UCF Arboretum — Attraction in Alafaya

An arboretum is a botanical collection of trees. Knowing how much I love plants and nature my daughter gave me a tour of her UCF campus arboretum during a recent visit to her school. Parking on campus can be tricky but there is a pay lot next to the arboretum outside of Flagler Hall in the Libra community.

The arboretum was established by then UCF President Trevor Colbourn in 1983. Originally it consisted of 12 acres of a disturbed pond pine community on the east side of campus. President Altman expanded it further in 1988 to include 5 acres of cypress dome, 3 acres of oak hammock, and 15 acres of sand pine and Florida scrub. Today the arboretum covers 80 acres and contains more than 600 species of plants. In 2009 a community organic garden was added.

The UCF arboretum contains three miles of hiking and biking trails. In February of 2020, volunteers got together to create UCF's first mountain biking trail through the arboretum. Free tours are offered to the public and UCF students use this a living laboratory. The arboretum is open everyday from...

Beautiful environment perfect for a walk or some light exercise. Wide selection of plants to observe and the place is routinely used by biology and environmentally-oriented classes on a regular basis. The food garden is lovely and a perfect example of sustainability, and volunteer shifts are commonly offered to students either individually or with clubs. Most of all, the Arboretum staff routinely donate their harvest from the food garden to Knights Pantry, giving back to the local community even further, and are also involved with healthy meal prep initiatives and the hydro-towers growing plants around the Student Union. An excellent asset to UCF and a great place to stop by if your interest lies in environmental sustainability--or if you just like...

A slice of paradise nestled inside UCF, the Arboretum provides natural opportunities throughout the eastern part of campus. Lots of trails throughout, recently it seems to be not maintained as well, the grass is incredibly long on some portions, even at entrances. However there is lots of natural beauty and typically not crowded at all even while the semester is in session. Its a great quiet place to go for a walk or run, feels pretty safe but watch out for wildlife just in case. Free admission, usually paid parking. Garage C is closest to the entrance. The softball lot provides direct access to trails. Parking pass required in those areas. Check game day schedule and addition arena event dates before going, parking limited and lots of traffic on game...