If you want to see beautiful specimen trees and shrubs, this is the place. For a nice, peaceful walk or to just be among some quiet beauty in an otherwise urban setting -- go.

large open park outside the center of the city....having a car helps to get here...can spend as much or as little time as you like viewing a large collection of wooded areas...not a formal garden per se...nice small gift shop

We visit the Arboretum multiple times a year, and there is always something new to see. Go several times in the spring, because the flowering trees aren't all in bloom at the same time - don't miss the lilacs around Mother's Day - a hilliside of a varirty of colors and the most wonderful scent. Return again in the fall to enjoy spectacular leaves. There are wide, paved paths for those who don't find it easy to get around, but there are also other areas to explore. If you get up to the top of the hills you can see downtown Boston. Parking can be a problem on weekends, so try and get there early in the day.

Full disclosure: I live about 2 miles from the borders of the Arboretum. During most years, I probably visit 25 times. Sometimes I'm there on foot, more often on my bicycle, and less often bringing visitors to see this wonderful place.

This huge place (it has two parts separated by a street) gives visitors the opportunity to walk, run or ride (by bicycle) through a landscape filled with shrubs and trees from all over the world. A series of paved walkways (and some dirt pathways) lead through the grounds, mount the two hills in the two parts of the Arboretum, and lead the visitor to some dramatic vistas.

Tips: Come in the late Spring to see the lilacs blooming; bring your dog (on a leash in the main part of the place); get a handicapped permit (during weekdays) to take a non-ambulatory visitor in your vehicle to see the sights from the road; take a look at the descriptive plates hanging on the trees; DO NOT MISS the remarkable Bonsai exhibit!