Polly Hill Arboretum — Attraction in West Tisbury

Beautifully curated and meticulously managed property donated by the late Polly Hill. The facility starts with a suggested $5 donation which helps pay for the grounds upkeep and visitor programs. The guides are often those who have been partnering with the arboretum for years and are most all naturally nature lovers themselves. After entering though the gift shop, you are then welcomed by the tale of how the grounds came to be (I’ll save you from those details to learn in person).

In true arboretum fashion, the detailed name plates hang on each plant and are additionally staked into the ground detailing the scientific information and common name for each variety. Polly herself has some amazing varieties of rare plants shared from her international friends overseas (see monkey puzzle tree, redwood, and magnolias for reference) as well as some absolutely stunning rhododendrons that can be as large as a house in some cases!

The grounds themselves additionally boast a nursery and hosts yearly plant sales starting in May. Keep an eye out for their programs as they range from painting, nature identification, and propagation to name a few.

As you enter the grounds maps are printed as well as printed and posted throughout the grounds in prime locations. Signage brings you across many parts of the property including fields that are being used to test natural pest management strategies and success rates, as well as remanence of old buildings that were once the residence of Polly Hill.

Grass and lightly compacted flat dirt trails make for an easy walk for family members of all ages (including city strollers for kids).

Bonus: their website hosts a wealth of information but specifically has some amazing resources for native planting in Martha’s Vineyard and New England. Their plant sale offers many plugs (small single pieces of plants made to grow over time)

Overall this is a beautiful property to come to and walk along or just find a spot to sit, rest, and take in the...

Ask me 2 years ago if I would pay money to go see a bunch of plants and I would probably die laughing. After visiting this arboretum, I can’t wait to research more.

One reason to visit this place is the diversity of nature. In the US we are accustomed to seeing certain plants. So viewing the “monkey puzzle” tree” blew my mind. I can’t believe this type of tree, with thousands of sharp barbs exists. You may have seen a white oak, but have you ever seen a black oak? You could lose yourself following the interesting patterns in the bark. Overall I left appreciating nature so much more after leaving this place.

The paths are easy to follow.

There are a couple of more reasons to visit here. There is an open barn you can tour. It is interesting to see the old architecture. They have some antiques inside that you can touch. There is a huge outdoor fireplace that is an architectural marvel of its own accord. I wish they explained more about why it was built. Polly must have had some wild outdoor harvest festivals.

This is going to be the oddest part of my review. I would pay just to use the restrooms here. They had 30 foot ceiling with and open design. The rooms wreaked of cedar. I found myself walking around the restroom taking pictures and then I thought well this is creepy and finally left. But I would have spent more time there.

Polly started this arboretum when she was 50. That shows it is never too late to start something!!

Dictated to phone; sorry...

Great way to kill an hour or so and enjoy the flora of Martha’s Vineyard. Admission is $5 and provides access to a sizeable area filled with a wide variety of trees and other plants. The fields throughout were keep completely natural due to the wishes of the late founder of the arboretum, so people could see how Martha’s Vineyard looked before colonization and settlement. The staff were friendly and informative, and there’s even a plant sale near the welcome center if you want to take...