Guided Tours

Guided tours can be arranged by completing this form  to schedule your private tour in advance

Private guided tours Minimum $100 for up to 15 people, each additional person is $5.

• Children under 12 are free.

No Cash is Accepted on Site, you may pay by check or credit card. Checks may be made payable to Temple University with Ambler Arboretum Tour written in the memo section. 

The following guided tour options are available:

Green Mulch Tour – A walk to see plants used as living mulch throughout the Arboretum. 

Native Plants Walk – A guided walk through the gardens highlighting the native trees, shrubs and perennials with seasonal interest.

Resilient Plants – The plants that have proven to be able to stand up to tough conditions – deer, drought etc. – in the Ambler Arboretum.

General Garden Tour – An overview of the Ambler Arboretum and its history and a stop into many of the garden spaces.

Conifer Tour – Featuring the Colibraro conifer garden and a walk around the grounds, discussing conifers for home landscapes.

Winter Interest Tour – Explore the Arboretum with winter in mind any time of the year. 

Edible Plants Tour – Highlighting native edible plants learn what you can plant that is beautiful and delicious!

Four Seasons of Interest Tour – From buds to blooms to bark and berries, these plants show all year-round.

Invasive Plant Identification Management and Control – Take a walk through our wild woodlands, learn how to identify invasive plant species and some tips or prevention, management and control.

Around the World in 20 Trees – Take a walk around the campus and around the world through our tree collection.

Ecological Anomalies – Take a trip back in time as we learn about the Arboretum plants with a prehistoric story. Learn the reasons some of our plants have giant pods, fruits and thorns. Some of our most ancient plants may surprise you.

Insect Investigation – Take a walk around the gardens looking for insects and other invertebrates. Learn how to tell beneficial insects form those who may be a garden problem. From aphids to Zebra Swallowtails, we will discuss each insect we encounter, learning more about the diversity of the gardens and the role these small animals play in our lives.

The Ambler Arboretum Rocks! Tour – Sure we have a lot of trees and a lot of flowers, but we also have a lot of rocks on campus too! In this walking tour of campus designed by Geology Professor Dr. Natalie Flynn, we examine the different types of rocks found through out campus.

Horticulture Hike - Depending on what is interesting in the gardens and the greenhouse we will pick a genus or family of plants to examine intensively. Think learning scientific names, how to differentiate similar plants, field identification, understanding culture and use as well as seasonal interest. 

Teachers: We encourage bringing your students here for directed learning. Pre-registration is required. Please contact Arboretum Director Kathy Salisbury, to discuss options and requirements.

Self-Guided Tours

You are welcome to come any time during our hours of operation to take self-guided tours of the Ambler Arboretum. View the map and garden descriptions.

 Groups of 5 or more are asked to pre-register by contacting Kathy Salisbury at 267-468-8400 or kathleen.salisbury@temple.edu or to complete this form

Visit the Hilda Justice Artifacts Collection

Open by appointment. The Hilda Justice Building is the site of the artifacts collection at the Ambler Campus. Dedicated on November 6, 2011, to mark the 100th Anniversary, this collection reflects the rich history of the site.

The first students arrived in 1911 when the school was founded as the Pennsylvania School of Horticulture for Women. In 1958 it merged with Temple University. The artifacts collection contains images, tools, awards and banners from the school and from the Woman’s National Farm and Garden Association that was founded at the Ambler Campus in 1914. Learn more about the Hilda Justice Artifacts Collection.