were warm from the dense plantings to other spots that gave off a distinct chill in the evening air.
The cost was $ 5 each for the special event, but there is no charge to visit during regular hours. It’s a super place to visit for people of any age – even if you’re not into gardening or plant identification. It’s SO cool to just be in that environment.
A bonus for us was hearing the «tink» of aluminum bats from BP at the sports facility next door.
I can’t wait to go back during the day!

After several years, I finally had the privilege of visiting the Fullerton Arboretum. It was larger than I expected and offered so much beauty and tranquility.
They have select plant life, interspersed with dirt trails, rocks, a pond, Children’s Garden, and more. A great place for a picnic, engagement or wedding photos, and more.

A wonderful place to spend a sunny afternoon. I never knew there was an arboretum tucked away behind Cal State Fullerton. The arboretum is 26 acres with many walking trails, gardens, benches, a tiny lake and thousands of plants.
There is so much to see here. I took my mama here on a lovely weekday afternoon and I even saw many students bring their laptops to come study here. There are tons of benches to sit on and plants everywhere you turn. I would definitely recommend!
The arboretum is located right next to Cal State Fullerton softball fields right off the 57 freeway. There is a small free unpaved parking lot. Be careful not to park on the street because they require a campus permit!

I always wanted to come to visit this place so finally I did. It’s a botanical garden mostly of trees, plants, cactus and other interesting plants. If you really like the nature its a good place to feel peaceful and tranquil when there are benches through the garden even by the lake and near the yellow house. There aren’t very many colorful flowers mostly wildflowers if you see any throughout the arboretum.
The Potting Shred is where you can buy lots of different organic herbs or veggies of different species to acquire that veggie herbal garden you like to consume delicious home grown food to enjoy for all your meals. This is a nice place to explore on a nice day when its not too warm.

Peaceful and Beautiful are the best way I can describe this place.
Located right next to Cal State Fullerton’s baseball stadium. The parking is not paved. Dirt road parking (no lines), but there’s plenty of space to park.
Once you enter, you’re transported to another world. A small waterfall near the entrance opens up the place and green everywhere.
I love the benches they have all over the place. In shaded areas, hidden pathways, all over. It’s a nice way to just soak up the beauty of this place.
FYI: coming here is Free. But they do ask for donations by the entrance and they suggest $ 5 per person. I think that is very reasonable.
If you’re looking to regenerate and relax, this is the place to go. It’s BEAUTIFUL here.
2015 Review #120

This is for Veggiepalooza.
I bought a few varieties of watermelons, tomatoes, gourds and more. The ones I didn’t kill during a heatwave have been growing fantastically, including Hillbilly, Blue and Gold, and Tulsa Black tomatoes, Sun and Stars yellow watermelon, yellow crookneck squash, basil and chamomile.
The prices were fair for all the heirloom varieties and it goes to a good cause.

The Fullerton Arboretum is the same beautiful place that I went to when I was a CSUF student over 20 years ago. My son got to see this lovely property for the first time yesterday!
We started at the Heritage House. Owned by the Clark family (the dad was a well known physician), the Victorian house really gives you a sense of how life was lived during the early 1900’s. The house (built in 1894) has some of the actual items that the family once owned. We ended up doing a quick tour of the house which was fun because the women who led the tour were so knowledgeable and interesting.
There are so many beautiful trees and plants here! Markers throughout the Arboretum tell which plants and trees are seen here. Our favorite trees were the lovely Redwoods and some of the fruit trees. The rose gardens are really pretty here too. There’s even a cute little pond and a stream on the property. There are also plenty of benches to sit and relax on as well. We also look forward to seeing The Potting Shed when it’s open.
There’s also a museum at the Arboretum. My son was disappointed because it wasn’t open yesterday (we were there during the hours when it’s supposed to be open). We both wondered if the museum was available by appointment only. We’ll definitely call and check ahead next time. We’d also like to see The Potting Shed when it’s open!
For a nice, truly relaxing way to spend the afternoon, the Fullerton Arboretum is worth the trip! We’re looking forward to coming back with a picnic lunch or getting the chance to see that museum on our next visit!