University of Tennessee Arboretum, Oak Ridge — Attraction in Oak Ridge

Went to the 2nd Annual Butterfly Festival here. I had never been before. Such a beautiful area. Lots of trees, flowers and other types of plants abound. Stunningly beautiful place. They have a lovely air conditioned auditorium. There were 2 excellent speakers that I so enjoyed. 1 spoke about flowers & plants to attract butterfly. The other spoke about the various types of butterfly & moths in the area. They had some UT students working with kids in an excellent manner. The children were having so much fun. They had 2 Monarch butterfly releases which the children & adults loved. I got a couple of plants to attract more butterflies. I also got some honey that tasted delicious. I like to purchase my honey from local beekeepers. Also got a dish made from a leaf that u put a bit of sand in & dampen it with water and set on a rock for the butterflies. You also could put a bit of banana peel or orange rind. I am signing up for 2 events coming up. There were other vendors there too. Very nice place. It is not too far from Calhouns on the Lake so I meandered over there for a...

I've visited the UT Arboretum since the mid-1980's. I always found it to be very peaceful. I have called it my "happy place" for nearly 40 years. I live out of state, and often out of country. But when I'm 'home' visiting family, I try to take a quick trip to walk the park. I do NOT like that there are now structures in the park (the auditorium and gazebo). Untold numbers of plants and trees had to be removed, and lots of wildlife had to adjust to this human "progress" to make way for facilities to entertain and wow donors. 👎 Despite this, I cannot bring myself to give anything less than 5 stars because of my deep love...

Came here for a nice walk with the family.

Loved and amount and diversity of the trails. There are flat trails to walk and ones with incline. Plenty of shade beneath the large trees and there are benches along the trails to take a rest.

I liked the little educational visitor center near the parking area. There was some very interesting information about types of plants you can find and the history of the arboretum itself.

What I also love is that its not right in the middle of a city. It's pretty much between Knoxville and Oak Ridge so it feels way more natural than walking through a botanical garden in the...