From Northwest Washington: Follow New York Avenue east to the intersection of Bladensburg Road. Turn right (south) onto Bladensburg Road and go 4 blocks to R Street. Make a left on R Street and continue 2 blocks to the Arboretum gates.
From the Maryland suburbs: Take the Capital Beltway (I 495/I 95) to exit 22B towards Washington. Follow the Baltimore Washington Parkway approximately 7 miles to New York Avenue. Get in your left lane. You will approach the intersection of Bladensburg Road where only the two left lanes turn onto Bladensburg Road. Make the left onto Bladensburg Road and go 4 blocks to R Street. Make a left on R Street and continue 2 blocks to the Arboretum gates.
From Virginia (I 395): Follow I 395 north over the 14th Street Bridge. Follow signs until the freeway ends at New York Avenue. Turn right onto New York Avenue and follow New York Avenue east to the intersection of Bladensburg Road. Turn right (south) onto Bladensburg Road and go 4 blocks to R Street. Make a left on R Street and continue 2 blocks to the Arboretum gates.
From Virginia (I 95 and I 295): Follow I 95 North and cross the Wilson Bridge. Stay in the right lane over the bridge. Bear onto the I 95/I 295 North to Washington. Follow I 295 to the exit Rt. 50 West - New York Avenue and continue on Rt. 50 (New York Avenue) to Bladensburg Road where only the two left lanes turn onto Bladensburg Road. Make the left onto Bladensburg Road and go 4 blocks to R Street. Make a left on R Street and continue 2 blocks to the Arboretum gates.
From Virginia (I 66): Cross the Roosevelt Bridge and follow
Constitution Avenue past the Capitol Building. Bear left onto Maryland
Avenue. Follow Maryland Avenue to Bladensburg Road. Make a left onto Bladensburg
Road and travel 1 mile to R Street. Make a right onto R Street and continue
2 block to the Arboretum gates.
On weekends and holidays (except December 25, when the grounds are closed)
you will find it more convenient to use Metro's direct shuttle service
from Union Station by hopping on the X6 metrobus. The bus operates every
40 minutes and the fare is $1.10 one way ($0.25 with rail transfer). Click
here
to see the schedule.
The Administration Building is open daily from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily from November 1 to the end of February. From March 1 to October 31, the Administration Building is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends. The Administration Building is closed on some federal holidays. Check our Home Page if you are visiting on a federal holiday to see if the Administration Building will be open.
The National Bonsai and Penjing Museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., so plan to visit this collection first if you visit late in the day.
The Arbor House Gift Shop is open from March 1 through mid-December. Weekday hours are 10:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and weekend hours are 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
On foot: If you are disabled or prefer a short walking tour, you may visit four beautiful areas that are easily accessible and situated adjacent to each other–the Aquatic Garden and Koi Pond surrounding the Administration Building, the Friendship Garden, the National Herb Garden, and the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum. Serious hikers will also find many intriguing trails throughout the Arboretum.
By tram: A tram for touring the grounds was introduced in the
fall of 1997. Check this separate web page for more information on Tram
Tours.
The Arbor Cafe is located adjacent to the National Herb Garden and the Administration Building and Visitor Center. Food service is available Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., except during inclement weather. The menu features light fare including sandwiches, packaged snacks, and nonalcoholic beverages.
You may also bring a picnic lunch when you visit the Arboretum.
Picnic tables are located in the National Grove of State Trees designated
picnic area.
Check our Gardening Page for information on the care of a particular plant you are interested in. If you cannot find the information there, contact your local extension service for this information.
We are unable at this time to provide you guidance on where you can
purchase a specific plant. To be fair to everyone in the nursery
industry, we feel we must provide all the sources for a given plant and
we currently lack the resources to be able to do this. Tips on finding
a source for that special plant you are looking for may be found on our
Plant
Sources Page.
Yes. The Arbor House Gift Shop features "Gifts and Books for the Horticulturally Minded" and is located in the Arbor House. The Arbor House Gift Shop is open from March 1 through mid-December. Weekday hours are 10:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and weekend hours are 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The Arbor House Gift Shop is operated by the National Capital Area Federation of Garden Clubs, Inc., and is staffed primarily by volunteers. They accept MasterCard and Visa, and offer a 10% discount to card-carrying members of the Friends of the National Arboretum (FONA) on purchases of $10 or more. Tel: 202-399-5958. Sorry, no mail orders!
Note: Visiting members of 120 other Botanical Gardens and Arboreta nationwide
will also receive a 10% discount in the Gift Shop upon presentation of
membership cards.
Last Updated September 10, 2003
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