The Local Source for News and Information Since 1980
There’s a real gem of a destination found near Ridgely in Caroline County, just off Route 404, that I am sure most folks who are trying to “reach the beach” don’t realize they are passing by. To be honest, as a nearly lifelong resident of Caroline County, I spent years aware that this place existed, but I never set foot on the property until October of 2023. That property? Adkins Arboretum. I had no idea what I had been missing, either!
Adkins Arboretum is located on 400 acres off Eveland Road outside Ridgely and is surrounded by the 4,000 acres of Tuckahoe State Park. Adkins’ focus is on native gardens and the preservation of the forests, meadows, and wetlands found within its 400 acres. The place to begin your visit to Adkins is their Visitor’s Center, open Tuesday through Sunday for most of the year. There are five miles of trails, open every day from sunrise to sunset, that take visitors through the natural landscapes to view firsthand the flora and fauna of this region, first inhabited by people of the Choptank tribe.
Programs and events at Adkins are outstanding. They provide educational, entertainment, and community building opportunities for visitors of all ages, some for a fee and some for free. Some of their ongoing programs include guided walks (their Soup ’n Walk programs sound especially yummy!), monthly book club discussions, and guided bird watching opportunities. There are art classes for artists of all ages and skill levels. They offer craft workshops, including one on how to build the iconic red Wave Chairs found around the Visitor’s Center. Little ones can join Nature Preschool sessions. Special annual events offered by Adkins include Yarnstorming in March; Native Plant Café in May; Forest Music and Summer Solstice Social in June; Rhythm & Roots (formerly Beer Garden), FairyFest, and Plein Air Adkins in the fall; and Holiday Open House during December. You can take home a piece of Adkins by purchasing native plants from their three native plant sales held during the year.
There is not enough space in this column to truly explain what a treasure Adkins Arboretum is for Caroline County. All I can do is hope I have whetted your appetite enough to visit and see for yourself how amazing this jewel of a location fits into the crown of the Green Garden County that we at the Caroline County Garden Club proudly call home.
To learn more about Adkins Arboretum visit them online at adkinsarboretum.org. Learn more about the Caroline County Garden Club by visiting our Facebook page “Caroline County Garden Club-Maryland” or email us at ccgardenclubinfo@gmail.com.
