Each month we offer a variety of programs to inspire, teach and engage. All Connecticut College Arboretum programs are open to the public and many of our programs are free or available at a discounted rate with membership and for current Connecticut College students. Some programs require registration to confirm your spot. Email arbor@conncoll.edu if you need assistance.

Connecticut College is committed to maintaining a safe and healthy community. 

 

Free Guided Tours

Free guided at the Connecticut College Arboretum begin in May.

Tours start at 10 a.m. on the first and second Sunday of each month from May thru October.
Our free guided tours are open to the public and pre-registration is not required. 

Native Plant Collection (1st Sunday of the month)

Tours of the Native Plant Collection meet at the entrance gate to the Native Plant Collection located on Williams Street across from the Williams Street entrance to the Connecticut College main campus.

Upcoming Tour dates: September 7; October 5

Caroline Black Garden (2nd Sunday of the month)

Tours of the Caroline Black Garden meet at the entrance to the Caroline Black Garden located on behind the Vinal Cottage across Mohegan Avenue from the main entrance to the Connecticut College campus. Access to the parking area behind Vinal Cottage is located at 4 Winchester Avenue.

Upcoming Tour dates: September 14; October 12

*NEW THIS YEAR*

Campus Tree Collection (3rd Sunday of the month)

Learn about the incredible variety of native and landscape specimen trees planted throughout the main campus of Connecticut College. Tours of the Campus Tree Collection meet at the New London Hall Greenhouse (by the blue sculpture).

Upcoming Tour dates: September 21; October 19

  

2025 Fall Native Plant Sale

Shop our selection of native:

Trees
Shrubs
Vines
Perennial
Grasses

In addition to the plants available on pre-order, plants from members and local vendors will be available for sale on the pick-up dates.

Stop by to see what new & exciting native plants you can add to your garden!

Online Ordering now open
through Sunday, August 31!

 CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE ONLINE ORDERING SITE  
or visit nativeplantsale.weebly.com

Pick-up & Sale Dates/Times

Friday, September 12 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Saturday, September 13 10 a.m. to 12 noon

 

Pick-up & Sale Location

The Connecticut College Arboretum 
Arboretum center for education & research (Acer) at 33 Gallows Lane
New London CT 06320

 

Members-Only Preview Hour

Friday, September 12 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Members of The Connecticut College Arboretum & Wild Ones will be invited to shop the selection of member-donated & vendor plants 1-hour early!

Become a member of The Connecticut College Arboretum or Wild Ones today to enjoy this benefit!

  

 

Four Seasons at Burnham Brook Art Display at Waterford Public Library

On Display: Tuesday, September 2 through Tuesday, September 30  
Opening Reception: Wednesday, September 10 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
 
The show will include an informative display about Burnham Brook Preserve in East Haddam, CT, and Richard and Esther Goodwin, former stewards of this land. Dr. Goodwin also was instrumental in acquiring much of the Connecticut College Arboretum property and was a founder of The Nature Conservancy. The paintings will be hung to the left of the circulation desk. They were created by John Sargent for the offices of three conservation organizations housed at Burnham Brook Preserve. 

An opening reception will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. on Wednesday, September 10. Guests will be able to visit with the artist John Sargent and enjoy light refreshments.

The Waterford Public Library is located at 49 Rope Ferry Road in Waterford, CT 06385.

 

A painting depicting a woodland scene of the Burnham Brook Preserve in East Haddam, Connecticut, with four panels representing fall, winter, spring and summer. The picture includes birds, animals and figures of Dr. Richard Goodwin and his wife Esther who were stewards of the land.

 

 

Mamacoke Island Geology Walk

Sunday, October 5
2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
COST: $10 -or- FREE for members

Join Beverly Chomiak, Associate Professor of Geophysics, on a geology hike exploring the natural history of Mamacoke Island and the surrounding area. Registration required. This program will require hiking on a trail along uneven terrain of moderate difficulty and across the salt marsh which is typically muddy/wet
 
 
REGISTER HERE

 

22nd Annual Sound Lab Foundation Lecture Series

Telling Stories with Maps: Lessons from a Lifetime of Creating Place-based Narratives

Tuesday, October 7
4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.
After the lecture there will be a Q&A session followed by a reception in the Arboretum center for education and research (Acer) lobby
COST: FREE. Registration required.
LOCATION: Black Box Theater in the Arboretum center for education and research (Acer) at 33 Gallows Lane

REGISTER HERE

 

From scraping patterns in sand and drawing intricate lines on vellum and paper, to visualizing real-time 3D animations for the web, humans have long used maps as a powerful storytelling medium. The advent of the digital age has revolutionized the creation, distribution, and consumption of maps. The web created enormous opportunities for storytelling, enabling maps to dance and weave, partnering with other multimedia elements—photos, video, audio, text—to tell countless tales about our world. Speaker Allen Carroll, who graduated from Conn in 1973, will describe his decades-long passion for storytelling with maps, including his 27 years at National Geographic and 15 years at Esri. 

About the Speaker:

Allen Carroll (Connecticut College class of ‘73 graduate) is Program Manager for Storytelling at Esri. He founded Esri’s StoryMaps team, which provides web tools that have been used by hundreds of thousands of individuals and organizations to tell place-based stories combining interactive maps and multimedia content. He leads an editorial team that supports a global community of digital storytellers. Allen came to Esri after 27 years at the National Geographic Society. As its chief cartographer, he was deeply involved in the creation of the Society’s renowned reference and wall maps, globes, and atlases. He is author of Telling Stories with Maps, published by Esri Press in June 2025.

 

The Sound Lab Foundation Lecture series is sponsored by the Friends of the Connecticut College Library. 

 

 

In our Gallery

Nature Photography by Laura Frommer Hall

On display through the end of August.

A photo of a wren signing while perched on a redbud tree in bloom taken by photographer Laura Frommer Hall

Laura Frommer Hall loves photographing native plants and wildlife. She often sees unique opportunities in her own garden, which is filled with many pollinator friendly flowers and three koi and goldfish ponds. As an active member of the Stonington Garden Club, Laura has served as the photography chair and horticulture co-chair. She has won awards for photography, horticulture, and floral design in several flower shows. Laura’s photographs have been exhibited at the Hygienic Art Gallery, Stonington Garden Club, Garden Club of America and CT Flower Show events, Florence Griswold online exhibit, Avalonia Land Conservancy website, Historic Stonington Lighthouse Museum Photo Show, and the Connecticut College Arboretum Photo Contest. In addition, Laura received the Volunteer of the Year award from the Southeast Soccer Club for her sports photography. She is the team photographer for the Southeast Soccer Club 2010 Boys soccer team and the New London High School Boys Soccer team. Laura is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University and the Monterey Institute of International Studies.


Gallery Reception
Thursday, August 7

5 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Stop in and meet the artist!
Free and open to the public

 

The Connecticut College Arboretum Gallery is located in the Arboretum Center for Education & Research (ACER) building at 33 Gallows Lane in New London CT 06320. The gallery is free and open to the public Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

 

For information about exhibiting your artwork in the Connecticut College Arboretum gallery space, please email arbor@conncoll.edu

The Connecticut College Arboretum gallery space displays nature-related art. Any medium type will be considered.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Visit us on facebook @ConnecticutCollegeArboretum to stay up to date on our programs and events. To receive advance notice of programs you can sign up to get our monthly email newsletter on the Arboretum home page. You don't have to be a member to receive notifications but we would appreciate your support of becoming a member if you are not one already.

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