Visiting The Dawes Arboretum

The Dawes Arboretum, located near Newark, Ohio, has over 2,000 acres of plants and gardens. There are 12 miles of trails, and a 4 mile driving tour for those who don’t want to stretch their legs, with an audio tour you can download from their website. While visiting the Dawes Arboretum. take in some of the many features they offer: Japanese Garden, log cabin, woodland garden (with storybook trail), lake, grasslands and the Dawes family home just to name a few. The visitor center has restrooms, a learning experience, nature activities for children and a birdwatching garden.

Fast facts about visiting the Dawes Arboretum

• Tickets are $10 for adults, five dollars for children ages 5 to 15, and children under five are free (you can buy your tickets online prior to visiting by visiting their website https://dawesarb.org/);
• Open 362 days a year (closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years Day) from 9-7 March through October or 9-5 November to February;
• Admission is free for everyone on Veterans Day;
• The Dawes Arboretum is located at 7770 Jacksontown Rd. SE, Newark Ohio;
• Memberships cost $40 a year for an individual or $60 for a family;
• Membership allows you access to special events, entrance one hour earlier, and a 15% discount in the gift shop and plant sales;
• Dogs are permitted on leash;
• Any collecting of plants is forbidden.

History of the Dawes Arboretum

The Dawes Arboretum was established in 1929 by Beman Dawes and his wife Birdie. Beman had bought 140 acres of land in Licking Township back in 1917 as a second home and retreat. That same year he had his first planned tree-planting of 50 sugar maples. Mr. Dawes’ dream was to obtain tree specimens from all over the world that would survive in central Ohio in order to inspire other people to plant trees. By the time the Dawes Arboretum was founded in 1929, 50,000 trees had been planted and the grounds had doubled in size.

Today the Arboretum has over 5,300 different types of plants and the acreage has grown to nearly 2,000. When we visited there was a special exhibit with garden sculptures, which you can see in the photo on the left, along with some other plants we saw during our visit. In 2024 the special exhibit is giant bugs- I can’t wait to visit and see it!

Daweswood & Education Center

During non-Covid time you can visit Daweswood- the Dawes family home. This gives visitors a glimpse into the lives of the Dawes family. The house museum displays 19th and 20th century antiques and memorabilia. A bit about Beman Dawes- he was a leader in the gas and petroleum industry. In 1914 he was the founder and president of the Ohio City gas company that later became the Pure Oil company. He served two terms in Congress and his oldest brother Charles was Vice President of the United States under Calvin Coolidge from 1925 to 1929.

Near Daweswood is the education center and learning garden. In addition to some beautiful plants and lovely paths there are some great swings for sitting and relaxing, soaking up all the serene nature.

Japanese Garden

One of my favorite areas at the Dawes Arboretum is the Japanese Garden. Designed in 1963 by Dr. Makoto Nakamura, the garden features a rock garden, gravel paths, rolling hills, a bridge and reflecting pool.

Personally, I loved the Japanese Garden because I remembered the last time I was there, when I was taking my senior pictures! I tried to recreate the experience from memory, and I don’t think I did too bad.

Glacier Ridge & Dawes Lake

During our hike around the property of the Dawes Arboretum we came to the Glacier Ridge. From the top of this hill you can see the valley where a glacier was located over 10,000 years ago. Today there are lots of beautiful trees to enjoy, including oaks, buckeyes and beeches.

Further on into our hike, the Dawes Lake is an 8 acre pond with an island.

Nearby is the 36-foot observation tower. Here you can see for miles, and it’s the best way to see the 2,040 foot long hedges which spell out “Dawes Arboretum”. We didn’t climb the tower, but you can make out some of the letters from my picture below. Or enjoy the photo I borrowed from the internet.

Woodlands

While visiting the Dawes Arboretum, be sure to check out the Woodlands area. During a hot summer day it was wonderful because visitors are under cover of some beautiful trees. Here there are all sorts of native plants (when we visited the ground was completely covered with ramps). This is also where you can visit the on-site log cabin, reconstructed from parts of an even older log cabin that was located here.

Along the Woodland Garden trail you can relax in the gazebo, or take a short hike down the storybook trail, where children and adults can read a story called Mother Bruce. Every few feet there is a sign post with a different page with the story- it was super adorable.

Rhododendron Garden & Azalea Glen

I saved my favorite part of the Dawes Arboretum. We visited in late May, and the rhododendron and azalea gardens were unbelievable. They came in a variety of colors, the trees were larger than me with blooms larger than my face (as you can see from the photo below). And the smells! I wish you could scratch and sniff my photos, you’ll have to go and experience if for yourself.

I went underneath one of the trees and it was a little oasis- it is amazing how much you can explore and get close to the nature at the Dawes Arboretum. And we couldn’t resist a group photo near the azalea’s.

The Dawes Arboretum was beautiful. We hiked over 4 miles and loved all the natural beauty. I definitely recommend a visit to this spot.

Breweries near the Dawes Arboretum.

Its time in my blog when I talk about some places nearby that are worth a visit when you visit the Dawes Arboretum. There were quite a few breweries in the area to choose from- we went with Dankhouse and Trek Breweries.

Dankhouse Brewery opened in November of 2017 and specializes in IPAs, stouts and fruited sours. They have an incredible outdoor space, and the day they visited they had a band. There is also a food truck on site. They are open from 3-10pm Wednesday through Friday, 12-10 on Saturday, and noon to 7 on Sunday.

Trek Brewing, also located in Newark, is inside an old Damans. Closed Monday and Tuesday, but open Wednesday-Sunday starting at 11 through 9 or 10 on the weekends. They have a full kitchen, and about 10 beers on tap. Both Dankhouse and Trek Breweries are also part of the Columbus Ale Trail, so get your stamps when you visit.

Thanks for visiting my blog today. Looking for more to do in this area? Might I suggest Blackhand Gorge State Nature Preserve. Or maybe you want more beautiful plant and want to visit the Kingwood Garden Center in Mansfield. And if you have any ideas, leave me your suggestion in the comments please! Until next time!

-Catching Katie