Take a Walking Tour of the Atlanta BeltLine Arboretum | Trees Atlanta

Take a Walking Tour of the Atlanta BeltLine Arboretum

Have you heard about Atlanta’s BeltLine and want to learn more?
Do you have a passion for trees, native grasses, and wildflowers?
Are you a fan of the city’s in-town neighborhoods, and would you like to learn more about their history and what makes them special?

If any or all of the above applies to you, then come immerse yourself in one of the most transformative urban projects of our time by taking a Docent-led Atlanta BeltLine Arboretum Walking Tour.

The Atlanta BeltLine Arboretum is a unique resource for learning about the native trees, grasses, and perennials of our region. This twenty two mile linear park offers new delights during every season, and is best experienced by taking a guided walking tour with a Trees Atlanta Docent.

Receive this awesome sticker once you’ve walked the tour with us!
Tours are available every Friday and Saturday morning and take about one and a half hours. Departing from a trailhead in Inman Park, your trained Trees Atlanta tour Docent will guide you down the trail, identifying points of interest along the way like the Historic Fourth Ward Skatepark, Ponce City Market, and the Ford Factory lofts. You can expect to learn about the native trees, grasses and other plants you’ll see along the way; hear interesting stories about the neighborhoods you pass through and the architecture you see; gain fascinating insight into the features of and plans for the Atlanta BeltLine; and much more.

The Docents receive extensive training about the Atlanta BeltLine and the horticulture found in the Arboretum. Additionally each Docent brings their own expertise and twist to the tour, so go often and experience the changing seasons of the Arboretum and new stories with each time.

The guided walking tours are free, but you must register in advance. For more information go to https://treesatlanta.org/our-programs/atlanta-beltline-arboretum-tours/, or contact Kate Baltzell, Education Coordinator, for more information or to arrange a special group tour kateb@treesatlanta.org.

There are many ways to “do” the Atlanta BeltLine, but you haven’t really done it until you’ve taken a walking tour of the Atlanta BeltLine Arboretum led by a trained Trees Atlanta docent. Sign up for a tour today!

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1. Magnolia Collection

Magnolias are part of an ancient lineage of flowering plants dating back approximately 95 million years. The Atlanta BeltLine Arboretum is home to 18 types of magnolias from evergreen to flowering. Two magnolias in particular have witnessed history as they were planted just beyond the outfield wall for the former Ponce de Leon Park, where the Atlanta Crackers played baseball. Babe Ruth and Eddie Matthews both hit home runs that were caught in the canopy of one of these magnolia trees. As part of Arboretum experimentation, we have taken cuttings from these historic magnolias and grown them into new trees so that this piece of history can live on the Atlanta BeltLine Arboretum and in new parks and baseball fields around Atlanta.

2. 33 Oaks

The oak trees on this slope and throughout the Arboretum represent many ecosystems in Georgia, from bottomland hardwood swamps to granite outcrops. Of the approximately 90 species of oaks native to the United States, 33 are native to Georgia. All 33 oaks are growing on this slope and between them dance 33 stainless steel leaf sculptures – one for each tree.

These metal oaks were designed and crafted by David Landis of Landis Sculpture Studio. Learn more about David’s work here. For more information about the individual oaks featured, see our fact sheet here.

To learn more general information about our Georgia oaks, check out this video here.

3. Beech Circle

Among the stateliest of our native trees, beeches are indicative of a mature forest. Though they can take around 40 years to produce a large quantity of nuts, beech trees are critical for wildlife. Beeches provide food and shelter for all kinds of birds and mammals, such as the red-headed woodpecker. Dubbed the fairy ring, the circle of beech trees here surrounds a granite outdoor classroom and gathering place where you can contemplate how the beech trees will look in 3, 5, and 10 years!

4. Eastside Azalea Collection

Despite the native azalea holding the title of Georgia’s State Wildflower, it is underused in the landscape. The Atlanta BeltLine Arboretum is now home to the largest public native azalea collection in the Atlanta Area with over 300 azaleas on display. The collection highlights over 25 species, cultivars, and varieties, and is home to all 13 azaleas native to the state of Georgia. This collection focuses on named cultivars (varieties that have been selected for depending on color, size, bloom time, etc.) within two series called the Georgia Moon Series and the Sunrise to Sunset Series. The Georgia Moon Series will have fragrant white-blooming Georgia native species, and the Sunrise to Sunset Series will be comprised of Georgia native species in warm orange, reds, and soft yellows blooming from March – July.

5. Stumpery Garden

The Stumpery Garden is a horticultural oddity, serving as a public place for learning and exploration and demonstrating how trees can be utilized in a beautiful way. Stumpery gardens utilize dead, fallen, and storm-damaged trees as an asset to the garden – providing critical habitat for beetles, frogs, birds, and small mammals such as chipmunks. Whole logs are placed upside down to display their root structure, and logs, branches, and pieces of bark are arranged to form walls and archways. Plants such as ferns, lichen, mosses, soft grasses, and trailing plants are encouraged to grow on and around them.

Take a virtual tour of the Stumpery Garden here.

6. Westside Azalea Collection

Different from the Eastside collection, the Westside collection has all straight species and natural varieties that encourage free hybridization. These azaleas are all grown from seed so there are many variations in the hues even between the same species.

7. Persimmon Woods

Home to the largest American persimmon tree in the state of Georgia, this remnant old growth forest on 1.3 acres provides habitat to a variety of deep forest flora. Walking through a nature trail and over a few bridges will bring you up close and personal with woodland groundcovers, rare spring ephemerals (plants with a short life cycle) such as trillium, and a large collection of native woody species. Enjoy the seasonal blooms, learn from plant identification signs, and get hands-on with volunteer opportunities to plant, divide woodland perennials, and collect seed.

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